My Special Packing Technique -works great!

[kl7fz]

Being in Alaska and shipping a lot of items to the lower 48, I get a lot of concern from potential buyers about shipping such a long way.
I have gone to a consistent packing plan that works great and will give postive indication of damage caused by outside means. And to date, with several thousand packages shipped, only ONE has complained about damage. And I am very sure it was a scam.

Here's the secret. I line every box, large and small with solid sheets of styrofoam. Small boxes get the 1/2" to 1" stuff, and the larger boxes get up to four inch sheet/block. The sheets come in 2' x 4' or 4' x 8' sizes. I try to get broken or damaged sheets from the local builders supply houses that they sell at a substantial discount. I line the entire box with the stuff. You would be surprised at how much stronger the box becomes when lined with it.
Of course I still leave room for plenty of fill, and the item itself is either in an inner box or small bubble wrap, then large bubble wrap.
This method does cost a bit more. It does take quite a bit of time. But I production line the styro cutting for standard box sizes and do a lot at a time.
The other thing about the styro is that most all of it now has a plastic coating on both sides. The one side is silver colored. It is very easy to see holes, gouges, or penetrations in it. A very convincing evidence of damage or piercing of the box and beyond. And it does take a bit of force to penetrate the box and the styro with the inner and outer plastic layers. A surprising amount. The whole structure is very strong and stiff.
This has worked for me for a while now. It really works with larger items. The one other drawback about it, is that it does require a larger box than otherwise to allow for the styro. Hence some occasional problems with dimensional weight with shippers and some slight additional shipping costs in those circumstances. But it is well worth it for expensive items.

OK. That's it. Back to packing.
Try it. You'll see the difference in the way the box feels when you are finished at little additional weight.
Steve KL7FZ Alaska

[Odd I/O (ksym SanAntonio)]

Being in Alaska and shipping a lot of items to the lower 48, I get a lot of concern from potential buyers about shipping such a long way.
I have gone to a consistent packing plan that works great and will give postive indication of damage caused by outside means. And to date, with several thousand packages shipped, only ONE has complained about damage. And I am very sure it was a scam.

Here's the secret. I line every box, large and small with solid sheets of styrofoam. Small boxes get the 1/2" to 1" stuff, and the larger boxes get up to four inch sheet/block. The sheets come in 2' x 4' or 4' x 8' sizes. I try to get broken or damaged sheets from the local builders supply houses that they sell at a substantial discount. I line the entire box with the stuff. You would be surprised at how much stronger the box becomes when lined with it.
Of course I still leave room for plenty of fill, and the item itself is either in an inner box or small bubble wrap, then large bubble wrap.
This method does cost a bit more. It does take quite a bit of time. But I production line the styro cutting for standard box sizes and do a lot at a time.
The other thing about the styro is that most all of it now has a plastic coating on both sides. The one side is silver colored. It is very easy to see holes, gouges, or penetrations in it. A very convincing evidence of damage or piercing of the box and beyond. And it does take a bit of force to penetrate the box and the styro with the inner and outer plastic layers. A surprising amount. The whole structure is very strong and stiff.
This has worked for me for a while now. It really works with larger items. The one other drawback about it, is that it does require a larger box than otherwise to allow for the styro. Hence some occasional problems with dimensional weight with shippers and some slight additional shipping costs in those circumstances. But it is well worth it for expensive items.

OK. That's it. Back to packing.
Try it. You'll see the difference in the way the box feels when you are finished at little additional weight.
Steve KL7FZ Alaska

Thank you TONS, Steve...... That is one of the greatest ideas I have ever heard.