Packaging service recommendations?

From: Don Maslin <donm_at_cts.com>
Date: Sun Mar 4 18:10:33 2001

On Sat, 3 Mar 2001, Jim Battle wrote:

> 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
 
Were I you, and in consideration of the costs of packing over and above
the costs of shipping, I would entertain the idea of begging, borrowing,
or renting a station wagon and driving up there to pick it up in person.
Portland is not that distant a drive, the roads are good and the scenery
delightful.
                                                 - don
 
Received on Sun Mar 04 2001 - 18:10:33 GMT