Packaging service recommendations?

From: Jim Battle <frustum_at_pacbell.net>
Date: Sat Mar 3 23:40:19 2001

I know a couple weeks back there was a thread where everybody took a turn
describing what horrors a particular shipper had committed to something
they sent. I didn't pay much attention to it then, but perhaps I should
have. At any rate, my question is somewhat different.

I've been collecting computers for only two years, but at the top of my
wish list has been to get a Wang 2200, one of the older models. It is the
machine I learned to program on, and it left a strong impression. My
coding style still suffers because of it. :-)

Well, I finally found somebody who will ship me one for the cost of
shipping. It is in Portland, OR, and I'm in San Jose, CA. The estimated
weight is 200-300 pounds including accessories and docs. [ The early
2200's had a power supply box, a suitcase-sized box that contained the TTL
CPU, then a separate keyboard/monitor. The setup I'm hoping to get also
has three external tape drives and a modified selectric as a printing device. ]

Because the guy who has it is essentially giving it away, I want to make it
as easy for him as possible, and at the same time I want to get it packed
really well because I don't want anything to happen to it. I guess I'm
afraid that he'd just put it in a cardboard box stuffed with newspapers.

A scan through the yellow pages under "Packaging Materials" and "Packaging
Services" showed quite a few people who package things for a price, but
I've never used one. Does anybody have any tips on how to choose
one? Should I insist on a wood crate, or foam-fill, or something else?

As another data point, I tried the rate estimator on FedEx and it wouldn't
accept a box that weighed 300 lbs. I tried 100 lbs and it said $50, which
seems quite reasonable to me. So as another data point, I'd have to split
the lot into two or three crates in order to send it.

Thanks for any experience you can share.

-----
Jim Battle == frustum_at_pacbell.net
Received on Sat Mar 03 2001 - 23:40:19 GMT