rvschulz
Well-known member
i just received a 2x12 vertical cab from a member in NYC. we had some shipping difficulty, and thank GOD it was a Mesa - indestructible, bulletproof, built like a tank, yadda yadda yadda ... i am certain most of the other cabs I have had over the years would not have survived the packing job.
in defense of the shipper/seller - the box was torn during shipping and some packing material could have been lost on the truck. this shipment was sent via UPS and the delivery guy = my regular guy i see 3-5x a week at my office = insisted we inspect it before he left. btw, ups usually honors my claims for damages - but they probably would not in this case.
for those who may be a little ignorant, or uninformed or whatever, i thought i would post some advice for shipping. if this would have been a head or combo - it probably would be dead. as the UPS guy said, this might have been at the top of a 13' cargo trailer and fell ... once again - thanks to Randall, Mike B. and the guys - this is another reason not to own other product ... freaking tank. and ... i'm not upset at the shipper ... until you ship stuff across the country for several years (i ship computers and printers) ... you don;t really know what goes on.
anyway, here are some points for you heavy shippers to consider ... if you don;t have the original packing materials (like - who does).
1. if you use peanuts, you can only use them as a secondary buffer. you need at least 2 inches solid of peanuts around your primary buffer. you also need to seal your primary buffer so the peanuts can't intrude - they are a bitch to get out and it loses buffering. wrap something around the "open areas" these peanuts are like termites and seek opening to imbed themselves inside your electronics.
2. your primary buffer should be bubble wrap - and it should surround all surfaces - at least on the cabinet it should surround all the corners and seal from outside intrusion (from something like peanuts). on a head - at least 2" thick around the entire thing. that gorilla from the American Tourister commercials can't harm it then (showing my age).
3. if you ship something this heavy, or should i say dense - as in heavy for it's size - the little airbags are useless. they are really there to prevent things from shifting. you would be better off filling it with large chunks of broken styrofoam. packed very closely with peanuts may work - but they must be so close as to create a solid form. that takes a lot of peanuts.
4. the box tore. a problem with used boxes is that the lose angle integrity - the sides flex as they get used more and more. if the cab was 20 pounds - probably no problem. most lightly used boxes work fine as long as the interior is packed solid and won;t "flex" as the contents do shift a little.
5. if i don;t have a box that fits well ... sometimes i raid a appliance store and "borrow" a refrigerator box then go to work with it and my trusty knife and "real packing tape" - don;t use duct tape, or other paper tape. PACKING TAPE. try to insure that most of the original bends/corners stay intact as you surgically reproduce a stable packing box for your item.
that's it. sorry for the long post - i hope it does someone good.
in defense of the shipper/seller - the box was torn during shipping and some packing material could have been lost on the truck. this shipment was sent via UPS and the delivery guy = my regular guy i see 3-5x a week at my office = insisted we inspect it before he left. btw, ups usually honors my claims for damages - but they probably would not in this case.
for those who may be a little ignorant, or uninformed or whatever, i thought i would post some advice for shipping. if this would have been a head or combo - it probably would be dead. as the UPS guy said, this might have been at the top of a 13' cargo trailer and fell ... once again - thanks to Randall, Mike B. and the guys - this is another reason not to own other product ... freaking tank. and ... i'm not upset at the shipper ... until you ship stuff across the country for several years (i ship computers and printers) ... you don;t really know what goes on.
anyway, here are some points for you heavy shippers to consider ... if you don;t have the original packing materials (like - who does).
1. if you use peanuts, you can only use them as a secondary buffer. you need at least 2 inches solid of peanuts around your primary buffer. you also need to seal your primary buffer so the peanuts can't intrude - they are a bitch to get out and it loses buffering. wrap something around the "open areas" these peanuts are like termites and seek opening to imbed themselves inside your electronics.
2. your primary buffer should be bubble wrap - and it should surround all surfaces - at least on the cabinet it should surround all the corners and seal from outside intrusion (from something like peanuts). on a head - at least 2" thick around the entire thing. that gorilla from the American Tourister commercials can't harm it then (showing my age).
3. if you ship something this heavy, or should i say dense - as in heavy for it's size - the little airbags are useless. they are really there to prevent things from shifting. you would be better off filling it with large chunks of broken styrofoam. packed very closely with peanuts may work - but they must be so close as to create a solid form. that takes a lot of peanuts.
4. the box tore. a problem with used boxes is that the lose angle integrity - the sides flex as they get used more and more. if the cab was 20 pounds - probably no problem. most lightly used boxes work fine as long as the interior is packed solid and won;t "flex" as the contents do shift a little.
5. if i don;t have a box that fits well ... sometimes i raid a appliance store and "borrow" a refrigerator box then go to work with it and my trusty knife and "real packing tape" - don;t use duct tape, or other paper tape. PACKING TAPE. try to insure that most of the original bends/corners stay intact as you surgically reproduce a stable packing box for your item.
that's it. sorry for the long post - i hope it does someone good.
UPS is the reason that I have a Fed Ex account!
