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How to pack - a primer

I recently had a very good shipping experience with a fellow Audiogon member. He did an excellent job of packing a turntable for shipment.

Unfortunately, I have also been the recipient of poorly-packed items, even from Audiogon members. Hard to believe, I know, but true. One guy thought it was okay to put a turntable in a box and simply pour peanuts around it. Needless to say, the turntable was destroyed. And, insurance didn't pay for it, he was found to be grossly negligent.

To help others avoid such tragedies, I'm posting a link to a very detailed description of how to pack fragile items (in this case, turntables) for shipment. These guys go over the top a *bit*, but I bet their stuff NEVER gets broken in transit.

Check it out and see if you agree:
http://www.magma.ca/~jimrick1/PackingTT.htm

-RW-
rlwainwright
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Putting something in a box surrouded by foam peanuts is actually a good plan IF YOU USE A BIG ENOUGH BOX, so there is plenty of space and foam surrounding the gear.

Unfortunitely, most people use a box barely larger than the gear itself and don't add enough peanuts. Then they secure the box with only one piece of tape over the lid.
warnerwh
539 posts
 
I like wrapping the piece in bubble wrap thoroughly then using peanuts. Uhaul sells boxes for 5 bucks that are heavy duty and sized for electronics. You can't really overpack. A friend who worked for Fedex told me that all packages should be able to sustain a 10 foot drop without damage.
raytheprinter's avatar
raytheprinter
1,234 posts
 
Newsprint works better than peanuts sometimes as it does not shift as much
krelldog
323 posts
 
Double boxing is absolutely a must.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
The problem with peanuts is that they are loose and there is a smaller dense object amongst them. The object (amp, pre, cdp, whatever) will shift and work its way through the peanuts. the idea of using a cardboard floor btwn the peanuts and the inner box is a great idea. And as far as the standard, a 6-10' drop is uncommon, if something falls off a conveyor. 4' drop is typical. And while I would not tape something to a wood surface, what would you rather have, a bit of gummy residue on the plinth, or a box of TT crumbs?
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