If you’re someone selling parts or even generously giving them away, please use some common sense when you package them. I was 0-2 this week in receiving undamaged items. One was a plastic bezel without enough padding that arrived with a corner chipped off. The other was taped back together by the USPS and did arrived with all the contents. I can’t understand what would make someone think you could throw a set of V8 rods in a priority mail box with a handful of peanuts and have it show up intact.
And don’t forget to take advantage of flat rate boxes including regional. They can save you some money.
All good points from Al. I’ve made it a practice, when having difficult to replace or one-of-a-kind NOS parts shipped to me, to offer the seller / donor of ‘freebies’ to re-reimburse them for additional expenses in getting the parts to me safely. This could involve more cardboard, double boxes, additional bubble wrap, solid Styrofoam to shield the contents, insurance, etc. that would be required to ensure that the contents can survive anything that UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc., can ( literally ! ) ‘throw’ at my Cat parts.
This also sends the message to the seller / ‘donor’ that the parts are indeed valued by me, and are going to be used in something that I cherish and have invested a lot of time and resources in.
These items are fine with poor packing as the box sits stationary on their table. However, in the hands of UPS, FEDEX and especially USPS the dynamic is night and day. Damaged in shipment is usually due to insufficient packing or tape. Things need to be packed securely as if the package is being shipped through a hurricane, typhoon or a tornado .
I worked for Fedx loading trucks for about three months before business picked up and I could quit. They have a 4ft conveyer belt that the trucks back up to. As packages come down, a “loader” picks up a box, scans it and places it in a certain location on the truck. What happens is the conveyer belt is rubber. Tires are rubber. As those heavy packages and tires come down the conveyer and packages back up the conveyer because they are coming faster than they can be loaded the tires smash everything in their path. Packages fall off the sides. I was amazed at how fast the packages come. They told me “you should be here at Christmas”! I recently bought a repro1995 f250 rear bumper for my son’s truck. The box had some damage but didn’t look bad. Opened the top and examined it, not very well I might add. Sent it home with my son. Went to help him install it, unboxed it and found the whole lower corner crushed in. It had to have been dropped or maybe thrown. I only looked at the top. Bought on feebay and the return wasn’t a problem. Got a refund and ordered another. I met ups to inspect. The box was in a huge bag and examining the box was opened everywhere. The staples were all broken loose. I thought for sure it was going back. I thoroughly inspected it and didn’t find anything!
I received some aluminum enclosures for work and the machine shop messed up on some holes. I had opened one box of 6 they sent me. I repacked the bubble wrap(added extra) and sent all 6 boxes back. The sales guy emailed me saying the 6 boxes had been poorly packed and I “could risk damage shipping like that”??? I wanted to sent him a WTF!
