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Can anyone explain to me, why most ham equipment sellers "don't have the box or lost the box"? Here you have, really nice and most often very expensive stuff and the box is lost!! Sometimes even the manual!! I'm astounded!! Don't they know that if they ever have to ship their stuff, the best and safest way is in the original box and packing materials? I think there is another dimension in which all those little screws that you dropped on the carpet, along with the boxes and manuals of a million rigs disappear every day.

Can you buy me a garage or would you pay for an addition to my house so I can store all the boxes of my new items?

Thanks

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Hmmm..good question. Well...if you can buy that much ham gear...then you should also be able to afford a place big enough to store a couple boxes!!
As for me...I have one rig....thus its box fits in one of the tiny closets of my tiny house!!

Well saving boxes for tv's, dvd players, computers, alarm clocks, refrigerators, dishwashers, ham radios, christmas presents, I mean what do you save boxes for, just ham radio?

Somewhere a person needs to prioritize what boxes should be saved and which needs to go,,,,,,,,,,,

wx1f wrote:Hmmm..good question. Well...if you can buy that much ham gear...then you should also be able to afford a place big enough to store a couple boxes!!
As for me...I have one rig....thus its box fits in one of the tiny closets of my tiny house!!

Oh right!! I only save Ham radio stuff boxes! The other house stuff will just get replaced when it dies...I'll never ship a computer or clock radio anywhere!

I saved the box for a Dell computer that failed and it was only a month old, so you would just buy a new one? WOW , if you have that much money you shouldn't be worried about a box some ham radio came in,,,,,,,,,,,,

This thread now has me bored, i'm done with it, i'll toss it out like I do the boxes for my ham radio

wx1f wrote:Oh right!! I only save Ham radio stuff boxes! The other house stuff will just get replaced when it dies...I'll never ship a computer or clock radio anywhere!

Some guys sell 'em. I saw an ad once for a box for a TS-950 with inserts for $100.

I keep mine. In the end, it protects the radio when shipped, is usually required if you have shipping damage if you're going to recieve a settlement and always increases the value of my equipment when I sell it.

Yes, I keep my boxes.

If a seller is selling a piece of ham gear I always ask if they have the original box and original manual (not a copy). If they don't have the original box and original manual then most of the time I will not proceed any further with the purchase. That's just the way I am. I put a high value on having the original box and original manual that the equipment came with.

I don't think that the manufacturer's original box andy unit in its original factory carton and inserts necessarily insure safe transit. I shipped an AvCom 21.4 MHz signal display unit in its original carton.

GUESS WHAT! It got damaged in transit.

Original cartons aren't necessarily the problem. They can be flattened for storage. It's the inserts, especially the styrofoam ones, that take up space.

Also, many inserts are designed as "single use" to show if the carton's contents were removed or tampered with.

It may be easy to counterfeit a seal, but how do you counterfeit the carton inserts?

N9LCD

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The original box is useful to ensure that the unit is reasonbly protected and it is assumed that the inserts and internal packaging are also saved in their entirety. Whenever I ship an item in its original box I always place that original box inside another box (double boxed) with sufficient packing material (at least 2 inches on all sides) for two reasons - 1. I want to make sure that the unit arrives safely to the buyer as it is expected that the seller will ship the item in such a manner so as to arrive to the buyer safely and in one piece and 2. I want to make sure I am not advertising what is contained in the box by shipping an original box bare without a second box around it.
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Anyway, enough said on this subject for me.
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You have a valid point.

To "...reasonably...", I'd add "...and easily...".

Shipping in a bare carton that broadcasts its contents is like using registered mail -- "steal me first".

N9LCD

I have every box that I have gear for if it came with it.Attic makes a great storage space.I'm shocked at how many rigs are being sold without a microphone or power cord! Do they think it will operate without one when we buy it? LOL :shock

Clayton
W4KVW:

Thankfully, Elite self storage in Rothwell do not make such excuses. They are well known for providing the best storage services in town and I am using their services since long time.

Ok, i just bought a TS-930s made in the 80s or 90s ? The old timer told me how he would ship it double boxed and had done it before for a repair. The Radio came perfect , and i am so happy , i was a Ham as a Teen and this Radio is Great ! I did see a repair shop in Texas for these Kenwoods and they recommend a box maker that would have charged 79 bucks for a perfect shipping box for my TS930s , i decided to have the owner do it , maybe a gamble, but we insured it for full amount including shipping costs . Owners can take to the shipper like UPS stores and they will pack and insure them . i am not a Radio collector did not care about cosmetics just performance , just like my Women ! hihihi, i got an XYL so i am just joking here , we gotta have a sense of humor ok even when it comes to shipping boxes . 73s, "AJ" W5HEH another Hillbilly Ham in N Arkansas

If the radio is all you have then I guess storage of the box is not a real problem.
At my station I have the Radio, a desk mic, matching speaker, power supply, antenna tuner, SWR/power meter, amplifier, and antenna rotator.
Believe me all those boxes will not fit in a small closet with any room left for much else.

Fortunately years ago I bought a metal storage shed and all my boxes go in there.
About half the shed is taken up by all the radio gear boxes.
Ever see the box for a Yaesu FDX-9000? ... also some very big and expensive radios do NOT come with a microphone.

Original boxes are great. I'm a collector/user of Kenwood Hybrids and it's great to see/find a radio, VFO, tuner or speaker with the original box, styrofoam and plastic cover - if they're in decent shape. The hook is, how was the original carton stored for the past few decades. I recently took possession of a radio that arrived in a n a s t y box that smelled of mold and had the tensile strength of wall paper, I'm surprised the guy actually kept it.

If you break the carton down to it's flat state you can usually cover it in a hefty bag / contractors bag and store it in the attic/other dry place along with it's other original packing materials. Saving the original boxes can be done but it takes thought, energy and a safe dry place to store them.