Message from discussion Shipping Tips

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From: no...@nowhere.net
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2.marketplace
Subject: Re: Shipping Tips
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 09:44:16 -0500
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Ship it in a _STURDY_ BOX!!!  Serious _crushing_ will befall _ALL_
packages in shipment, it is the nature of shipping.

Personally, I have had remarkable luck, all things considered.  I have
received mail with just my name and city/state on it.  No zip, no
address.  It took 10 days instead of 4, but it made it from 3 states
away.  Most of my problems come with improperly packaged items that get
squashed.  The shipping services LOVE to stack, keep that in mind before
packaging something up to ship it.

Lost mail:
Lost mail is caused many things, the most common are poor hand writing
or damage to the label in transit.  But usually things get returned to
the sender in a few weeks.

Late mail:
Late mail can be caused by having to hand sort because of having odd
size or shaped boxes, incorrect zip codes, bad addresses, etc.  Machine
printed labels process faster than hand written labels.  Having a USPS
standard address and zip bar code can help too, unless the zip is
incorrect.  (No one really looks at a package with a zip bar code until
it gets to the destination coded in.)

Shipping Tips:
Ship it in a _STURDY_ BOX!!!  Serious _crushing_ will befall _ALL_
packages in shipment, it is the nature of shipping.

Make sure to include a packing slip with contents, and contact
information for BOTH ends of you package's journey.  Lost items get
opened and disposed of if they are unable to figure out where it
belongs.  

The purpose of a box is to protect its contents during shipping where it
will be subject to stacking, dropping, bumping and general rough
handling.  Pack contents loosely in peanuts so it will 'bounce' in side
the box but will not shift.  A box will need to be sturdy enough to
transfer weight stacked upon it to whatever is below it without crushing
the contents.  

Use sturdy boxes that are not worn out.  Square boxes with machine
written labels can usually be read by the USPS machines and processed
rapidly, but sway-back tend to have be hand sorted.

WARNING: the Express mailing boxes have the corrugated ribs in the wrong
direction to prevent crushing of contents, do not place anything of
value in one of those boxes as it WILL be crushed unless reinforced.

Do not send it in an envelope unless it is a book or paper.  (Usually
one 3.5" or two 5.25" diskettes are ok in a cardboard mailer, more than
that may arrive damaged.  CDs in 'jewel cases' need to be in a box.)

When you write directly on the package, do it neatly in block letters
all capitals.  If you use labels, use self stick labels and then cover
them with tape to make sure they do not curl up or peel off.  Make sure
old labels are removed or covered.  Disable old bar codes with a
vertical line to disrupt the pattern.  Always address it on the side
with the largest area, about in the middle.

Make sure to use the right size box.  If a box is too big, it will
collapse along an edge when stacked upon.  Wedge contents with filler
paper so they will not shift.  If the item being shipped is fragile or
not sturdy, reinforce the box edges at the corners and along the long
edges.  I usually have some Styrofoam pieces laying around I use to
protect contents of the box.  I get the styrofoam from monitor and
computer boxes and I cut them to appropriate size to hold the box's
dimensions.

WARNING: Beware of peanuts for packing!!  The peanuts do an excellent
job of transferring the load through your packaged item when packaged
tightly.  EVERY single software box I have ever received has been in a
box backed TIGHTLY with peanuts.  Just sealing the shipping box crushes
the software box. More mint condition boxes are lost that way. 
(Commercial packers do this every time, guaranteed.)

Mail it from the post office, do not leave stuff in your mailbox with
the steal-me flag up.

Send everything first class or better and pay the buck for Delivery
Confirmation.  Tracking and insurance are OK if the person will be there
to sign for it.  (I hate having to drive to the 'North Distribution
Center' to sign for stuff.  What really irks me about the USPS is they
do not even try to deliver it first.)

Use a 5 digit zip code. Quite a few people get their 9 digit extension
incorrectly off of bulk mail. My bulk 9 digit zip is almost always
incorrect, but they saved money by making up 4 numbers.  When neither my
postman or post office could tell my proper 4 digit extension, I went
out to the web site and looked it up.
http://www.usps.com/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html

Ship it in a _STURDY_ BOX!!!  Serious _crushing_ will befall _ALL_
packages in shipment, it is the nature of shipping.

Thankx,
Ed

sirgh...@home.com wrote:
> A couple of orders got lost in the US Post Awful.