Fedex and Ups Damage thread

I used to have a coin company.  Shipping coins requires a very high percentage of success or you lose your a$$.  I never had a domestic shipment lost.  I never bought insurance.  With a small package, a high insurance value can just say "steal me".  

With coins and with stereo equipment, your best insurance is tape and padding.  Package correctly, ensure the outer container is impervious (with various types of tape), and use a barcoded label covered in clear tape and it will be very unusual for a package not to arrive undamaged.

Buying insurance does not change how a package is handled.  If you think buying insurance relieves you from packaging correctly, then you are just choosing to sell your component to the insurance company after a long red-tape battle to collect.  

Jerry

@ozzy62 - Incorrect in your case, perhaps, but I've gotten 'Delivery Date Unknown'  many times since deliveries were slowed down and inconsistent with most carriers for the past couple of years. Nothing was ever lost, just delayed for a day or so. 

Small, double boxes well packaged items ie. CDPs, CD transports, etc I’ve had good luck with.

Several years ago I bought, from a seller with a record of good feedback, a pair of B&W 802, Matrix II Speakers, to be shipped half way across the country. I bought insurance for $2K, my cost of speakers, plus I had the extra expenses of professional packaging (through UPS) and shipping. When I received the speakers both boxes, as well as the speakers miid range and tweeter sections were crushed, as if dropped upside down 6’ from the back of a truck and completely destroyed. At first UPS refused to pay anything and after several days of haggling said they would settle with seller for $1K, half of the insured amount. My lawyer informed them that once I paid for the speakers, insurance and shipping, they became my property and they would deal with either me or we would file a suit for their willful mis-handling and destruction of my property. I received a check within 10 days for the full amount of insurance - $2K.......Jim

I’ve never had a damaged item with FedEx or Ups. And check this out. I’ve shipped some 95 different delicate Jazz archtop’s. Before that I bought and resold high in audio gear of all types.  I’ve 450 feedback from just the items I’ve sold here. 
 

So the question is, how I’ve been so lucky while others have not?

@coltrane1 Even with very good packing, trusting the shipment of high dollar Jazz Archtop guitars to Fedx or UPS and never having an issue, I would say not only were you lucky but maybe charmed.

Except for the speakers mentioned, which were totally destroyed, I've had relatively good luck both sending and receiving electronics. When I ship I always double box with component in its original box, with foam packing between inner and outer boxes and insist the seller shipping to me does the same. I have, on a few occasions, received fragile marked packages that had holes pocked through or corners crushed on the outer box, while the inner box and component managed to survive.

I will no longer ship or receive any fragile electronic component (no matter how well packed) weighing more than 50 pounds through FedEx or UPS and will never ship speakers with them.

For larger heaver electronics and speakers I'll stick with Global Air or ground freight  and have items boxed and crated......Jim