Silencing a package

I typically use shredded paper which seems to hide most of the nose and i'm recycling! I'll also add a few pieces of dried pasta for good measure.

 

Foam shippers are typically a good damper but to be honest Ive shipped 100+ packages and have never worried about it. Its not illegal to ship fluid... just beer.

 

Double boxing, bag of dry pasta, bag of bottle caps, using newspaper as padding.

 

Pick up a case of Tic Tacs or similar at a Costco. If you tape one to the inside of the box it hides the noise pretty well.

A box of pasta, mac and cheese works too! One time I had a box of "penis" pasta left over from a bachelorette party my wife attended, I thought that was kind of funny.

 

I typically double box. The inner box, containing the beer, has the product well protected with bubble wrap, inside Ziploc or similar bags. Then we have bubble wrap providing a barrier between the wrapped and bagged beers and the box itself. Inner box rests inside either packing peanuts, egg cartons, paper, bubble wrap or a menagerie of all these items, plus some. The end result is a well insulated package that even if held and shook, would produce noise of shifting material yet not necessarily liquid.

If I had access to this item (without creating controversy....) there's no way it would not end up in every package sent. Gotta love whimsical pasta....

 

Box of pasta, or empty plastic bottle of BBs.

 

Back in the day, I sometimes used coins in empty water bottle. After seeing @mikevanatta 's post, being a former FedEx delivery driver, saying that drivers don't care about the sloshing sound and noise maskers actually draw unnecessary attention to the boxes rather than reducing attention.

If you want to minimize the sloshing noise, pack the bottles vertically. Crumbled up newspapers seem to help a little here and there.

 

Yeah, I typically use nothing, just a suggestion to the OP that seemed worried about it. The only time I put anything in, is to re-use what somebody packed in a package I received. I think it would have to be a lot of sloshing, to be noticeable to the fedex, UPS, USPS staff, and if you pack right, that shouldn't happen/

 

I think the "sloshing" issue is more of a concern at the drop off point where, if they heard, they might begin questioning—I wouldn't think that drivers would care at all. At first I thought the "noise-makers" people would put in the boxes were paranoid overkill but now I've adopted the practice myself. Mainly for this reason, just to make it out of the store unquestioned. But if it distracts/diverts just enough to keep suspicions at bay for the entire journey... I'm all for it.

I've been grabbing extra salsa containers (small plastic w/lids) whenever I see them. Throw in some rice/lentils/pasta (whatever, something cheap and NOT coffee so they don't think you're shipping weed)—just a few, don't have to fill. I'm currently putting two noisemakers per 6-bottle shipper (or similar size) and in different places. Any questions will now be answered with "pasta & olive oil from a recent trip to Italy."

 

I can go either way on this, but tend to think that more noise attracts more attention than less noise. To mask the sloshing noise, you have to have louder noise. If there is suspicion, it's unlikely to be because of the slosh (shipping liquid is not uncommon), but about your behavior (and possibly appearance) and frequency. Wearing beer t-shirt and constantly shipping "olive oil" would be a bad idea. I print labels at home and drop my boxes off at 3 different authorized shipping locations and rotate through them. As much as I shipped, they have never asked a single question or stopped my, sometimes prominent sloshing, shipments. I'm in and out, each and every time. That may not be the case for everyone, but given the toss up since no proofs either way, I'd opt for the less work and lesser noise approach.

 

Totally get your points.

Firstly, the containers I'm using are small. My goal is not to override the sloshing, more just to add (gently) another sound to the mix to disguise just enough. These are salsa/condiment containers—things are not sliding as much as an entire box of pasta nor as noisy as a more rigid container like Tic Tacs (just a couple examples from others). I'm still experimenting with contents as well, my current favorite lentils seem to provide a nice slightly softer alternative to pasta...

Agreed, on appearance/behavior. I only own one beer/brewery shirt—does that make me less of a BA?!?—and actually rarely wear (and obviously never to the drop spot). The shirt is a killer navy blue "HPB" Highland Park Brewery in case anyone was wondering... Additionally, I make sure not to use "beer" or other alcohol boxes to ship in—should go without saying but just thought I'd add it.

"Constantly shipping olive oil" would only occur if I was "constantly" being asked, fortunately (knock on wood) I've never been asked so my "story" is as of yet untested. AND if I ever were I would switch to a different drop spot—I live in the second biggest city in America so there is no shortage of drop spots.

I too, print my labels at home (accurate scale, etc.) to minimize time at the counter AND I don't always have these little containers which means some sloshers go naked. So rest assured, the worst-case-scenario you distilled from my comment—me in a beer t-shirt, burping my way up to the counter, fumbling with a noisy box that I'm announcing is "PASTA AND OLIVE OIL"—is faaaaaar from the reality.

 

5 year FedEx employee here. I've said it multiple times and I will continue to say it: Skip the noise makers. No one is shaking your boxes. The amount of paperwork and approval required for a counter employee to open a customer's package is nauseating and prohibitive to anyone who is overworked and underpaid (which they are). People get caught shipping beer because the box leaks or comes open, not because FedEx employees are holding and shaking every box they see everyday.

 

Spot on, Ive heard this numerous times.

 

There is an old saying, if no one is chasing you, don't run. I think this applies here. No need for tic tacs or other noise makers, it may do the opposite of what you are trying to do and attract attention.

I have probably shipped 200 boxes and never a problem.

 

Yup, used to worry about this. Then the guy at my shipping place found out I was shipping beer, and it turned out he didn't care (bonus for him as now he gets some beer from me). Now, I just ship with confidence.

 

Also, most of the FedEx drop off points I've been too are too loud to hear some liquid sloshing through the box so even if you can hear it in your quiet house they wont at the store.

 

And to add somewhat to this point, pack the box to prevent movement. If the bottles can't really move, they won't make all that much of a sound, and it is harder to create a situation where damage/leakage occurs.

 

Someone posted once to try to pack bottles standing up in the package instead of laying down. I've tried this and it definitely cut down on the sloshing sound for casual handling, particularly at the counter where they aren't flipping your box over or anything.

 

And how do you guarantee the bottles remains upright through their journey?