OT: proper pc packaging for shipment?

[Lo Lees]

Please forgive the OT post, but this sort of relates to the group. I have a
couple of Dell PC's I'd like to sell, but I am a bit concerned about
shipping them and I am requesting suggestions for proper packaging. A
couple of years ago, I purchased these same units off of Ebay, each from
different sellers, and both arrived with minor damage that obviously
happened in transit- in one case the CPU cooler/ fan had come unlocked and
in the other several of the PCI cards had come out of their sockets with one
damaged as it jumped around within the PC during transit. I don't want this
or anything else to happen if I sell them. How should I package them so no
damage occurs?

Thanks in advance,
Lo

 

[PeterD]

On Sun, 8 Nov 2009 06:50:21 -0500, "Lo Lees" <none@none.com> wrote:

Please forgive the OT post, but this sort of relates to the group. I have a
couple of Dell PC's I'd like to sell, but I am a bit concerned about
shipping them and I am requesting suggestions for proper packaging. A
couple of years ago, I purchased these same units off of Ebay, each from
different sellers, and both arrived with minor damage that obviously
happened in transit- in one case the CPU cooler/ fan had come unlocked and
in the other several of the PCI cards had come out of their sockets with one
damaged as it jumped around within the PC during transit. I don't want this
or anything else to happen if I sell them. How should I package them so no
damage occurs?

Thanks in advance,
Lo

Shipping something like this is very risky, the odds you'll be happy
are remote.

Sell locally.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

You need to double-box them, with plenty of space and padding around the
inner box.

The computer can fit into the inner box tightly, with little or no padding.

I did this a few years back with some classic KLH equipment, and it got to
Europe safely.

 

[N_Cook]

Lo Lees <none@none.com> wrote in message
news:hd6baa$r47$1@news.eternal-september.org...

Please forgive the OT post, but this sort of relates to the group. I have
a
couple of Dell PC's I'd like to sell, but I am a bit concerned about
shipping them and I am requesting suggestions for proper packaging. A
couple of years ago, I purchased these same units off of Ebay, each from
different sellers, and both arrived with minor damage that obviously
happened in transit- in one case the CPU cooler/ fan had come unlocked and
in the other several of the PCI cards had come out of their sockets with
one
damaged as it jumped around within the PC during transit. I don't want
this
or anything else to happen if I sell them. How should I package them so
no
damage occurs?

Thanks in advance,
Lo

one of my tips

Packing fragile items for the postal system.
As well as bubble-wrap inside cardboard boxes consider
the following. Save pint or 2 pint plastic blow-moulded
milk cartons and use like Storopack. Clean out and dry with cap off. Replace
the
cap and use as packing inside a larger cardboard box than
you would otherwise use. One on each face acts like
car air bags or even Martian lander. Perhaps part fill each bottle
with polystyrene chips in case the bottle bursts
in a heavy bump. If the gap is too small then release cap
and squash a bit before replacing cap. Tape in place
around previously bubble-wrapped item. I sent an old bakelite
cased meter to Italy using this technique. It already had a known
crack in the casing and didn't worsen in the journey - which is
some testament for the technique.


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 8 Nov 2009 06:50:21 -0500, "Lo Lees" <none@none.com> wrote:

How should I package them so no
damage occurs?

The general idea is to put as much space between the PC and the sides
of the box. It's not unusual for me to receive a new PC with perhaps
6" or more of air, foam, styrofoam peanuts, bubble pack, shredded
newsprint, cardboard, or anything soft between the case and *ALL* the
box sides. It's going to get kicked in during shipping and that
distance is your main protection.

There are also various grades of fiberboard:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrugated_fiberboard>
Got a heavy duty box with the heaviest fiberboard you can afford.
250lb double wall is nice.

When I ship something, I like to use the original box the machine
arrived inside. I save many shipping boxes for common machines.
However, the space is becoming more expensive than just buying a new
box, so I'm doing less of this.

There are vendors that sell computer specific packaging:
<http://www.uline.com/bl_8350/Computer-Electronics-Boxes>

As a simple test, when you have it all boxed and taped, balance the
box on a corner. If the corner caves in under the weight of the box,
the box collapses, and the tape tears off, it's not going to arrive in
one piece. Many vendors will cringe at this test, but it was
suggested by professional shipping company and seems to work.


--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Gus]

in the other several of the PCI cards had come out of their sockets with one
damaged as it jumped around within the PC during transit.

Its always a good idea to make sure the screws or card securing
hardware is in place before shipping to stop the PCI/PCI-e cards from
coming out of the sockets.

Good Luck

 

[Bob Larter]

Lo Lees wrote:

Please forgive the OT post, but this sort of relates to the group. I
have a couple of Dell PC's I'd like to sell, but I am a bit concerned
about shipping them and I am requesting suggestions for proper
packaging. A couple of years ago, I purchased these same units off of
Ebay, each from different sellers, and both arrived with minor damage
that obviously happened in transit- in one case the CPU cooler/ fan had
come unlocked and in the other several of the PCI cards had come out of
their sockets with one damaged as it jumped around within the PC during
transit. I don't want this or anything else to happen if I sell them.
How should I package them so no damage occurs?

I fill a bag with foam peanuts & wedge it tightly in the chassis to
prevent heatsinks & cards from popping loose. You need a tight fit to
really fill in the gaps. Don't forget to tell the buyer to remove the
bag before firing it up!

--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------