Shipping tube amps - large, heavy, fragile. How do I get them there in one piece?
 

I'd really like to list these KR Audio amps on eBay, but am really concerned about the condition they'll be in once they make it to a buyer. They're 105 pounds each when crated. I shipped some beautiful B&W 802 speakers from PHX to ATL and Fedex broke BOTH of them even though they were in the factory boxes.

Is there a way to increase the odds that they'll still be working when they arrive at their new home?

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Short of putting a crate around that crate, I'm not sure. Seems a risky proposition. I think freight monkeys could break and anvil!

How about some expanding foam packaging inside your crates?

Instapack Quick Rt in Stock - ULINE

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Those heavy transformers make shipping a chore, for sure. I've had mixed results shipping some Hammond amplifiers, I usually end up building a box around them and bolt them to the box and fill with peanuts.

Seems like heavy duty form-fitting foam bags might be better than peanuts though.

I'd pull the tubes out, wrap them individually in foam or bubble wrap and ship separately from the amps (or pack them securely elsewhere inside the crate).

That and insure them up the wazoo.

Find other people who have sold similar items, email them, and ask how they packed theirs.

Is be afraid of that expanding foam knocking the tubes off as it grows. I think packing them seperately and bolting the main unit to the crate is a good idea.

I agree. Leaving the tubes in place will subject them to every impact.

Of course removing the tubes is #1 on the list. Takes 3 seconds. bubble wrap, and set aside. Maybe even send in a different box.

SmileWavy

Im thinking that -after- the tubes are removed, you toss some of these heavy duty expando-packs in the crates to brace those huge transformers really well.

Were the chassis of the amps somehow bolted to the bottom of the crate originally?

Lots of expertise around shipping audio gear on either Audiokarma.org or audiogon.com.

I would probably even look at selling on Audiogon before ebay.

Someone I know suggested the same thing. Why is that?

Well, to me its a specialized marketplace. I feel like the buyers and sellers really know their stuff and there is lot more high end and lesser known equipment represented than what you will see on eBay.

I have not sold on Audiogon, but did buy my turntable and preamp from sellers on the site. Both were great transactions.

The classifieds on audiokarma are pretty good to, but i believe you have to pay a fee to have access.

Just remove the tubes and ship them separately. I buy tubes by mail all the time, never had one break. They're a lot sturdier than light bulbs. You can go to any amp tech and he'll probably give you some old tube boxes out of the trash and then you wrap the tubes in tissue paper.

+1 to both of the above. Freight people assume that heavy means indestructible. I know, I worked at UPS back in college days. Some guys were extra rough just for meanness.

Road trip!

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The tubes cost $525/pair, so they'll definitely get special handling! I have the original box and packing material for them.

KR Audio : KR 842VHD : tubeAudioPRODUCTS.com

Package the tubes separately, as others have suggested.

I believe the assertion that FedEx guys think heavy means indestructible and I also believe they may be careless on purpose. They will TRY to destroy it. Those heavy transformers, regardless of packing, will at a minimum distort the chassis if/when it is subjected to trauma.

I really don't trust those guys. Insure it for 10x the value. If the cost (to them) of damaging the items is in the $100,000 neighborhood, then perhaps they will be......at least reasonable in how they are handled. Either that or they will pay, which will catch their attention.

It looks like they are packed two to a box with that soft black foam around them. Watch near the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n4WVRKkmww

Don't ship them using FedEx, UPS or USPS. Package them in crates and strap the crates to a pallet, then ship them LTL freight. Mark them for any handling instructions, classify them properly and buy insurance.

You can always double box them, with soft foam in between the two boxes to allow some movement.

Package the tubes separately in large boxes with lots of soft foam. Don't use anything rigid.

JR

US cartage companies are known around the world as the most brutal carriers for shipping, incurring more damage than anywhere else. Since we have numerous small, heavy & expensive products our solution is to skid them for shipping. Package the tubes separately & strap the cartons to a skid with 'do not pile' signs on the skid. It won't be cheap but they will arrive intact most times.

Ian

FedEx's rates have insurance built in. If you put a $100k declared value on the package, assuming they'll even accept it, the shipping charge will be prohibitive. They recently really came through on a claim I filed for their heavily damaging a tube amp I shipped. I put the eBay final auction price as the declared value. When the claim got started, it was pretty easy for me to just print out the eBay auction ending page and a few others like it to prove the value. They paid me promptly. I don't think a grossly inflated declared value would end well for the shipper.

Yeah I think you need to pack them up in the crates and strap them to a pallet, and use a frieghting company. You could try U ship as well

I also think audiogon is the place for this sort of thing

I struggled with this just a few months ago, I bought I gigantic set of speakers used (dynaudio Confidence C4). I searched the interwebs for a good way to ship them, but there were so many horror stories I actually rented a uhaul and drove the 850 miles my self to pick them up. I was headed that way anyways but it was still a gigantic PITA

LOL that makes it really easy to hear the capacitance changes in your $1000 cables.

Correct, the first thing they will ask for is documentation of the value.

Having recently pushed through a damage claim on a FedEx shipment, I can say with confidence that the person that handles your claim may be have the IQ of a Labrador (no offense to Labradors). Facts don't matter. It took me three weeks to get them to accept responsibility and I had to escalate the claim to a higher level. I documented the entire shipping process out the wazoo (lots of glossy color photographs of every stage of the packaging), packed the box better than any box ever got packed and in the end, the first ***** made a completely arbitrary decision that they were not in the wrong. No counter argument, no facts, just "you're SOL."

As for the recommendation for U-ship, understand that anybody can sign up to ship anything for them and they don't vet their "shippers" at all. It's like handing a box to a random guy on the street, giving him a few hundred in cash with an address written on a piece of paper and asking him to deliver your package.

Might work, might not.

JR

yeah definitely not recommending U-ship per se but it something to consider.


The shippers are vetted by user feedback, If you trust that rating system. My friend has had good luck but as I said It came back to "do it yourself" for me

I am starting to think monitor speakers and small euro integrated amp enthusiasts are on to something!

My claim with FedEx was as smooth as silk. But I had them dead to rights with lots of documentation and a cooperative eBay buyer. They actually overpaid me, shipped it back to me gratis and I got the amp repaired by its designer, who is a friend and local to me. I ended up with a free $2000 amp and an extra $63 in my pocket when all was said and done.

We no longer insure with any carrier. The expense combined with endless employee hours chasing claims which the carriers fight tooth and nail to deny due to a never ending list of prerequisites made it uneconomical. We eat damage now.

Ian