A tale of 3 boxes

[WQ9E]

Yesterday FedEx dropped off a Breting 12 and Patterson PR-15 at my place.  The seller did a great job of packing but even the outer boxes were in nearly "mint" condition.  FedEx has delivered a lot of boxes, many very heavy, to my place and all have arrived in great shape. 

The third box contained the rack mount coil box and rack mount speaker for my National RAS receiver.  The gear arrived in proper shape only because it was well packed and designed for use on a battleship.  The outer box was smashed to the extent that it was torn open and was carelessly re-taped even covering the USPS insurance sticker.  This is the 6'th mangled box I have received via the USPS since the start of the year.  At this point I wouldn't want anything of value shipped via the postal service.

Hopefully I didn't put an jinx on myself with FedEx since I have a Breting 40 on the way via FedEx.

[W9GT]

Wow Rodger, that is not good to hear.  I have successfully shipped and received a lot of stuff over many years using USPS.  After hearing all the horror stories about UPS and Fedex mangling packages, I always was comforted by the fact that I had very good experience with US Mail.  Priority Mail seems to definitely be the best way to go....and, perhaps they treat the Priority stuff more carefully, however, plain old 1st class or Parcel Post has worked OK too.  I shipped a big heavy prop-pitch motor to Washington state with good results.  I should qualify that by saying also that it was packaged in a home brew wood crate.  I guess good packaging is the all-important aspect with any shipment.

73,  Jack, W9GT

[k4kyv]

I shipped out my old Collins 26U peak limiter (and thus recouped my expenditure for the Sherwood sync detector) via Fedex.  It arrived at its destination in great shape.

I carefully packed it in a heavy duty corrugated box, using a combination of bubble wrap, air cushions and styrofoam peanuts. I taped a piece of 1/4" plywood over the side of the box where the front panel and meter faced, using a generous amount of nylon filament tape.  I then took the whole thing to Fedex and had them double-box it into one of their standard shipping cartons.

I have an idea:  Fed-ups and USPS should adopt the successful technique NASA used for delivering the Mars Rover.  Pack each parcel into a spherical container with plenty of padding so that when dropped it bounces and rolls like a basketball. 

They are  already half way there - often when a box arrives to destination, the corners are so rounded off that it has taken on the shape of a semi-sphere. 

A truly spherical container might be difficult to produce, but it would be easy to make a box so that each hemisphere is identical to a geodesic dome, resembling a soccer ball.

[KB2WIG]

Nice idea Don....

But they'll take it too far.  I don't want FedEx flying over my house trying to deliver a boat anchor.

klc

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Maybe it's something to do with the time of year, Rodger. My latest copy of ER arrived a bit beaten up, too. First time.

I've had very good luck using USPS for smaller items through Priority Mail. The simple equation of less time in the shipper's hands equals less opportunity for mishandling. It gets expensive for larger/heavier items, though.

As for any shipper being better than another, don't believe it. I thought the same thing about FedEx until they broke a modulation transformer shipped from Maine to VT, about 200 miles at most. Not sure if you had joined 'fone yet, but I posted photos and the story. Basically, about a 45 lb package, transformer was mounted on a board and surrounded with solid foam in the box, then double boxed the same way. When it arrived, it looked more like a soccer ball than a box, clearly having been dropped/slid/kicked across a concrete floor as described to me by someone with experience in such matters. Apparently some workers resent heavy packages and make it a point to kick the crap out of them as a result. They managed to break a cast iron frame, if that gives better insight.

OTOH, for all the horror stories about UPS, I've yet to receive anything damaged by them that was packed properly.

As I came to realize after my transformer debacle, it doesn't matter who you use. If you deal with any amount of shipping, it's just a matter of time until it's your turn. And when it is, nothing will make a difference. In the meantime, dealing with folks who know how to pack and don't mind putting in the extra time and effort to do it right is the best line of defense, along with minimizing time in the shipper's hands.

Sounds like you dodged the bullet again this time, thanks to good packing.

[WQ9E]

Todd,

I remember your traumatic transformer experience.   I also agree that there is no perfect shipper and more than one ham has broken a piece of gear bringing it home from a hamfest so as a group we aren't innocent either.  It is definitely a gamble and recently I don't like the odds on the post office.  My experience with UPS has also been good.

Here are pics of the first two receivers and I am really happy they made it in good shape.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Sure glad they made it okay, Rodger. Those Bretings are some beautiful rigs, and every old rig like this that gets damaged or destroyed in shipping is one less opportunity for someone to enjoy and preserve a piece of history.

As I've outlined here before, on a few occasions where I wanted to maximize the chance of a safe arrival, I've sent boxes, packing materials, and a detailed explanation of how to pack the equipment for safe transport. It has always worked, or at least, helped avoid more obvious and avoidable damage.

[WA2ROC]

I just received a 50 pound box shipped from Western PA via USPS ($34.00 shipping) that contained a 50 year old transceiver in a Samsonite suitcase.  (Guesses anyone?)

 It had been repaired, aligned and cleaned up for me and was inside a thick cardboard box with bubble wrap and foal packing.

It was insured for $1000.00, but it was not needed.  The radio worked fine when plugged in the wall and the antenna, probably because of the excellent packing (and that Samsonite!)

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

FRC-93, of course. There's a reason the gov't bought so many of them. And those old ads with the gorilla throwing the suitcase around his cage aren't too far off!

Toting a loaded pair around will definitely build the shoulders up a bit. Never figured out how to deal with three (xcvr, amp, accessories).

[WA2ROC]

Yep, that's the one.

Mine had been sitting in someone's closet inside the Samsonite for 30+ years and was offered to me by someone who had no idea what it was.

I'm not gonna say what I paid him for it. 

[KC2ZFA]

lucky guys !

Bruce (KF1Z) sent me a small package priority mail USPS...

Tracking number on USPS website claims delivery on Feb. 9.

Mail room log for Feb. 9 shows other USPS tracking numbers delivered but not mine.

Filled out the complaint forms on the USPS website twice and both times I got

Problem processing request.

There was a problem processing your request. Please try again later to submit your feedback.

Ahhh, the age of technology...bliah !

[kb3ouk]

i seem to remember reading somewhere, i think it was in popular mechanics, where they did a study on how much of a beating that a package takes in a cross country trip. they sent a box with a device that measures the amount of shock the box took and sent it by UPS, USPS, and FedEx. now i can't remember the whole thing, but i do remember that the fedex package to more of a beating than the usps package, and the people doing the experiment later found out that usps packages(i think they may have also been sent as some higher claas though) are sent on fedex planes, and that the usps package seemed to receive better care.