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PACKING PEANUTS PSA

bassteban

bassteban

Aug 12, 2004
17,837
219
62
Northern California
#1
I just got a nice amp in a trade deal, & upon opening the box, found a large helping of the nemesis of the packing/music-gear-trading industry: Styrofoam packing peanuts. :spit:
NO OFFENSE or gripe w/the other party in this deal, this is just a PSA to help rid our music rooms of stray PPs. :D
Simply bag the stuff before adding to the package- it keeps the little nuggets contained & pretty much eliminates the tendency of it to shift to one side, leaving the opposite side totally unprotected.
I'll put a bunch in a typical(plastic)grocery-bag, tie it off & set in the box as a *floor* for the fragile item, then nestle the piece down into the bagged PPs. Add another bag-o-nuts on top, wriggle/stuff it into the side gaps, tape the box shut & presto- no slop, no peanut storm at the buyers' home.
 
#2
You just touched upon one of my greatest pet peeves of all time.
I SOooOoOo hate those damn packing peanuts that I'd rather send something back to the seller then have to open up a box and fish for an item while those freaking things are falling all over the place. You go to pick them up and they're all sticking to your arms and whatnot. Curse them! Curse those vile evil little pellets of foamy hell!!!
 
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#7
All the shipments that I've received where peanuts were the only material used, the item settled to the bottom of the box where damage was eminent.

I suggest wrapping the item in bubble wrap and then surrounding it with bagged peanuts.

Alternatively, I've received 65lb.(24kg) amps boxed and packed only with x-large bubble wrap about 6in.(15cm) thick all the way around. The shipper used small bubble wrap inside the amp around the tubes/transformers. Amp was in perfect condition when received.
 
#11
Jim Campbell said:
stuff high priced electronic gear into the center so the peanuts don't shift......
Click to expand...

IME, even placing the item in the center of a box, the peanuts get gently vibrated by the truck/plane and allow whatever you're shipping to settle to the downward facing side of the box. When that happens, you item will be open to take full force of a drop.

Depending on the shipping time, especially coast to coast, your item will surely slowly settle to the bottom of the box.
 
#12
Stumbo said:
IME, even placing the item in the center of a box, the peanuts get gently vibrated by the truck/plane and allow whatever you're shipping to settle to the downward facing side of the box. When that happens, you item will be open to take full force of a drop.

Depending on the shipping time, especially coast to coast, your item will surely slowly settle to the bottom of the box.
Click to expand...

Read the OP- I've stumbled onto an ingenious cure for this plague. :)
 
#13
Stumbo said:
IME, even placing the item in the center of a box, the peanuts get gently vibrated by the truck/plane and allow whatever you're shipping to settle to the downward facing side of the box. When that happens, you item will be open to take full force of a drop.

Depending on the shipping time, especially coast to coast, your item will surely slowly settle to the bottom of the box.
Click to expand...
you usually don't miss the jest....
 
#18
Haha, I used to work in the shipping dept of a small bookstore and had to deal with peanuts all the time. Most fun was on a slow day where we would load the box up with a spring like force on the peanuts so that when the package was opened up I knew it would go everywhere on the victim.
 
#20
I cant stand packing peanuts either... When I receive shipments and packing peanuts are used (rare when receiving bulk orders from manufactures) I say ... "oh...great" For a while I had two huge garbage bags of packing peanuts. I ended up taking them to the UPS store and let them do what they want with them.

The problem is, if a company is using peanuts, they probably have a peanut hopper hanging from the ceiling... they put a little in the bottom of a box, put your items in the box, and then fill the rest with peanuts. so they are not going to be able to or take the time to put them in bags...

I like the squish-able foam that is in cased in plastic. that stuff is fun. or bubble wrap / bubble padding.
 

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