A $10 case saved a Ginacue! Phew.

[Billiardbills]

This $10 case just saved a $3,500 Ginacue!

That's a much better reinforced UPS triangle box that was shipped by USPS Priority Express!

Well worth the investment. It also had been packed pretty well with bubble wrap inside. I wish I could afford to send them in expensive cases but just can't. Anyhow it did the job.

 

[Chopdoc]

Wow!


Even a cheap hard case is really good for shipping IMHO.

Glad the cue made it!


I have had a few stupid things happen with cues shipped to me.

I have pics somewhere of a packing job that blew me away. It was in a big square box. Inside was a hard cardboard tube. Inside that was a cheap cue case (that was not part of the deal). Each layer was done in bubble wrap and the individual cue parts were wrapped as well.

That guy was obsessed with packing! Honestly, it was a pain in the butt unpacking it.






.

 

[TheBook]

I bought a Layani cue. He ships his inside a PVC pipe with a cap on each end.

 

[Bavafongoul]

PVC Pipe is overlooked a lot and it offers the most durable protection imaginable and is inexpensive.

 

[jazznpool]

PVC Pipe is overlooked a lot and it offers the most durable protection imaginable and is inexpensive.

The PVC probably doubles your shipping weight and adds very significantly to shipping cost. The hard cardboard tubes are superb for higher priced cues with the strong triangular tube around it. The triangular tubes furnished by usps are flimsy and useless. Better off going to FedEx Office and getting one of their free triangular tubes that you can easily use "inside out."

 

[JoeyInCali]

The PVC probably doubles your shipping weight and adds very significantly to shipping cost. The hard cardboard tubes are superb for higher priced cues with the strong triangular tube around it. The triangular tubes furnished by usps are flimsy and useless. Better off going to FedEx Office and getting one of their free triangular tubes that you can easily use "inside out."

It doesn't if it fits the flat rate USPS triangle box ( domestic only ).

 

[Bank it]

Wow!





Even a cheap hard case is really good for shipping IMHO.



Glad the cue made it!





I have had a few stupid things happen with cues shipped to me.



I have pics somewhere of a packing job that blew me away. It was in a big square box. Inside was a hard cardboard tube. Inside that was a cheap cue case (that was not part of the deal). Each layer was done in bubble wrap and the individual cue parts were wrapped as well.



That guy was obsessed with packing! Honestly, it was a pain in the butt unpacking it.













.

Was this a Searing shaft bought on eBay by chance?

 

[justinb386]

This $10 case just saved a $3,500 Ginacue!

That's a much better reinforced UPS triangle box that was shipped by USPS Priority Express!

Well worth the investment. It also had been packed pretty well with bubble wrap inside. I wish I could afford to send them in expensive cases but just can't. Anyhow it did the job.

Why would you ship such an expensive cue through the postal service? FED EX sells very good quality mailing tubes (that cost around 7 or 8 dollars), and they are around 32 inches I think, and FED EX would be much more careful with an item that valuable, and it would also have a guaranteed delivery date. I never trusted USPS (after many issues that I have had with them over the years), but FED EX has always been very reliable, and usually delivers a day earlier then their quoted delivery date. By the looks of that USPS triangle tube, shows how much care the USPS puts into their shipments. That is horrible. Good thing you shipped it in that hard tube cue case. It appears though, that you did not put bubble wrap (or something, anything) to fill all of the extra space that was around the cue case, outside of the tube. I think that is always good to do. Not good to have extra space for the cue to be wobbling around in the tube, and that might be part of the reason that the cardboard tube ripped like that (because it was not completely filled with bubble wrap, or something to completely fill it with).

 

[justinb386]

The PVC probably doubles your shipping weight and adds very significantly to shipping cost. The hard cardboard tubes are superb for higher priced cues with the strong triangular tube around it. The triangular tubes furnished by usps are flimsy and useless. Better off going to FedEx Office and getting one of their free triangular tubes that you can easily use "inside out."

The only free tubes that FED EX offers are the express triangle tubes (which must be used for express shipping), but if you ask them for one, and then turn it upside down (put the cue in there, well wrapped in bubble wrap, or in a hard case, and then tape it up really well), then it just shows the plain brown triangle tube, and can be shipped through Ground delivery if wanted (or even through USPS if you wanted to), and yeah, though triangle tubes that FED EX offers are very thick (and strong). You just have to turn them around the other way if you want to use a non express service (like Ground or Home Delivery, which is still very fast, even all the way across the country). .

 

[justinb386]

It doesn't if it fits the flat rate USPS triangle box ( domestic only ).

Yeah, and it should fit on one of those free Priority Mail tubes. Just be sure to add lots of bubble wrap on the upside, so that there is no free space on the inside of the package. I think that is what causes major rips in the weak low quality USPS cardboard (if you do not completely full it with bubble wrap, or newspaper, or anything you can think of to fill up all of the extra space inside the flat rate triangle USPS box).

 

[Billiardbills]

Why would you ship such an expensive cue through the postal service? FED EX sells very good quality mailing tubes (that cost around 7 or 8 dollars), and they are around 32 inches I think, and FED EX would be much more careful with an item that valuable, and it would also have a guaranteed delivery date. I never trusted USPS (after many issues that I have had with them over the years), but FED EX has always been very reliable, and usually delivers a day earlier then their quoted delivery date. By the looks of that USPS triangle tube, shows how much care the USPS puts into their shipments. That is horrible. Good thing you shipped it in that hard tube cue case. It appears though, that you did not put bubble wrap (or something, anything) to fill all of the extra space that was around the cue case, outside of the tube. I think that is always good to do. Not good to have extra space for the cue to be wobbling around in the tube, and that might be part of the reason that the cardboard tube ripped like that (because it was not completely filled with bubble wrap, or something to completely fill it with).

Please reread the post. USPS Priority express. There was additional bubble wrap. Not a usps Triangle box.

 

[Billiardbills]

Yeah, and it should fit on one of those free Priority Mail tubes. Just be sure to add lots of bubble wrap on the upside, so that there is no free space on the inside of the package. I think that is what causes major rips in the weak low quality USPS cardboard (if you do not completely full it with bubble wrap, or newspaper, or anything you can think of to fill up all of the extra space inside the flat rate triangle USPS box).

I've used UPS, FedEx and USPS over the years and I have had them all damage/break/lost cues or shafts over the roughly 1200-1300 cues I've sold and I can conclude one thing: overall cost and savings, USPS is far less expensive and faster per the money. It's roughly around 1% of shipments have issues of damage/break/lost.

In fact I've only had ONE SHAFT ever go completely MIA and I pretty much know that buyer took the shaft and said the box was empty.

 

[PDX]

PVC shipped priority USPS is the only way I ship. It is roughly $15-20, but I never need to worry. The few extra dollars is worth the piece of mind.

 

[Big-Tattoo]

have to learn your lessions

I ALWAYS use a PVC tube and alot of bubble foil when i ship items, like bullet proof.
I had worked with the Rolls Royce under the packages Services(UPS), but what I saw at that time how the handle the packages YOU will NEVER send a cue :grin:
that's why I'm carefull with my stuff to send and ofcourse I tell all my sellers to do the same way, no other excuses:wink:
it's right it cost a bit more but no hassle in the end of the Day if the OUTSIDE is broken/damaged.
Just my 2 Cents
Ralf

 

[justinb386]

Please reread the post. USPS Priority express. There was additional bubble wrap. Not a usps Triangle box.

Oh, okay. I should have noticed that that is not a USPS box in the pictures. Sorry, it appeared from the picture that there was no added packaging, other then the hard case, inside the box (because I do not see any, where the rip in the box is located).

 

[justinb386]

I've used UPS, FedEx and USPS over the years and I have had them all damage/break/lost cues or shafts over the roughly 1200-1300 cues I've sold and I can conclude one thing: overall cost and savings, USPS is far less expensive and faster per the money. It's roughly around 1% of shipments have issues of damage/break/lost.

In fact I've only had ONE SHAFT ever go completely MIA and I pretty much know that buyer took the shaft and said the box was empty.

Yeah, I understand that USPS is very reliable 99% of the time, but for me, it is really scary not knowing exactly where the shipment is located, because USPS does not scan the package (for the shipper/receiver to see online) everytime the package arrives at a new location. They will only show you when it was shipped out, and then when it arrives at the main post office of your local area, and then when it arrives at your local post office, and then when it was delivered, and that is if everyone at USPS does their job correctly). With FED EX (for example), you can actually track the shipment, and it will tell you every time the package arrives at a new location. Also, I read that with USPS, they make is very difficult to successfully get an insurance claim on a damaged item, and it takes a really long time to get an insurance claim, even when it is approved. I can only speak from my own personal experiences, and with USPS, I have had a lot of issues with them. So, I do not 100% trust their service. Much more comfortable sending (or receiving) anything of great value (in my case, anyways) through FED EX, because I have never had any issues with them, and they have always been very quick and reliable for me in the past.

 

[justinb386]

PVC shipped priority USPS is the only way I ship. It is roughly $15-20, but I never need to worry. The few extra dollars is worth the piece of mind.

Yeah, those PVC shipping tubes are kind of heavy and expensive (like $7 or $8 I think), but it is well worth it, for piece of mind. I only ship through USPS if I have to though, or if I am hurting for money, and can't afford to ship through FED EX. FED EX gives me much better piece of mind.

 

[woodyosborne]

I bought a nice old block letter joss from a ups driver. he sent it ups in thick walled pvc , ups , of course. got to me safe and sound.