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Payingg FedEx or UPS to pack gear for me - good idea?

ChicagoTom

ChicagoTom

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I'm pushing 60, and after packing 3 heavy pieces of gear I've just sold in one week (plus putting up a Christmas tree today), and am rapidly approaching the point of "I'm too old for this $hit!!"

Who has experience with letting the shipper pack gear for you? Roughly what did they charge? And did they generally do a competent job?

I just might suck it up from now on and pay FedEx or UPS to do the packing for me. It takes 30-60 minutes, is a pain in the ass, and requires me to scrounge up packing materials (even sometimes including dumpster-diving).
 
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I received an amp packed by a UPS store, just some kraft paper stuffed around it. Needless to say a couple sides were smashed flat and the amp was very loose inside. I don't know how it arrived without damage, good thing it only went 3 hrs hours north.

I think it depends on the store and who is working at the time.
 
Ya know the old saying... If ya want something done right.....

Is it worth the risk? Only you can decide..
 
Hey Tom,
You mentioned getting older a couple of times.
60 is a milestone but so was 50!.......:)

I don't blame you a bit on the packing bit.

There's a rumor that the sun might come out in Northern Illinois yet this December......
Best of luck with your local sales.
 
opnly bafld said:
I received an amp packed by a UPS store, just some kraft paper stuffed around it. Needless to say a couple sides were smashed flat and the amp was very loose inside. I don't know how it arrived without damage, good thing it only went 3 hrs hours north.

I think it depends on the store and who is working at the time.
Click to expand...

I had the same experience with a receiver. The seller was handicapped. I knew this and agreed to pay for UPS to pack and ship. The receiver arrived, just like @opnly bafld experienced, in a box with a bit of packing paper thrown in. By 'thrown in', I mean literally added in on top of the receiver. Luckily the shipment was from a neighboring state and the receiver arrived unharmed. I would be hesitant to ship or receive anything of value packed by UPS. Having said that, I do believe it comes down to the individual doing the work but would guess the results are more likely to be bad rather than good.

Joe
 
Doesn't having UPS or FedEx pack give you a damage guarantee?

I've had damage claims denied because the seller (not UPS or FedX), didn't meet the packaging specs outlined by the shipping service. You'd think if the shipping service packs, even incorrectly, damage would be on them.
 
i just re-read the OP.. I'm also pushing 60, but I've found the more I do, the easier it is to keep doing.. If I give up and just sit around, time's gonna get short fast.. That's just my philosophy though.... My grand father made it to 99 and 11 months, and he attributed that to riding his bike and staying active until he was 90. He finally stopped because of his knees... I look to him as my inspiration to not back down and keep going... It's too easy to give up things that keep you young...
 
I've had luck having UPS pack things but it all depends on the packer. Heavy things are a pain to pack for shipping and heavy electronics are even worse. Personally I'd rather get a bit less and sell local then getting screwed by paypal when the receiver claims something was wrong.
 
I bought a Sansui B-2101 power Amp from ebay. That Amp is around 45lbs
The seller was in Oklahoma, and I'm in Canada near Toronto.
The seller had UPS pack and ship it. One because he didn't have a box big or heavy enough, and two because UPS fully insures it if they do the packing.

When it showed up, it was an environmentalists night mare it was packed so well.
Mummified in bubble wrap, airbag packaging wedging it in the first box, then that box was placed tightly inside another heavy duty box.
It took forever to unpackage. Lol
 
The UPS Store is legendary for doing lousy packing jobs; avoid at all costs.
Packing is an art and I sell and pack a lot. It's a bit trickier now that I retired and lost my source of materials, but I've also downsized my items; more tubes and records and fewer receivers and speakers. That being said, when I'm done typing I'm hauling a big 55# carton with my old workstation in it to Fedex to take it to CA. Thankfully, I have a folding luggage cart that is a marvel; it actually hauled my Altec A7 cab years ago!
 
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DB-7 said:
I bought a Sansui B-2101 power Amp from ebay. That Amp is around 45lbs
The seller was in Oklahoma, and I'm in Canada near Toronto.
The seller had UPS pack and ship it. One because he didn't have a box big or heavy enough, and two because UPS fully insures it if they do the packing.

When it showed up, it was an environmentalists night mare it was packed so well.
Mummified in bubble wrap, airbag packaging wedging it in the first box, then that box was placed tightly inside another heavy duty box.
It took forever to unpackage. Lol
Click to expand...
So you're the one!! As for the rest of UPS store packed, just say No.
 
I wouldn't consign anything I care about to UPS on a bet, but if having them pack it shifts the responsibility of damage from me to them, hmm. Revenge shipping?
 
I'm also guessing it's a different situation from each UPS store and their employees.
The OP might want to go check out their local UPS and have a chat explaining how he would like it packaged. Maybe even do a test run on sending something to someone they know to check how well that particular UPS packed it.
 
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