Need help packing gear....dont have boxes no more

SDcampbell makes a great point about the expanding foam. I just wrote in another post about contacting lamp shops and geting the expanding foam that is used by the lamp companies, very reusable. I would also advise going to Walmart or the like and and buying these large plastic chest they use for tool storage,garden storage, toy storage, whatever, and packing the units away in there, you can do single or multiple, they come in many sizes. I have also gone to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, and second hand stores and purchased old hard sided suitcases($5 or so on average) for shipping items in. I have done so with items to Europe many time with excellent rssults. Best thing you can do is pack it yourself as if you are sending it to yourself, which in this case you are. I have never had any problems when I have kept that in mind.

Whenever I ship audio stuff, I pull most of what I need out of the garbage: discarded boxes to double and triple box depending on component, (heavy computer boxes are best.); styrofoam to pack the voids between the boxes; foam peanuts and plastic pillows to use as needed.

I just shipped a turntable to calif. from nyc---the original manufacturer wanted $40 for original packing---I spent .99 cents for tape. Although it probably took half an hour for the buyer to get to the deck, he was thrilled to receive it unharmed. Wrapping the item in bubble wrap is a very good idea. Set inside a box and tape it shut. Set the box in another box that you have lined with styrofoam so that the first box doesn't shift--fill voids with peanuts to keep the larger pieces of foam and the box from shifting. Be anal and repeat,i.e. don't be afraid to overpack! Just remember this rule: if it moves, it'll break!!

Make sure the product is tight inside the box too. You dont want it to be able to move around at all.