Packing Tips

[Monsta-Tone]

Maybe we could have a sticky thread with packing tips.

I have had several great transactions here on the board and quite a few good ones on ebay, but it seems that nobody knows how to pack a heavy item. I just read a thread from gig4fun that was along the same lines, but not quite. I didn't want to hijack it, so here is the new one.


What do you guys think?

 

[MrMarkIII]

Great idea. If the nincompoops read it.
Ebay, USPS, UPS, and FedEx will tell anybody willing to listen how to pack, but I still get 30 lb. items in a box half-full of packing peanuts. Here's Rule Numero Uno:
Whatever the size or weight of whatever you are boxing up, when the box is sealed, shake the box.
If you hear or feel anything moving, start over, you did it wrong.

 

[Platypus]

This is how I do it.. box within a box is the only way I'd ship an amp and how I'd expect one to arrive for me.

Firstly, remove all the tubes.

Then, wrap the amp in bubble wrap and put it in a box that is very close to the size of the amp with as little room as possible around it. Use the bubble wrap to make sure it is snug.

Then, place this box inside a larger box and use bubble wrap as packing material. Even better is to get some styrofoam sides to keep the shape.
I personally do not like packing peanuts. The other box should be as snug as possible within this second box.

Lastly, wrap all the tubes and pack them well in third smaller box and ship separately.

 

[jerseydrew]

If you're going to use styro peanuts, put the amp in a plastic garbage bag first. Getting the styro peanuts out of the inside of the amp is a *****!

That happened to me once. I wanted to kill the guy. Where did he think the styro peanuts were going to go? Of course the peanuts are static so they went all up in the amp. I was pissed. Just put it in a plastic bag first.

 

[ajtooke]

This is how I do it.. box within a box is the only way I'd ship an amp and how I'd expect one to arrive for me.

Firstly, remove all the tubes.

Then, wrap the amp in bubble wrap and put it in a box that is very close to the size of the amp with as little room as possible around it. Use the bubble wrap to make sure it is snug.

Then, place this box inside a larger box and use bubble wrap as packing material. Even better is to get some styrofoam sides to keep the shape.
I personally do not like packing peanuts. The other box should be as snug as possible within this second box.

Lastly, wrap all the tubes and pack them well in third smaller box and ship separately.

I bubble wrap the entire amp, then cut cardboard sides to put all around the amp. Basically it ends up being a custom sized box that fits really tight around the bubble wrap.

Where do you guys get boxes??

 

[mudder]

Something I like is I go to Home Depot and pick up sheets of styrofoam insulation. They come in different thickness, and you can trim it to fit around the amp, perfect fit every time.

 

[boogietone]

I discovered really cheap pillows from Walmart work really well to cushion an amp. Pillows and lots of bubble wrap. And you can usually get them for a buck or two. The last amp I shipped was a MKIII head. I took the tubes out, put them in tube boxes with a little stuffing to keep them from moving around, and packed them in back of the amp in the cavity above where the reverb tank goes. With more bubblewrap of course. That worked pretty well.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I can't buy large bubble wrap in the town that I live in. I also go to the hardware store and get Styrofoam sheets.




I use this same method for speakers or any heavy, yet delicate (I think I used to know her) item.


I use a double thickness box.

I put at least 2" to 3" of Styrofoam on the bottom.

If it's an amp, I remove all tubes and number them, then I bubble wrap them individually.

If it's a combo amp, I fill the back with bubble wrap, and make sure that the tubes and footswitch and cord are securely packaged in there so that they cannot shift.

If it's a head, I will either ship the tube separately, or pack them inside if it is a large head.

I put the amp or speaker or whatever I'm shipping in a large trash bag and tape the hell out of it. This way, if the package gets wet, the cargo stays dry.

I place the item in the box. If it is a heavy amp, like a Mesa combo, I also use at least 1" of cushiony foam on the bottom.

I then cut sheets of Styrofoam to fill all sides, making sure that there is at least 2" on all sides. If there is space inside, I use peanuts, but I push them down to make sure that there is no way they can shift during shipping.

I top it off with at least 2" of Styrofoam and use a lot of tape.

I have shipped amps to Brazil, Austrailia, all over Europe, Canada, and have only had 1 get damaged. In truth, I was out of good packing materials and cut a corner that I should not have. The amp got dropped during shipping and I'm just lucky that UPS covered it to a certain extent.


I save all peanuts and use them for smaller items.
I save all bubble wrap, foam that is in a shape I can reuse, etc.

I also have a huge stash of boxes that have been flattened and are just waiting in my attic.



The last 3 speakers that I've bought came from this forum. The guys were very easy to deal with, and had the best intentions. BUT....they used packing peanuts and all 3 of the boxes had holes and large dents in them when they arrived. Luckily, nothing but the boxes were damaged.

 

[boogietone]

That's a good idea to wrap with a plastic bag to prevent water intrusion. I'm going to start doing that. If and when I ever have another amp to sell. 8)

 

[MrMarkIII]

Where do you guys get boxes??

Your friendly neighborhood local music store.
The Guitar Center by me used to be good, but they started locking up their dumpsters. **** recyclers!

 

[Monsta-Tone]

That's a good idea to wrap with a plastic bag to prevent water intrusion. I'm going to start doing that. If and when I ever have another amp to sell. 8)

If you live in a really humid area, it is a good idea to save all of the silica packs that you find. I used to throw a couple into everything that I shipped when I lived in Hawaii.

I also used to keep them in my amps and guitar cases to help keep the moisture down. They didn't call it the rain forest for no reason at all.