2. misc-audio
  3. 159379-115924

Shipping. Hard Lesson.

I'm selling some high end audio gear for the estate of a relative who passed away. I've never done this before. I'm using C's List, eBay and A'gon. It has been a lot of work and not a lot of fun.

Tons of scammers on C's list but excellent experience selling to a local audiophile.

Got a sale pending here at A'gon. Not too bad.

One good experience on eBay.

But then the Bryston 9B SST2 amp sold on eBay. I had actually about decided to purchase it myself when it sold via eBay. Super nice, experienced buyer.

Took the amp to UPS. It weighs 65 pounds. Asked them to double box and was ready to pay the price but the clerk convinced me that there was no need. They would wrap it well and the box she chose was supposed to handle 85 pounds.

Well, it gets to the buyer and he sends me a picture and it looks like the box has rolled down a mountain. The handles are broken off of the amp and it is dinged all up. Have no idea if it works or not. I'm not sure double boxing would have mattered in this case.

We insured it for the price paid. Buyer was very understanding but disappointed of course. I will get paid (by UPS) what I was going to get paid anyway but both the buyer and I commiserated over a fine piece of equipment destroyed. Or at least marred.

Anyway, sorry about the long sad sop story but I will probably have other gear to ship in the near future possible even the gorgeous Aerial Acoustics 5Ts which, even thought they are bookshelf speakers, are large and heavy.

So all of this is basically to ask: Who do you use for shipping large heavy delicate audio gear?
n80
p05129
524 posts
 
N80-@MC is a joke. A legend in his own mind!

Anything that is that heavy or worth more than $5k, it is a local sale even if I have the original boxes. 
limomangus's avatar
limomangus
1,507 posts
 
Ok I worked as a Shipping Clerk for a Wholesale Electronics Company. I worked loading trucks in the old Post Office.I worked in the Claims Dept in UPS.I have worked shipping Japanese Cameras and Lenses .I have bought alot of audio equipment  and received a lot  of broken equipment.Alot of people don't know anything about shipping equipment at all .They send a 50-60 lb amp in Peanuts.or news paper. YOU need good boxes and packing materials. YES I have seen guys drop alot of heavy equipment. YOU unload a tractor tail box full of Sears Catalogues  lol. Yes I'm old .I have seen it all .McIntosh is the best at Shipping there boxes .Its amazing how some companies used good boxes with no wrapping and have little damage. 
mahler123
3,467 posts
 
I have a patient who works for UPS with a flaming red hair and curls.  He is hard to miss.  He was delivering something to the building I work in when I was pulling in to the parking lot.  Saw him fling it out of the truck, into the air, then it bounced on the pavement and rolled over.  I could see the “Fragile” marking on box from  my parking spot 50 yards away.  This patient Is always in the office, requesting narcotics for undocumentable injuries, requesting excuses constantly  to be let out of work, always complaint about UPS, his job, how much he hates work, etc.  I mentioned gently what I had witnessed in the parking lot, and he was dismissive...”it’s insured, man...”
  Forget the nice lady at the UPS sales counter.  This is who is handling your expensive gear
ejr1953
921 posts
 
I have always kept the original factory cartons, to avoid the story you told.  One of my buddies who had a large McIntosh power amp had the same experience with "generic" packing materials.  I think he said that purchasing the factory carton was something like $500 or so.  Lots of those amps come bolted to a plywood base, double-boxed.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,042 posts
 
@mahler123
That about sums it up.
More to discover