I'm planning on eBaying one of my spare Colour Classics in the near future, and would like some advice on how to box it up so it survives the postal service unmolested.
I've sold off various black and white compact Macs before, and my method of packaging those was to wrap the computer in several layers of bubblewrap, wrap the keyboard, mouse etc. seperetly in bubblewrap also, and then pack everything into a rigid cardboard box. I'd fill up the empty volume of the box with crushed newspaper, which I'd pack in tightly enough so I could shake or invert the box without anything moving around inside, but loose enough to hopefully absorb any impact to the box (not that I tested *that.*) I'd always put the Mac in the centre of the box with a good thickness of newspaper between it and each of the six sides, and have some of the newspaper between the Mac and its periphials to prevent them knocking against each other in transit.
This always worked very well - I sent three compact Macs (Plus, SE, SE/30) interstate with no problems using this method, but those Macs all have solid steel chassis under their plastic shells, as opposed to the all-plastic CC. Given that the CC seems significantly less robust, I'm wondering whether these precautions will cut it, or if I should try something else. Can anyone help?
Packaging a CC for mailing...
February 4, 2005 - 6:24am
#1
Packaging a CC for mailing...
Newspaper is a postage no-no. It slowly compresses, more so with each small bump, until it is as hard as a rock, and definitely no good for absorbing impacts, plus it then allows movement in the box.
Bubble wrap is the god of packaging. Do exactly what you've been doing with B/W Macs, but don't fill up space with newspaper- use more bubble wrap. With the value of CCs these days, the $3 or so for a big roll of bubble wrap(or two) will be well spent.
Yes, never newspaper, and never loose-fill alone.
Use lashings of bubble-wrap, and you can fill the small gaps with loose-fill as an alternative. Make sure the carton is good and solid, and well-filled without being over-filled.
Stuart
A few larger items I've shipped were packed in several layers. Like you, I used bubble wrap around the unit itself, then loose fill.
I used foam packing peanuts, but for an extra, I lined the side walls of the box with rigid foam to help prevent the box from being crushed.
Two of the beige G3s I've bought off ebay have arrived with crushed box corners, and once the corners are squished, the box loses a lot of its support.
Paper's okay IMHO, if only used in small amounts as a supplement to other packing materials.
And you've got the Shipping Rule down, it seems: if you don't feel comfortable giving it a light throw across the room, it's not packed well enough.;)
I like to double-box any CCs I ship. I've probably shipped about a half-dozen CCs that way, and they've always arrived pristine.
Ideally the inner box is just big enough to fit the CC with a layer or two of bubble wrap around it.
The outer box should be pretty big - at least 20" wide and high. Often a 17" CRT monitor box does nicely.
As for packing, I agree that newspaper's far from ideal, but I find that the double-boxing makes the decision a little less critical, because the inner box has a lot more (and more even) surface area than a "naked" CC would, inside the outer box. So less shifting happens, regardless.
Also, I eat a lot of eggs, and I've found that empty dozen-egg cartons are great for lining the bottom of a box (but you need a good number of them, to line the entire bottom of a large box, in order to make sure any weight is distributed evenly). They're very rigid when it comes to downward pressure on them, and I figure of they can protect eggs, they can help cushion anything.
Matt
I'm speaking out of my own experience, the Colour Classic that Matt has sent me arrived very well packed! It was kind of weird when I opened up the CRT box and I found a layer of egg cartons all the way around the individually packed CC, heh, but hey, it kept it from being crushed.
Ben
Glad to hear it!