shipping a tape machine?

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runrunrun
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shipping a tape machine?

Post by runrunrun » Tue Dec 11, 2007 3:51 pm

i have a revox B77 that I am selling. if it doesnt sell locally I have had an offer from someone out of town to ship it. this machine is a decent weight but its not ultra huge.

should I take it to a shipping company and get them to pack it or can I just do a really heavy duty packing job myself?

anyone have helpful suggestions regarding this?

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Post by rwc » Tue Dec 11, 2007 5:59 pm

I can't put an A800 in a freight elevator with a shockmounted metal plate for it to sit on without it being TOTALLY fucked by the time I get it into a room.

Treat that like a newborn kid.
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Danly
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Post by Danly » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:12 am

curious about this too. would love to buy a tape machine on ebay and not have to rent a car and drive across country to get it.

http://www.uship.com -- anyone used this?

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Post by chris harris » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:21 am

I'm making a 10 hour drive to Nashville to pick mine up on Sunday.
I've heard too many horror stories.

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Rufer
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Post by Rufer » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:29 am

Here's a tutorial on how to ship a tape deck:

http://www.reelprosoundguys.com/packing.html

I had a 38 packed and shipped by UPS that didn't surivive their AWFUL handling. I hadn't seen the above link.

I took a chance and bought a 48. I insisted that the seller use the guide above for packing AND use FedEx. It arrived safe and sound. The outer box was clean as a whistle too. Definitely FedEx over UPS.

runrunrun
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Post by runrunrun » Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:11 pm

Rufer wrote:Here's a tutorial on how to ship a tape deck:

http://www.reelprosoundguys.com/packing.html

I had a 38 packed and shipped by UPS that didn't surivive their AWFUL handling. I hadn't seen the above link.

I took a chance and bought a 48. I insisted that the seller use the guide above for packing AND use FedEx. It arrived safe and sound. The outer box was clean as a whistle too. Definitely FedEx over UPS.
that is a great link, exactly what I was looking for, thank you very much for the help.

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Post by @?,*???&? » Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:00 pm

RockitCargo is a solid shipping company and regularly pallets and ships tape machine all over the country.

Danly
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Post by Danly » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:49 pm

subatomic pieces wrote:I'm making a 10 hour drive to Nashville to pick mine up on Sunday.
I've heard too many horror stories.
good for you. definitely the right way to do it. that way you get to look it over and make sure you're not getting a lemon too.

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Post by willowhaus » Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:41 am

FedEx vs. UPS is always a crapshoot. For every story about one, there's a story about the other. Fact is that both of them are in such high competition to move as many packages as inhumanly possible, they don't take care of them end-to-end.

My advice is to pack carefully, even overpack. (That's an awesome packing guide linked above, btw!) If it's a big machine, consider trucking it. Even then, though, you never know for sure - I've seen many a crate come in that was punctured by a forklift, and it's always up to you to find out what happened... Pack snugly, but if at all possible give yourself a "punch zone" to give yourself a little "margin of error" for those types of thing.

And ALWAYS re-tape your boxes, top & bottom, with heavy-duty packing tape. I've been amazed to see people sending gear back in original boxes (a good common practice), but they obviously didn't look at the tape holding the bottom of the box closed (or rather...not)!

I always do an H-tape with electronics: one or two strips across the middle where the flaps meet, then once down each side to "seal" the box.

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Post by I'm Painting Again » Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:30 pm

I just got an MX5050 via FedEx and it was fine..

I was lucky..

there are size and weight limitations to FedEx & UPS standard service..so going with them might not be possible with some machines..

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Post by JASIII » Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:52 pm

Beauty&Wonder wrote:I just got an MX5050 via FedEx and it was fine..

I was lucky..

there are size and weight limitations to FedEx & UPS standard service..so going with them might not be possible with some machines..
Me too, I got a mx5050 via UPS, all was fine. But the guy shipped it to me in a well made crate.
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Post by Oldschoolwax » Mon Dec 31, 2007 6:37 pm

When we received our first MTR-90 the delivery driver ( private trucking firm ) unloaded the crate from the lift gate and handed the delivery slip over for a signature... The crate had a FUCKING FORKLIFT TINE HOLE RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE! Pieces of VU meter were on the pallet it was strapped to... ~Look at driver, point at hole... say NO GOOD!~ He says, yeah, it didn't look right to me at the warehouse neither, but I just gets paid to deliver them...
Second one was fine. I just couldn't believe someone would load up a deck and drive halfway across the country with it. Shipping fees must be covered by the insurance, it's gotta be some kind of scam.
I know this really didn't help the discussion, but it was one of the weirdest "Candid Camera" type moment I ever experienced.
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honkyjonk
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Post by honkyjonk » Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:07 pm

Man, using UPS is like asking to raped as far as tape machines are concerned. I have the carcass of a MX 5050 in my closet.

1. The loading guys will try to fuck it up as much as they can to make you pay for inconveniencing them with such a heavy package.

2. UPS will NEVER EVER EVER EVER pay a claim unless they package it. The extra money they make on insurance is a total fraud.


I have no doubt that FedEx will do similar things but I'd still be inclined to go with them over UPS. I think it's more like for every 75 FedEx horror stories there are 100 or more UPS ones.
Stilgar, we've got wormsign the likes of which God has never seen!

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Post by jc_terrones » Wed Jan 02, 2008 5:25 pm

honkyjonk wrote: 2. UPS will NEVER EVER EVER EVER pay a claim unless they package it. The extra money they make on insurance is a total fraud.
Not always true. I won a 69 blue face SVT on eBay back in 2001 or so. The guy single boxed it and of course the head cabinet was split along the top right edge when it arrived. Luckily, I had the guy insure it for $750(auction winning bid). UPS sent some one to inspect the package, they laughed, and then they approved the sender to get the full $750 coverage as it was deemed a loss. I finally got the check a couple of months later from the seller. I had a new head case built, new tubes, new tolex, i.e. what ever was damaged was fixed. I guess I got lucky?

UPS handling of packages sucks. Never again will I use them for shipping.

honkyjonk
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Post by honkyjonk » Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:07 pm

Wow.
Okay, I be's wrong on the absoluteless of it. But you're insanely lucky indeed. From what I understand that's almost unheard of.
Stilgar, we've got wormsign the likes of which God has never seen!

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