some great advice in this thread and I will definitely be correcting the way I package things in the future. I have been terribly lucky thus far apparently.
I'M Crushed and destroyed by USPS
- Thread starter jkmarshall_cues
- Start date
No matter what precautions you take the postal service, brown, Dahl, can destroy it. So the best defense is a good packaging, proof of value, and last full insurance.
Recall years ago Federal Express ran over a crate I had shipped a reproduction Kentucky rifle in. Crate was made of 3/4" ply wood, and was screwed together with 1" wood screws. Inside was line with foam rubber. One of their semis parent lay ran over the crate destroying it, and contents. Thank goodness I fully insured it, had an appraisal to back up value, and after 120 days of arguing with the insurance department. A Insurance check arrived.
Recall years ago Federal Express ran over a crate I had shipped a reproduction Kentucky rifle in. Crate was made of 3/4" ply wood, and was screwed together with 1" wood screws. Inside was line with foam rubber. One of their semis parent lay ran over the crate destroying it, and contents. Thank goodness I fully insured it, had an appraisal to back up value, and after 120 days of arguing with the insurance department. A Insurance check arrived.
RBC
Deceased
Using a PVC tube is great when you're shipping something like a cue, but the added cost would put shipping too expensive when shipping just a shaft like we often do. Here's a few things we've learned over the years.
1. Insurance is only good up to the actual value of the product. You can't ship a $500 cue insured for $1000 and expect to get $1000 if it's lost or damaged. They will ask you to justify the value.
2. Triangular tubes are better than square boxes as long as they are the heavier duty ones like UPS and Fedex provide. The ones the post office provide are junk.
3. Round tubes are fine, but they need to be heavy duty. The thin ones are junk.
4. When shipping cue shafts, wrap the shafts in padding, but always leave room around the padding for the shaft and padding to float around inside the box. Long tubes or boxes are often "bent" as they get caught up in machinery. If there's sufficient room, the box can bend a fair amount before it actually bends the shaft inside. If you pack it tight, the shaft will bend with the slightest amount of bend to the box. If you still get a bent cue shaft, they most likely will deny it due to "insufficient padding". But, always appeal it to the next level. Explain why it's packaged the way it is, and also explain that the damage the shaft received is not caused by insufficient padding, but rather it was caused by the box being bent. We've always been paid when this happens.
5. If a box arrives damaged and you make a claim, you must always keep the packaging. They will most likely want to come pick it up, and they will want the packaging.
6. If you're shipping something of significant value like a high dollar cue, the insurance most likely won't help. All shipping companies see these items like "works of art", or "antiques" or "collectibles" etc. These kinds of things are not insurable by their means and you should find an alternative insurance coverage for them. I know some high end cue makers who have a special rider on their business liability coverage. It's the only way I am aware of to get coverage for expensive cues.
I hope that helps!
Royce
1. Insurance is only good up to the actual value of the product. You can't ship a $500 cue insured for $1000 and expect to get $1000 if it's lost or damaged. They will ask you to justify the value.
2. Triangular tubes are better than square boxes as long as they are the heavier duty ones like UPS and Fedex provide. The ones the post office provide are junk.
3. Round tubes are fine, but they need to be heavy duty. The thin ones are junk.
4. When shipping cue shafts, wrap the shafts in padding, but always leave room around the padding for the shaft and padding to float around inside the box. Long tubes or boxes are often "bent" as they get caught up in machinery. If there's sufficient room, the box can bend a fair amount before it actually bends the shaft inside. If you pack it tight, the shaft will bend with the slightest amount of bend to the box. If you still get a bent cue shaft, they most likely will deny it due to "insufficient padding". But, always appeal it to the next level. Explain why it's packaged the way it is, and also explain that the damage the shaft received is not caused by insufficient padding, but rather it was caused by the box being bent. We've always been paid when this happens.
5. If a box arrives damaged and you make a claim, you must always keep the packaging. They will most likely want to come pick it up, and they will want the packaging.
6. If you're shipping something of significant value like a high dollar cue, the insurance most likely won't help. All shipping companies see these items like "works of art", or "antiques" or "collectibles" etc. These kinds of things are not insurable by their means and you should find an alternative insurance coverage for them. I know some high end cue makers who have a special rider on their business liability coverage. It's the only way I am aware of to get coverage for expensive cues.
I hope that helps!
Royce
UPS is the hardest to collect any insurance from, a friend went threw the claims process. UPS sent him their packaging requirements with the claim denied letter. Apparently they expect you to have TWO INCHES OF PADDING PROTECTING ALL SIDES OF THE ITEM PACKAGED. OR THE CLAIM WILL BE DENIED.
^^^ I like this idea for trades. I might have a new use for my old beat up porper now!
I have used a lot of schedule 30 four inch PVC pipe and have never had a cue messed up. It weighs less than 40 and fits inside one of my 5 inch by 4 inch shipping boxes just fine. I have had people say the box looked like it had been through a war zone when it arrived, but the cues were fine.
I don't know.. isn't that what you would expect from a Chinese made P shaft?
:thumbup:
JV
It's a matter of luck. Sure statiscally most packages arrive unscathed. But when you have the means to protect a valuable cue against the accidents that can happen why not do it? Who wants to be on the wrong side of the statistic?
Especially when the shipping companies will do all they can to deny a claim. Improperly packaged is a common one because they all have fine print that describes what they consider properly packaged and most people don't adhere to it.
I know it's a hassle to obtain tubes and prepare them for shipping, be they plastic or the thick walled cardboard ones. But the downside is ending up with a cue that is broken and hard or impossible to replace.
I find that the $20 round 1x1 (can fit 1x2 easily) cases are just about perfect for this. They can be found cheaper on Ebay I think. Put the cues in with some extra padding inside the case and that in a triangle and off you go.
That'll ruin your day
I guess you can never over pack! There has to
be some workers that see the word "Fragile" and
go out of there way to be rough with the thing.
Thankfully I have never had a claim, been lucky.
The PVC idea is a great one. They also have really
thick cardboard tubes that work well, they are damn
near as solid as plastic. And it is important to make
sure the ends are sealed, they have metal ones that
staple in there if you really want to be paranoid.
The most impressively packed cue I have ever received
was my Davis/Prince. It took me damn near 45 minutes
to get it open. I think USPS could have dropped the box
right out of the airplane flying over and it would have
survived.
Glad to hear the cues made it. Beautiful -R- cues btw :thumbup:
I guess you can never over pack! There has to
be some workers that see the word "Fragile" and
go out of there way to be rough with the thing.
Thankfully I have never had a claim, been lucky.
The PVC idea is a great one. They also have really
thick cardboard tubes that work well, they are damn
near as solid as plastic. And it is important to make
sure the ends are sealed, they have metal ones that
staple in there if you really want to be paranoid.
The most impressively packed cue I have ever received
was my Davis/Prince. It took me damn near 45 minutes
to get it open. I think USPS could have dropped the box
right out of the airplane flying over and it would have
survived.
Glad to hear the cues made it. Beautiful -R- cues btw :thumbup: