How to properly pack and ship your unit — so it arrives safe, and comes home safe.
My one and only concern is the careful packing of your unit. Think you can just get money from the insurance if your unit is damaged? You’d be lucky to get anything at all if your package is lost. And if it’s damaged but insured, they’ll give you such a run-around that you’ll pull your hair out and forget about it. Best to pack it right, so there’s no need for insurance in the first place.
Best to pack it right.
You’ll need a box that allows at least 1" of extra room at the front, rear, and bottom of the unit. The top and both sides only need ½" of foam or packing — though more is always better; it all depends on the size of the box you choose.
The box can be single-wall, but it must have a crush-test rating of at least 75 lbs. A 200 lb rating or a double-walled box is always best if you can find one. A common size that works well for most VHS and DVD/VHS combo units is either 20×14×6 or 20×18×6. Just remember: the larger the box, the higher the shipping cost — and both of those sizes stay under the limits that trigger the extra charges. More on that under Shipping, below.
You can use kraft paper, but remember the unit has some weight, and during transit the paper will crush — letting the machine move around inside the box, which can then damage it. Better to use large bubble wrap or some type of foam.
Air bags don’t work well — the corners of the machine will burst them, and then your unit is damaged, guaranteed. Don’t use air bags unless they’re tubular and thick.
If you do use kraft paper, you have to seriously over-stuff the box, paying special attention to all four corners — the corners of the unit are the most common area to get damaged.
This is intended for heavier units, like the AG-1980 or similar. This process does take some time, but it’s well worth it. Head down to Lowe’s or Home Depot — they’ll have boxes, and while you’re there, pick up a 4' × 8' sheet of exterior sheathing. It’s white styrofoam, 1" thick, with a thin aluminum film on one side and white plastic (with writing) on the other. It runs about $30 a sheet and is light as a feather — it’s the stuff you see on the outside of homes being built. There are other types and colors of sheathing, but they’re too stiff and won’t absorb impacts like the sheet I’m describing.
You can cut the sheet down to fit in your back seat — after you buy it, that is. The best tool for the job is the Stanley Xtreme Snap-off Knife (about $15 there), and I always use mine with the blade fully extended. It cuts this stuff the best, period.
Line the bottom of the box with two inches of this styrofoam, and use one inch on the sides and top.
Remove any video cassette or DVD before you ship. A loaded VHS cassette or DVD disc can shift in transit and damage the mechanism — or the VHS cassette or DVD itself. Send the unit empty. If there’s one stuck inside that won’t eject, don’t force it — just let us know and we’ll deal with it here.
Before you close it, shake the box gently — the unit must not move around inside. If it shifts at all, add more packing.
Tape the box closed in an H pattern on both ends — cover every seam — and make sure to tape the bottom of the box too. Use three strips of tape across the seam on both the top and the bottom. And if the bottom of the box is already taped from the factory? Tape it again — three strips.
Best to pack it well!
As for carrier, it’s always best to use UPS. The mail (USPS) keeps getting more expensive — not to mention it’s the slowest service these days. If you do use USPS, don’t fall for their ‘extras’ — tracking, special handling, and so on. If you want insurance, use UPS: regular UPS Ground comes with $100 of coverage at no extra cost.
Shipping just this once? Use Pirate Ship. It’s free — no monthly fee, no trial to cancel, and they never ask you for a card. You get the same discounted UPS rates I get. If you ship regularly, ShipStation is worth the $10 a month, and it’s free for the first 30 days without a credit or debit card. Either way: create and print the label, tape it to the outside of the box, and drop it off at any Pack-n-Ship, CVS, or UPS drop-off location. They can’t charge you extra just because you used your own pre-paid label. Ask for the manager — or blow them a raspberry and go somewhere else.
What does this actually save you? A recent client shipped a VCR in from Oregon, booked at the post office counter, and paid $149.80. Same box, same weight, same $100 of coverage, booked online with UPS: about $46. That’s not a typo, and it isn’t unusual. Carriers bill on the size of the box first and the weight second — they call it ‘dimensional weight’, and somebody in an office was very pleased with themselves the day they thought that one up. That box weighed 22 lbs and got billed as 34. USPS then adds a surcharge for anything over 22 inches long, and another for anything over two cubic feet. Nearly every unit that comes to me is in a box that trips both.
Worth knowing when you pack, too: a box that’s bigger than it needs to be costs you money for nothing. Right-sized with good padding beats big and loose — and it travels better besides.
I don’t make a dime from either referral — I’m just trying to save you some hard-earned cash.
Fill out our quick request form, ship your unit in, and we’ll take it from there!
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