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SVT FedEx experience

BASSKADET

BASSKADET

May 17, 2007
2,480
1,947
NC
#1
Don't know if this is the right forum. Mods please move if need be.

I sold my SVT and took it to the FedEX hub to ship. I encased it in two layers of blue board in a heavy cardboard box. FedEx refused to ship it ground. It weighted 92#.
What's up with that I have never been denied sending something ground for "insufficient packing". Was told it had to have 4" of packing. I thought this was BS. They made me send it Air.

Anyone else have trouble with FedEx shipping heavy Amps.
 
#3
Having owned a packaging and shipping company, let's just say that typical packaging is designed to withstand typical abuse.

Packages are thrown around by handlers. Packages fall off conveyor belts. Packages are dropped by handlers. Packages fall from stacks in transport vehicles.

Here's a test for whether or not you have adequate packaging. Box your item and kick it down the stairs. If it lands safely you have done your job. If not, you fail.

If you ship in packaging that fails the test, your item is damaged, and you file a claim, your claim will be denied, even if you buy insurance.

That someone offered advise to add cushioning material was actually a favor to you.

Whether or not your item arrives safely, is totally dependent on luck, according to the scenario that you describe.

May your luck be good!
 
#5
mcapote said:
never has a problem shipping anything with fedex regardless of weight or packing. then again How would they know how it was packed? did you tape it up in front of them?
Click to expand...

She told me that before I even brought the box in. It was sealed at home. I've shipped heavy amps before and never ran into this BS.
She was very animate about refusing me ground. Strong arm tactic to get me to pay more?
I have a disability and asked if they could bring it in and she said no. I asked a FedEx guy sitting in his PV truck outside to bring it in for me and he did. He put it right on the scale.
 
#7
she was doing just the opposite. instead of strong arming you, she was attempting to save you the cost and hassle of dealing with an shattered, exploded amp.
If you haven't come up against this before, it's not because anyone is trying to cheat you. I promise that extra money spent in packaging for a tube head is never a waste. Compare the cost of a replacement to the cost of shipping. (a hint, >)
 
#9
I work as a courier for FedEx Express. We take good care of the packages in our system because we pride ourselves on customer service. Plus, it saves us money. Our services are more expensive than Ground (because of the additional speed of service) and, as such, paying a claim on a damaged shipment costs more per package than it would for Ground, so there's more incentive for us to take care of each box.

Also, if you think about how the packages travel (Express by air and Ground via the highways), I would guess that Ground packages need to be better packed due to all the bouncing around on the roads.

I don't know what standards Ground has for their packaging so I can't shed any light on why it might have been rejected. I don't know if any of this has been helpful; it seems like I'm just rambling. Oh well.
 
#10
I do a lot of shipping of tech equipment and am reluctant to ship anything that weighs more than 50 pounds with either FedEx or UPS. I think the heavy boxes just piss the guys off at the routing stations and then they get thrown around carelessly.

If I have to ship something really heavy like a RAID server or similar I strap it to a pallet and have South Easter Freight come pick it to deliver it.
 
#12
UPS folks used to hassle me about packing. The key is to show no fear when they ask what would happen if it was dropped from 3 feet up. ;)

Once I made a stink and accused them of trying to up-sell their packaging services. And more or less got my way. Now the store is more mellow and they don't hassle me anymore.

I work in IT and I scrounge all the good packing material they get when they buy computers. Also, its good to keep packing material whenver you buy anything new in anticipation of sale and shipment down the road.

I imagine if something weighs 90 pounds, they do go to a new realm of hand-wringing--never tried it. I was thinking about selling my carvin 18" speaker/cabinet. Wouldn't even try to ebay and ship as its huge--just craiglist if I do anything.

PS> Also, when shipping tube gear, I always unplug the tubes and pack them separately. My carvin bx500 came with the tube simply plugged in, and it didn't come out, but I just like to be safe.
 
#14
Walking said:
UPS folks used to hassle me about packing. The key is to show no fear when they ask what would happen if it was dropped from 3 feet up. ;)

Once I made a stink and accused them of trying to up-sell their packaging services. And more or less got my way. Now the store is more mellow and they don't hassle me anymore.

I work in IT and I scrounge all the good packing material they get when they buy computers. Also, its good to keep packing material whenver you buy anything new in anticipation of sale and shipment down the road.

I imagine if something weighs 90 pounds, they do go to a new realm of hand-wringing--never tried it. I was thinking about selling my carvin 18" speaker/cabinet. Wouldn't even try to ebay and ship as its huge--just craiglist if I do anything.

PS> Also, when shipping tube gear, I always unplug the tubes and pack them separately. My carvin bx500 came with the tube simply plugged in, and it didn't come out, but I just like to be safe.
Click to expand...

The tubes were marked where they go and bubble wrapped and shipped separate.

The thing is she made her mind up without seeing anything.
 
#15
BASSKADET said:
The tubes were marked were they go and bubble wrapped and shipped separate.

The thing is she made her mind up without seeing anything.
Click to expand...

That's good. It was just a general suggestion. Might want to talk to some other shippers next time and see if they will be more helpful--or ask for the store manager which may or may not get better results. In my mind, an amp like that without tubes would be pretty sturdy for shipping as you packed it. I understand that shippers can have a lot of valuable experience, but I have seen quite a bit of variability in attitude and experience in the young wage-slaves that staff the local UPS store.
 
#16
Hmmm..........never had an issue using Fedex Ground. I have my own account. I professionally pack and label my packages myself and drop them off and ask for a receipt! 5 days as opposed to Fedex Express' 2 days?? Sorry, the buyer can wait a couple extra days unless they pay the shipping fee to get it there faster! Granted, I've never shipped anything over 75lbs but I have shipped boxes at 70-74lbs before! My opinion........they got you!
 
#17
Go to another Fedex location.... I ship Fedex Ground all the time. I had a problem once when the lady at the desk said I could not insure my bass for the correct value, even though it was in a case and boxed up. She argued with me that the maximum insurance on musical instruments was $100.

I went to another location, never had a problem again
 
#18
i shipped a huge 146lb box (an SVT610HLF cab) last week via fedex ground from SoCal to West Virginia and it made it there okay. they picked it up on 4/1 and arrived in WV on 4/6.
there were no restrictions on its size or weight limits. i did double box it, and shipped it fully insured, just in case they decided to drag it behind their delivery truck instead of put it inside. ;)

i think i read somewhere that anything over 70lbs has to be double boxed for insurance purposes, so that's what i always do on the heavy ones.
 
#19
Part of the confusion has to do with types of shipping counters you deal with, even for what you think to be the same carrier . . .

There are independent stores that ship with certain carriers . . . For example, Mailboxes, etc, is now the UPS Store . . . it is a franchise . . . independent operators add surcharges to UPS services, doubling insurance cost, shipping rates, etc. . . They also charge an arm and a leg to pack . . .

This scenario is different than a customer counter at a UPS terminal . . .

This is just one of the apples and oranges situations you can find when shipping . . .
 
#20
FedEx Kinkos denied me from shipping out a bass that was in a cardboard box...and the bass was in its CASE that fit it like a glove. The box was raggedy but it was taped on all corners and good to go. I walked out, drove across the street and shipped it UPS.

Did I mention I accidentally knocked over a huge display when I disgustingly pulled my bass off the counter at FedEx? As I was leaving of course. Oops!!!!!!!!!!
 

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