I recently sold a JVC 3090en to somebody way over in Mexico, quite a distance from Berlin Germany! I wanted to record how I packed the box just in case the buyer had any worries or even complaints, if any, when the box finally reaches them.

I took the liberty of photographing the process in case anyone else is wondering what minimum requirements are demanded of such a task. Packing in such a way will help your box arrive at its destination with the least of worry and calamity.

So, on with the packing.

First of all make sure the box is water-tight and dust safe. I do this by wrapping a heavy duty plastic bag around the box and taping it shut. Bits of cardboard and polestyrene as well as dust can get into the box during transit which can sometimes mean taking the box apart to remove these annoying intruders. Also, you want the box to be waterproof in case it falls out of the plane over the Atlantic.




Next, I took some insulation tubing which is made of very firm but squishy foam and decompresses well after compression. 74 cents a tube, cut in half and then into sections and taped to all edges and corners of the box.

This protects all corners and protruding edges from impact and greatly reduces the likelihood of damage such as cracks to the outer casing.




Next up, we bubble wrap! Firstly a layer of small bubbles. The small bubbles fit easier to the contours of the box, helping to protect all knobs, aerials, handles etc. Use a BIGGER piece than is enough to fit the box, as the overlaps serve well to extra protect corners and edges.

Another layer of BIG bubbles is place over the top to protect the smaller bubbles as well as creating a very cushiony blanket around the whole box.




The soft cushioning is good at this point, so we move onto the first boxing. This box fits snuggly around the radio and its soft protection. Double boxing allows the box to be packed well and tightly within a hard container with the knowledge that the structure of the first box is less prone to damage such as tears and bumps from outside influences. It also means that you can protect this inner box with even more soft packaging as well as the outer box. I filled in the gaps between first and second box with what are know as 'peanuts'. These are perfect for getting between both inner and outer box, filling all the nooks and crannies and providing a great cushion for the box should it be stack upon or leant against.

So, there is now plastic bag, foam tubing, small bubble wrap, big bubble sheets, peanuts, first box, peanuts and finally outer box. These many layers provide all manner of cushioning to the delcate wares inside.

Finally, tape the outer box up and she's ready to go!






I hope this will help some of you sellers out there. However, this is not the only way to pack a box. There are many schools of thought out there, and literally thousands of combinations of packing materials and layering techniques. The main objective here is to demonstrate that a box needs to be well packed, otherwise there's no point in sending it at all. The risks taken with poor packing are great and many, as we have often seen on this site. Let's try to encourage better packing and safer journies for our cherished radios!

well send that person in Mexico this link to this page and make sure that they follow up with a reply to see if your packing of this BoomBox TV made it there in as good of a condition as it is shown here Well Packed.

That packing is absolutely phenomenal!!

From now on, either I'm going to buy all my boomboxes from you, or I'm going to find a way to send this thread to everybody who ever sells me a boombox.

Your buyer in Mexico had better shower you with thanks and praise. Let us know, OK? If he doesn't, I'd be glad to let him know (in Spanish, of course) how lucky he was to be dealing with you!

When you add the tubular cushioning, it sort of looks like a road case for a rock band! Very ingenious.

I agree with James. If the buyer isn't already a member (I've seen a couple on here from Mexico), invite him to join and tell of his experience opening such lovely packaging.

Yeah, I reckon you'd have to lance the thing to get to the JVC inside!! It's good to let folks know how things can be done, but it's also good for my own peace of mine knowing that I prevented as much damage to the box as possible.

Thanks for the comments!

re - well send that person in Mexico this link to this page and make sure that they follow up with a reply to see if your packing of this BoomBox TV made it there in as good of a condition as it is shown here Well Packed.

quote:

I wanted to record how I packed the box just in case the buyer had any worries or even complaints, if any, when the box finally reaches them.

Thanks for the suggestion anyways...

quote:

Originally posted by Fatdog:
When you add the tubular cushioning, it sort of looks like a road case for a rock band! Very ingenious.

I agree with James. If the buyer isn't already a member (I've seen a couple on here from Mexico), invite him to join and tell of his experience opening such lovely packaging.

Kinda like roll bars on a car...

I will indeed invite the seller on here. I've seen their eBay ID before many times but don't know if it is anyone already a member here.

Lot 'o' work!!!

Excellent packing! I know many members here have varying degrees and methods and this ranks right up there with the best.

Beatbox, that's a thing of beauty. Your packaging has me in tears of joy, to actually see near bullet proof packaging is just awesome.

Great job!!

nice job beatbox --asking if the tubular corner bars are pipe insulation ? or what is it

Thanks again folks! Yes, that extra 15 minutes packing is definitely worth the hassle. Pack as you would like to receive.

quote:

nice job beatbox --asking if the tubular corner bars are pipe insulation ? or what is it

It is indeed pipe tubing. I found 3 different densities at the shop, and chose the spongiest yet firmest one.

At only 74 cents each piece, I could 'insulate' the entire box

thanks beatbox -- what a great idea -
and over here that 74 cents gets a 6 foot tube. and some of

the highest density versions come already pre-split WITH TAPE on it

Congrat's on the Sale beatbox Must be sad to let that go

Amazing packaging. No one on this forum would hesitate to buy a boombox from you now

excellente packing job worth every hour of work

quote:

Originally posted by peter griffin:
Congrat's on the Sale beatbox Must be sad to let that go

Amazing packaging. No one on this forum would hesitate to buy a boombox from you now

Peter I didn't have an issue with beatbox before but your right, there is no way we could have issue with the care that went into this packaging. If that box arrives damaged it will be of no fault of beatbox's.

quote:

spongiest yet firmest one.

I have heard that from some one before...???

.........

Those sponge tubes are a great idea for protection!
Where do you get them from, plumbers supplies?

Fuzzyduck -- is the usa its easy to get -- home depot and lowes -- maybe you have those chain stores over there - or similar

dont forget to buy the split ones with the tape

quote:

Originally posted by Fuzzyduck:
Those sponge tubes are a great idea for protection!
Where do you get them from, plumbers supplies?

When I lived in the UK, I remember a store called B&Q. I think these are available anywhere you can find plumbing material. They are insulation for water pipes.

top notch packing for sure!!!!

no matter how great that package is --if some dooofis drops it by as little as 3 feet --there will still be lots of internal shock transmitted -
so , while the shell will survive easily with no cracks or even any marks --

i think the inner fasteners can break off - and then the parts get loose --

IF i am correct -- then the only certain protection would be SUSPENSION -

and since all that is out of our practical range

----buy insurance !

quote:

Originally posted by beatbox:

quote:

Originally posted by Fuzzyduck:
Those sponge tubes are a great idea for protection!
Where do you get them from, plumbers supplies?

When I lived in the UK, I remember a store called B&Q. I think these are available anywhere you can find plumbing material. They are insulation for water pipes.

Thanks Beatbox.

Maybe packing the inside cavities of the BBX with foam or similar before shipping and informing the buyer so they know to remove this before switching on (plus instructions on removing any knobs etc to open up the BBX) will prevent internal damage. Just an idea.

as an afterthought --a cheap,practical and comical way to achieve actual 'suspension'--
is to insert a bunch of little balloons around all 4 sides of the inner carton -
i know how silly that sounds - but ......

any better ideas ?

Actually, the really large bubbles I used have a very little give to them, which means as the parcel moves then the radio also has a slight amount of movement too, allowing it to have that bit of give, which will hopefully avoid too much jarring of any innards.

So, your balloon idea is not at all silly sounding!

ok - beatbox - then you do have some built-in suspension --the big bubbles are the way to go

quote:

Originally posted by beatbox:
Actually, the really large bubbles I used have a very little give to them, which means as the parcel moves then the radio also has a slight amount of movement too, allowing it to have that bit of give, which will hopefully avoid too much jarring of any innards.

So, your balloon idea is not at all silly sounding!

Packing peanut have the same effect but are a pain to clean up. That being said I'd rather deal with the peanuts than a busted box.