UPS. Friend Or Foe?

We ship hundreds of packages a year and last year only had one "lost" but nothing ever damaged...so far lucky, I guess. BUT there's a little secret I've been told by my local UPS rep (and I'm assuming FedEx). If you insure the item for a minimum $2,500 they then place the package in a secure cage that must be signed off from employee to employee so it's handled a bit different. When we ship cables that are almost impossible to get damaged in shipping, we still place this dollar amt of insurance, even if the cable isn't worth the stated amount. This is a kind of insurance policy and piece of mind for us. Again, never have had to place a claim to verify and hope we never have to find out.

what @arion said. ✔

In North America (in particular) UPS, FEDEX, etc. actually hires A LOT of incompetent delivery drivers. It doesn’t matter of they are an outsider refugee (bush- the people that we love, great song) or a person who has lived here their whole lives.

Best pratice is to call them right after your parcel has arrived at their warehouse, as per their website/tracking.

Let them know it is a gift for a client or a close relative.

They will notify a deliver driver and make it their responsibilty to handle with care.

I’m actually serious. I’ve had deliveries in the past where the driver who brought the box to door asked me again: so this an important parcel, eh? Well don’t worry, we handled it gently.

End result - nothing is damaged.

Want even more reassurance, pay for additional packing materials and/or have it double boxed + insured delivery. Yes, totally worth the addtional cost. Also have them include a "this side up/do not turn over" label on the box. Sometimes they can pick up boxes backwards and walk up your steps!!

I’ve known folks who worked at FEDEX, UPS etc. and especially, during the sorting process, they have been known to treat parcels like bowling equipment lol.

Not audio related, just my experience with UPS.

1) Received a WWII .22lr training rifle. A rare model with only a few survivers in this condition. It was double boxed and inside a hard case, we got it with the barrel sticking a foot out of the box and both sights sheared off and the stock in three pieces.

2) AK47 clone packed in two boxes in hard case with tire tread print across the box. Upon opening, it had bent barrel! They managed to break an AK!

3) They lost a transfer containing a HK mk23, they could not account for it's whereabouts. Told us "Too Bad" they will look into it. 3months later , nothing. We got BATF involved and low and behold, they "found it behind some machinery" it had been opened and had several rounds fired through it. 

@roadwhorerecords Wow! Unbelievable.

Shipping with either UPS or FEDX ground is the same- damage when things are loose and can be stacked or tossed. Things on pallets fare better, but only marginally so. The thing about insurance with UPS or FEDX is if you pay insurance but don’t follow the packing regs, they will deny payment. So buying insurance does not protect you.

THose UPS offices that are also mailbox places? They are not UPS they are a private business and just get UPS pick up. They have NO IDEA how to pack an expensive thing or a heavy thing. They are a business of shipping, not packing. If you want to get real UPS service go to the REAL UPS office- usually near an airport or in a major facility. UPS main offiices don’t know how to pack things either so don’t count on them. DO it yourself. You need 2 inches between whatever you ship and the outside of the box for the entire trip or the insurance doesn’t work.

Packaging- I see expensive stuff sent to us for repair improperly packed constantly. NEVER use peanuts as peanuts settle and whatever is floating in it settles to the bottom of the box, now sitting directly on the bottom cardboard and subject to whatever strikes the bottom. DON’T use styrofoam! It turns to dust and coats everything in the box with styro dust. If anything on your item is sticky or tacky, the dust will stick to it forever.

Always use the box within a box method (as mentioned above by the UPS driver) and use chunks of foam or bubble wrap between the boxes.

If all else fails use bubble wrap, the big bubble kind (not that tiny bubble kind they sell at office stores). Wrap the thing you want to protect with 6 inches of bubble wrap on all sides and turn it into a giant ball if you have to! Then put that in a box and not the crappy cardboard at lowes or Home depot, (that stuff instantly comes apart) go get real cardboard boxes at UHaul. Using two of them, box within a box and bubble wrap between them to 2-3 inches works well.

Rant over.