Member DrmZ recently received a radio which once again due to crappy packaging arrived smashed and in more pieces than when it was sent.
So I'm digging up an old thread I did way back concerning this very issue. Again, this is not the only way to pack a box, but as a resource I belive it will offer some guidance on how to make sure your radio is sent or received in a secure manner.
I once sold a JVC 3090en to somebody way over in Mexico, quite a distance from Berlin Germany! I wanted to record how I packed the box just in case the buyer had any worries or even complaints, if any, when the box finally reaches them.
I took the liberty of photographing the process in case anyone else is wondering what minimum requirements are demanded of such a task. Packing in such a way will help your box arrive at its destination with the least of worry and calamity.
So, on with the packing.
First of all make sure the box is water-tight and dust safe. I do this by wrapping a heavy duty plastic bag around the box and taping it shut. Bits of cardboard and polestyrene as well as dust can get into the box during transit which can sometimes mean taking the box apart to remove these annoying intruders. Also, you want the box to be waterproof in case it falls out of the plane over the Atlantic.
Next, I took some insulation tubing which is made of very firm but squishy foam and decompresses well after compression. 74 cents a tube, cut in half and then into sections and taped to all edges and corners of the box.
This protects all corners and protruding edges from impact and greatly reduces the likelihood of damage such as cracks to the outer casing.
Next up, we bubble wrap! Firstly a layer of small bubbles. The small bubbles fit easier to the contours of the box, helping to protect all knobs, aerials, handles etc. Use a BIGGER piece than is enough to fit the box, as the overlaps serve well to extra protect corners and edges.
Another layer of BIG bubbles is place over the top to protect the smaller bubbles as well as creating a very cushiony blanket around the whole box.
The soft cushioning is good at this point, so we move onto the first boxing. This box fits snuggly around the radio and its soft protection. Double boxing allows the box to be packed well and tightly within a hard container with the knowledge that the structure of the first box is less prone to damage such as tears and bumps from outside influences. It also means that you can protect this inner box with even more soft packaging as well as the outer box. I filled in the gaps between first and second box with what are know as 'peanuts'. These are perfect for getting between both inner and outer box, filling all the nooks and crannies and providing a great cushion for the box should it be stack upon or leant against.
So, there is now plastic bag, foam tubing, small bubble wrap, big bubble sheets, peanuts, first box, peanuts and finally outer box. These many layers provide all manner of cushioning to the delcate wares inside.
Finally, tape the outer box up and she's ready to go!
I hope this will help some of you sellers out there. However, this is not the only way to pack a box. There are many schools of thought out there, and literally thousands of combinations of packing materials and layering techniques. The main objective here is to demonstrate that a box needs to be well packed, otherwise there's no point in sending it at all. The risks taken with poor packing are great and many, as we have often seen on this site. Let's try to encourage better packing and safer journies for our cherished radios!
So I'm digging up an old thread I did way back concerning this very issue. Again, this is not the only way to pack a box, but as a resource I belive it will offer some guidance on how to make sure your radio is sent or received in a secure manner.
I once sold a JVC 3090en to somebody way over in Mexico, quite a distance from Berlin Germany! I wanted to record how I packed the box just in case the buyer had any worries or even complaints, if any, when the box finally reaches them.
I took the liberty of photographing the process in case anyone else is wondering what minimum requirements are demanded of such a task. Packing in such a way will help your box arrive at its destination with the least of worry and calamity.
So, on with the packing.
First of all make sure the box is water-tight and dust safe. I do this by wrapping a heavy duty plastic bag around the box and taping it shut. Bits of cardboard and polestyrene as well as dust can get into the box during transit which can sometimes mean taking the box apart to remove these annoying intruders. Also, you want the box to be waterproof in case it falls out of the plane over the Atlantic.
Next, I took some insulation tubing which is made of very firm but squishy foam and decompresses well after compression. 74 cents a tube, cut in half and then into sections and taped to all edges and corners of the box.
This protects all corners and protruding edges from impact and greatly reduces the likelihood of damage such as cracks to the outer casing.
Next up, we bubble wrap! Firstly a layer of small bubbles. The small bubbles fit easier to the contours of the box, helping to protect all knobs, aerials, handles etc. Use a BIGGER piece than is enough to fit the box, as the overlaps serve well to extra protect corners and edges.
Another layer of BIG bubbles is place over the top to protect the smaller bubbles as well as creating a very cushiony blanket around the whole box.
The soft cushioning is good at this point, so we move onto the first boxing. This box fits snuggly around the radio and its soft protection. Double boxing allows the box to be packed well and tightly within a hard container with the knowledge that the structure of the first box is less prone to damage such as tears and bumps from outside influences. It also means that you can protect this inner box with even more soft packaging as well as the outer box. I filled in the gaps between first and second box with what are know as 'peanuts'. These are perfect for getting between both inner and outer box, filling all the nooks and crannies and providing a great cushion for the box should it be stack upon or leant against.
So, there is now plastic bag, foam tubing, small bubble wrap, big bubble sheets, peanuts, first box, peanuts and finally outer box. These many layers provide all manner of cushioning to the delcate wares inside.
Finally, tape the outer box up and she's ready to go!
I hope this will help some of you sellers out there. However, this is not the only way to pack a box. There are many schools of thought out there, and literally thousands of combinations of packing materials and layering techniques. The main objective here is to demonstrate that a box needs to be well packed, otherwise there's no point in sending it at all. The risks taken with poor packing are great and many, as we have often seen on this site. Let's try to encourage better packing and safer journies for our cherished radios!