Shipping large speakers. who to use.

Would Uship wr for two audio racks I am tring to get shipped to me from ehWest Cost to NJ?
Any sggstion is more then wecome!
 
Yes and yes.

You (as the shipper) have to purchase insurance up to the value of the item you're shipping in order to be reimbursed. It's right around $2.10 per $100 insured. If the UPS Store does the packaging (your shipment receipt will say Center Packed), and it breaks, your claim will be approved. It is the responsibility of the shipper to provide proof of value.

Also, I will say this: in the two years I've worked at my store, I have yet to have a single thing that I packed be broken in transit. That includes everything from large glass balls to tube amps (both HiFi and Guitar) to paintings to turntables.

Also, as I said above, if they're truly large speakers, box them securely and strap them to a pallet! Some UPS stores will do this, mine won't, but I have contacts at other stores who will.

This is funny--because this is the EXACT OPPOSITE of my experience with the UPS Store packing and shipping a pair of Infinity CS-3009 speakers for me- they gave me the same guarantee, so I paid them to pack the speakers--but when one speaker arrived with a top corner damaged and I went back to the UPS Store to ask them to help me file a claim they basically told me they had nothing to do with reimbursement and to call the UPS claim line, and when I did that the claim rep on the other end told me the UPS Store was responsible for getting me my money back. This back and forth went on for FOUR MONTHS until I threatened legal action, and even then it was the claim center and NOT the UPS Store that finally agreed to send me a check. The UPS Store was a bunch of lying hacks who could care less abut my predicament despite what they told me when I agreed to pay them to pack the speakers for me. Needless to say I will never use UPS for anything again nor will I ever set foot in one of their stores. So you'll excuse me if I don't believe one thing you're saying here, nothing personal.
 
This is funny--because this is the EXACT OPPOSITE of my experience with the UPS Store packing and shipping a pair of Infinity CS-3009 speakers for me- they gave me the same guarantee, so I paid them to pack the speakers--but when one speaker arrived with a top corner damaged and I went back to the UPS Store to ask them to help me file a claim they basically told me they had nothing to do with reimbursement and to call the UPS claim line, and when I did that the claim rep on the other end told me the UPS Store was responsible for getting me my money back. This back and forth went on for FOUR MONTHS until I threatened legal action, and even then it was the claim center and NOT the UPS Store that finally agreed to send me a check. The UPS Store was a bunch of lying hacks who could care less abut my predicament despite what they told me when I agreed to pay them to pack the speakers for me. Needless to say I will never use UPS for anything again nor will I ever set foot in one of their stores. So you'll excuse me if I don't believe one thing you're saying here, nothing personal.
Hmmm,,,,,,,,,,, I didn't think UPS stores were actually, UPS' stores,,,,,,

Are they?

There is one 2 miles from my house operated by a Storage Locker company.
 
Hmmm,,,,,,,,,,, I didn't think UPS stores were actually, UPS' stores,,,,,,

Are they?

There is one 2 miles from my house operated by a Storage Locker company.
No, you're absolutely right--they are not affiliated with UPS at all which is the exact excuse the store by me used for not helping me out. What happened was, I find out the speaker was damaged, I went back to the UPS Store thinking that was proper procedure and they would contact UPS claims for me, to expedite things- only to find out that the UPS Store has nothing to do with UPS and that I would have to contact UPS directly. And when I tried this, UPS denied my claim, despite what the UPS Store has told me and despite the fact that I had insured the speakers. THAT'S when I went back to the UPS Store to try to get them to help me (since they were the ones who told me, quote: "If you have us pack the speakers and they get damaged UPS will approve your claim NO QUESTIONS ASKED") and they LAUGHED and told me it was my problem. It took four months of wrangling with UPS on the phone, from lower claims reps to upper management, and finally threatening legal action that my claim finally was approved.
Bottom line: UPS dragged their feet, as these companies always do--but it was the UPS Store who made promises and then refused to help--the whole thing could have been expedited down to a few days if they had just stood behind their word.
Ask vinyldavid what kind of assistance he's willing to give if someone has him pack something and it gets damaged and they return to his store asking for help because UPS denied their claim. You might be surprised.
 
This is funny--because this is the EXACT OPPOSITE of my experience with the UPS Store packing and shipping a pair of Infinity CS-3009 speakers for me- they gave me the same guarantee, so I paid them to pack the speakers--but when one speaker arrived with a top corner damaged and I went back to the UPS Store to ask them to help me file a claim they basically told me they had nothing to do with reimbursement and to call the UPS claim line, and when I did that the claim rep on the other end told me the UPS Store was responsible for getting me my money back. This back and forth went on for FOUR MONTHS until I threatened legal action, and even then it was the claim center and NOT the UPS Store that finally agreed to send me a check. The UPS Store was a bunch of lying hacks who could care less abut my predicament despite what they told me when I agreed to pay them to pack the speakers for me. Needless to say I will never use UPS for anything again nor will I ever set foot in one of their stores. So you'll excuse me if I don't believe one thing you're saying here, nothing personal.

I'm so sorry to hear that.

I can't speak for every person's experience, but that's 100% the opposite of how my store works (and all of the others I'm aware of), I've been through corporate training, including that specific issue. We recently had an incident where my boss packed a large power amp (against my explicit instructions) and it got damaged. (I probably shouldn't be telling this story, but....yeah). We handled the entire claims process for the customer, and it was resolved within a month with no extra input from the seller except for the ebay auction number and pictures of the amp. The amp was repaired at a local (to the recipient) repair shop to be good as new. Damage was just cosmetic.
 
OK let me ask this- since this experience still burns a hole in me to this day, how does a UPS Store managed as poorly as the one I went to was ever get reported, since both sides insist that they aren't affiliated with each other? Who can you ever go to to lodge a complaint? I mean they literally laughed at me from behind the counter, knowing full well that since they're a separate entity from UPS nothing would ever be done.
 
The local UPS store shipped over $16 grand in tube gear from an estate sale I coordinated. While a store may not know, there always is at least one(or more) person in the area who knows EXACTLY how to pack all kinds of shit expertly. If you find such a person at a shipping store, most of your problems are solved.
 
SEB, you lodge a complaint with the BBB, the state attorney general, and retain counsel if your claim is valid. You only are as defenseless as you allow yourself to be.

I once had a Klipsch subwoofer shipped to me from Klipsch itself, via a private owner, and the UPS store in Indy packed a 125 pound sub in peanuts. The individual neglected to insure it. When I got the $100 uninsured settlement from UPS, I then talked to the local, regional, and national managers for claims in one day, and got a $500 check the next day because of the individual store's negligence and lack of due purpose integrity in packing a heavy item properly. When properly motivated, even the most disinclined shippers will do the right thing.
 
SEB, you lodge a complaint with the BBB, the state attorney general, and retain counsel if your claim is valid. You only are as defenseless as you allow yourself to be.

I once had a Klipsch subwoofer shipped to me from Klipsch itself, via a private owner, and the UPS store in Indy packed a 125 pound sub in peanuts. The individual neglected to insure it. When I got the $100 uninsured settlement from UPS, I then talked to the local, regional, and national managers for claims in one day, and got a $500 check the next day because of the individual store's negligence and lack of due purpose integrity in packing a heavy item properly. When properly motivated, even the most disinclined shippers will do the right thing.


Sorry but, disagree-- your outcome was most definitely the exception to the rule. BBB actually certified these guys, and will step in as a mediator, but they will not involve themselves if it reaches legal dispute. Also, I'd love to know how you even got the $100 settlement approved, let alone the authority to be moved up the chain (never even heard of half the positions you're talking about.)
Finally, retaining legal counsel is not worth a $500 settlement. (Where in the world do you live where a state attorney general would even think of messing with this?? There is no criminal activity here, as much as we'd like to think it is!)
 
A couple of years ago, I used Craters & Freighters to ship a pair of
Infinity RS3B speakers. They were safely packaged. The seller
removed the tweeters and the mids prior to shipping. The top part of the carton
top was ever so slightly crushed. The 2nd photo shows broken Styrofoam but
I did it by dragging the box. I would use C&F again in a heart beat.
 

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I just shipped a pair of JBL 250Ti's from California to North Carolina. It was the most expensive shipping fee I have ever seen, but the buyer was willing to pay for it. He used "Pak Mail", which is a franchise I believe. The guy came and bubble wrapped the JBL's, put them in a custom crate, and shipped with some trucking company. Everything got there just fine, but the shipping cost was $875. And this buyer responded to my CL ad all the way from NC, and actually completed the transaction - whereas people local flake...go figure.
 
I used U-ship to send a '51 Zenith porthole TV. I packaged it myself, and banded the package to a skid. It arrived perfectly. It's almost foolproof; as long as nobody tried to stack anything on top of it. As was mentioned, the forklift sets it on the truck, and the forklift takes it off at the destination. As long as it can survive the temperatures an potholes while riding in a truck, it'll get there.
 
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