Shipping to Avoid Damage.

[rcs9250]

Here’s one way to guarantee .
Not really. When shipper sees a crate like this there’s a label on it only they can see. It says “BET YOU CAN’T DESTROY ME”.
Those could work but shipping rates are bad enough as it is, a crate would be ridiculously expensive.
As my skydiving instructor used to say “ You pays your money and you takes your chances”. Bottom line.

 

[Perle]

The cardboard tube idea is awesome.

I bubble wrap the heck out anything I sell. Pad all ends and craft paper pad all corners and ends of box.

 

[bfloyd1095]

That gun Lewis packed up for the pics is the gun i just received from him.
It came in with Zero damage.
Yes it took 27 minutes to unpack but at least there is no damage, i would Much rather have to unpack an undamaged gun than open a box to see a beautifil gun destroyed...

Gun at it's new home

 

[Perle]

That gun Lewis packed up for the pics is the gun i just received from him.
It came in with Zero damage.
Yes it took 27 minutes to unpack but at least there is no damage, i would Much rather have to unpack an undamaged gun than open a box to see a beautifil gun destroyed...

Gun at it's new home
View attachment 317648

Gotta love a good packing job.

Pack it like you’d like yours to be packed. It’s not rocket science…….

I’ve spent some time unwrapping a well packed rifle, smiling the whole time knowing it was packed with care.

 

[AirNGasman]

I've tried to tell sellers to package in such a way as to "make it impossible for package-handling APES to destroy the contents", only to have more than one say, "I've been shipping airguns for years; I over-package". And also had more than one of those sellers FAIL BADLY to do so. In one such case resulting in a one-of-a-kind custom air-pistol arriving with the bore protruding out the end of the box, the action damaged beyond repair or replacement!

The reason more sellers don't do so is because very few will invest a whole afternoon building a suitable package, and very few buyers are willing to pay the shipping & HANDLING price for such insurance (think $200+ shipping).

Another piece of advice I give is, "It behooves buyer and seller alike to avoid damage claims AT ALL COSTS".

 

[Lewis]

Another piece of advice I give is, "It behooves buyer and seller alike to avoid damage claims AT ALL COSTS".

Well said!

 

[r1lover]

It has always amazed me how flimsy the boxes are new Weihrauch guns come assembled in and they seldom seem to arrive broken or damaged.

I've considered if I ever sell a gun to use rigid styrofoam insulation boards from places like Lowes and Home Depot. They come in 1/2 to 2 inch thick pieces. Separate the action from the stock and cut out the outlines of each in a 2 inch thick board (or combination of boards), wrap each in small bubble wrap and sandwich that piece of board with the gun in it between 2 inch thick outer pieces of insulation board, tape them together and place in a long shipping box. Use extra packing or boards of different thickness to make a tight fit.

I've even thought of doing this ahead of time with model and serial numbers marked on the boxes so if my heirs sell and mail my guns they'll be almost ready to go.

 

[Gunnertrones]

But the customs, when shipping abroad…. How do they wrap the goods after inspection……? Normally the parcel will go through a lot of handling on its final journey to the buyer also.

 

[IMADMAN]

I think for UPS you need 2" of packing material per side? If it's less they will deny the claim. Also don't get sucked into a double rifle hardcase with egg crate type foam. While it may work for a trip to the range don't expect it to make it half way around the country and not take a beating. I seen 2 high dollar rifles with scratched, nicked, gouged wood and metal upon opening the case. They WILL shift and bang into each other

 

[Perle]

Well said!

I concur. If you are gonna sell you have to package correctly. There should be a mention in all transactions

Packaging not price is the key to buying used. No deal is worth a banged up unit …

I think for UPS you need 2" of packing material per side? If it's less they will deny the claim. Also don't get sucked into a double rifle hardcase with egg crate type foam. While it may work for a trip to the range don't expect it to make it half way around the country and not take a beating. I seen 2 high dollar rifles with scratched, nicked, gouged wood and metal upon opening the case. They WILL shift and bang into each other

Ive sent 2 m rods scoped in a larger 2 gun case with Zero issues From Florida to Nevada and back with nary a scratch.

A good case , with the gun secured inside works. Just not a cheap case

 

[cjtamu]

It bites to open up a broken gun. I went from 100 to 0 when me new Diana 54 Air King Pro got here, only to open the package to find a collapsible red lam stock LOL. Everyone knows that stock is fragile. Retailer made it right, just sent it back today. But could have saved us both a lot of hassle and aggravation by over packing. In the end I have package from Lewis coming instead AND stumbled on another gun I wanted, so no harm no foul. Still a bummer, was really looking forward to trying the 54.

 

[rcs9250]

Received a rifle back from AoA today that was sent for service. It was sent to them in the factory cardboard box that had a contour molded styrofoam lining and then into an outer box. Made it there safely and they returned it safely with a new outer box. The styrofoam contour molded insert completely surrounds the rifle to prevent smashing the rifle itself. Granted it’s not as durable as the FX cases or a Pelican case but it offers really good protection. Either way it’s tense till you open the box and check for yourself.
And thanks AoA.

 

[MOSOSODBOB]

Very nice post… hope my guns from my auctioneer arrives in same fine shape. Looking forward to seeing what is available to get me going with airgun shooting…

 

[bryanm]

Very good advice. At one time, I worked at UPS. It amazed me how poorly some people pack their boxes and then complain because the item arrived damaged. It's almost like they wanted it to arrive damaged. Okay, I know what you are thinking. Yes, I agree. Sometimes UPS beats the crap out of packages. Sometimes something would happen on the conveyor belts causing packages to get stuck and then backed up. Not a pretty scene. This did not happen every day but when it did, a package liked the one Lewis shipped would easily survive the mayhem.

 

[EliteAirCustoms]

Plenty of padding on the ends. Box corners are usually the first to damage. I use multiple layers of bubble wrap and then saran wrap it like a burrito. My very best advice though is double boxes. It seems like an expensive way to ship but when it's a 2-5k rifle on the line an extra box is hardly a foolish precaution.