Karen Shapiro on thu 2 may 02
Hi all,
Just thought I'd share my newest system to get around UPS and their prices
and mishandling.
I use double wall corregated boxes (18x18x18 usually) and have my packaging
company order 3/4" sheets of styrofoam cut to order to line the boxes. This
is my "double boxing". I then use bubble wrap and styro peanuts and paper,
etc. to carefully pack the boxes. This gives me much more space (since the
corregated box within the box takes up so much room) and I have had great
luck with minimal breakage -- they CAN break anything if they put their
minds to it! The styro "walls" cost me less (or about the same -- haven't
really figured it out) than buying smaller boxes to fit into the larger
ones.
Hey ... works for me and takes less time.
Karen in Gualala
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Snail Scott on fri 3 may 02
At 10:34 AM 5/2/02 -0700, you wrote:
>I use double wall corregated boxes (18x18x18 usually) and have my
packaging company order 3/4" sheets of styrofoam cut to order to line the
boxes.
I used to use this method. I live where I connot buy
a wide range of packing materials locally. Since all
my work is different sizes, some fairly large, I seldom
am able to double-box without scads of wasted space, owing
to the limited selection of boxes. (This is an issue
because my work often edges close to the 'oversized parcel'
surcharges even without using a second box which might
total 18" more overall, and increase cost by $20 or more.)
It has generally worked well for me, especially since I
augment the styrofoam walls with styrofoam fitted
brackets to hold the work firmly in place. Recently,
though, I took my boxes to UPS still open to allow the
clerk and supervisor to inspect my packing job. They
said it was the best packing job thay'd seen in ages,
but one piece still arrived broken. The claims agent
said it must be their fault, since the packing was
obviously good, and they would be willing to pay full
value.
Then, apparently as standard practice, they turned the
whole affair over to an outside 'loss management'
company. They reversed UPS's own admission of liability
and denied the claim. Then, they called me again a week
later and claimed it had never been insured to begin
with! I'm still going in circles with these bastards.
I doubt I'll ever see a nickel. I don't have too many
other options for shipping. Oversize charges are often
enough to make an affordable show into an impossibility.
I try to only send work to shows that I can drive to,
but sometimes life interferes. (You don't even want to
hear my horror stories about shipping to (and from) New
York. Suffice to say that FedEx 'lost' a 3 foot crate
for over two months!)
-Snail
Mike Gordon on sat 4 may 02
Hi Snail,
This brings back many bad memories, long story, bottom line. This
happened toa client of mine that had me ship a plaster pot to him in
L.A. I took it to a UPS recommended packer told them that it very
fragile, pack it carefully! They tripple boxed it, it came delivered
with a fork lift puncture in the box. Same run around as you got.
Unfortunately for them, his sister was a lawyer, took them to court and
won. I never saw the final payment he owed me of course..... I would
have had to take him to court! Ha! My sister isn't one. Asfor packing
I had a sculptural pot packed by Professionals that museums use for a 5
stste traveling show. They wrapped it in some kind of clear plastic wrap
and put it into a cardboard box and filled it with some dense foam. I
slid in and out like a hand in glove. Came back a year later in perfect
condition.Mike Gordon
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