Anyone else here HATE Styrofoam packing materials? Once it gets compacted a little, it fails to provide any protection and/or also fails to secure the component in the box.
Peanuts and news paper are about useless if the piece being shipped has any weight to it. Plank foam is expensive as is special two part foam bags. Bubble wrap works, but it is sometimes hard to be consistent with it and can get expensive if you have to buy a lot of it.
Although I seem to have settled down in my buying and selling of A/V gear, I think I have finally found a cheap alternative to my packing problems - and it's kind of funny:
Swimming noodles
You know those things they sell at dollar and grocery stores for a buck or two for kids to play with at pools. Their foam and easily cut to size, and they can protect a piece of gear over multiple impacts without loosing their shape. For corners I simply zip-tied three together in an “L” shape so they wouldn't separate. It worked like a charm on my 50 lb CDP since the original Styrofoam had compacted and disintegrated.
Shipping peanuts work well when they are used properly, they are not meant to be used as loose fill, but compacted so they interlock with one another creating a uniform cushion, this is what they are designed to do. I have shipped countless items using peanuts around a bubble wrapped item and have never had a damaged item.
Good idea but I see a problem. Bet insurance will not cover damaged used audio products shipped so. But then again they look for most anything to deny claims. For insurance to even have a slight change original packing. Never used to ship. Or all new box with proper weight rating and 4in penetration zone. As far as I know not one covers glass so TV vacuum tubes are not insurable.
Bowbow- the problem w peanuts by themselves is that the item will shift around as the box drops from conveyor to conveyor at UPFedex and eventually there will be no peanuts between the item and the cardboard. If the item is really heavy, that will happen more quickly with more serious consequences. Unless the item and the peanuts are of similar density, you will have a problem. They are great in between 2 boxes or btwn a sheet of rigid foam and outer box, etc.
The problem with peanuts is not really the peanuts per se, but more likely that the box the shipper is using is too small. You really need at least 6-8 inches of peanuts between the item and the outer box, if the item is fairly heavy.
But you are all correct that very heavy items make peanuts alone inadequate.
Many great tips in this tread. Double boxing, solid stryo and bubble wrap seem to rule. I will wait till end of summer and pick up some noodles. I have also used as the inner box a heavy duty plastic containner but also pakc the item in that container with stryo and bubble. When making a bid/offer I always condition that on 'acceptable packaging for shipment' language. That way, up front it is agreed on.
I am a compulsive hoarder of quality packing materials like egg crate foam, and inflatable insulation, not to mention any cardboard box that looks "just right."
I have actually used swimming noodles before! They are really useful to place between the inside and outside box when double boxing. Solid foam is the only thing that really protects components especially if they are heavy. I am amazed at how many manufacturers use styrofoam in original packaging but solid foam is heavier and adds to shipping costs so that is probably why styrofoam is used so much. Marantz is one manufacturer that comes to mind. They ship 35 pound SACD players using styrofoam. I have purchased egg crate foam material in various sizes and thicknesses from a company that sells nothing but packaging supplies. It costs money to use solid foam but if it helps prevent the pain of dealing with a damaged component it is well worth it.
If I use peanuts (rarely do, and never for heavy items) I put them inside a trash bag and seal the bag with tape, then lay these under/over/around the inner box (ie between the inner box and outside box). It does fill the air space and provides some cushion.
Good solutions! Please ,,never use just peanuts for packing,everything with any weight that ive ever recieved using peanuts for packing was practically falling out of the destroyed box!If you are paying someone to pack an item make sure they do not rely on peanuts!
Thank you so much for the tip; never though about using swimming noodles, good idea. For me, the best solution has been to double-box the gear using bubble wrap between the boxes. Cheapest place to get bubble wrap is walmart. As long as the unit is double boxed, the original packing material inside the unit's original box is fine.
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