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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
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,632 posts
 
FedEx or UPS is simply not equipped to handle large / heavy boxes. The red ‘Fragile’ sticker outside the box has no meaning for the delivery guy who does not have the proper tools (utility dolly or lift gate) to carry / unload heavy boxes in and out of the truck.

The insurance offered by UPS / FedEx is a joke. Anyone ever dealt with their claims department knows exactly what I am referring to...they are programmed to deny majority of the claims.

I have been using freight carriers for large / heavy packages. One way to keep the cost down is do terminal to terminal shipping / pickup. I have saved upto $500 in shipping costs just by doing so.
cleeds
6,065 posts
 
If you rely on shipping for your electronics, sooner or later you’re going to suffer damage or loss. It’s inevitable regardless of which carriers you choose to use. Here are some tips that have worked for me.

First, document everything, including having an original receipt for the item you’re shipping. Take photos of the item before packaging it. Ideally, ship only in original factory cartons; take pics that show the item was properly packed. Insure the item for its replacement value. (Don’t whine about the cost of the insurance - you signed on for that when you first purchased the component.)

Carriers do pay on damage claims but they don’t make it easy. You’ve got to have solid documentation.
rockysantoro's avatar
rockysantoro
147 posts
 
Not surprised with incompetance of U.P.S.  I have had several items damaged by them. I know of a high end audio dealer who will not accept anything delivered by U.P.S.
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
Proper safe packaging is always a plus. But marking boxes with arrows, this side up, fragile, etc., is like putting a target on that package. A person who worked for UPS told me a long time ago to never do any of that to a package.
tuberist
951 posts
 
It’s best to always do your own packing and double boxing your self.
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