Damaged and they are returning it to me...

I really think you should invest in some beer shippers. Its not 100% but those packages can get pretty mangled and still show up in one piece. I ship all my trades with them and its worth the money and piece of mind.

 

They make you declare the value of the package. If it gets damaged during shipping, do they reimburse you?

 

I do a shipper + a good bit of bubble wrap + newspaper/filler. Plus, having a 12-pack shipper gives you a good excuse to expand trades and/or include extras, which is always fun.

 

I use a lot of styro wine shippers (get a lot of wine sent to me also ). I also use the shippers that are sent when I order beer from some place. They are double walled cardboard with little cut out pieces on the sides of each of the 12 holders that can fold in and hold the bottles in place. There are at different heights so that it will hold 12oz thru 750ml pretty good.

 

Wine shippers, made from styrofoam.

 

There are different kinds, but they look like this:
http://www.uline.com/BL_5450/Styrofoam-Wine-Shippers

If you trade enough you eventually start to have these coming out your ass in various sizes and models.

FWIW, you should never ship in those boxes you get from a bottle shop. They're typically single wall, which would point towards the root of your problem. An easy tip is to pack up that box like you did, then put that into another box with peanuts. (Classic box within a box) That's usually what I do when all I have is singlewall boxes and no formal wine shippers on me.

 

I like to send first and then have the other trader send the shipper back to me. This was I can keep reusing it, and I am confident that my beer will be safe, too.

 

Yeah, I mean, trading beer just isn't cheap though. You look like you're about 5 trades in, and you just had a broken shipment, which is going to cost you the full rate to ship it again, plus the cost of whatever bottles you lost in the process. They can be had in bulk for $10-$12 at other sites sometimes. There are also pulp shippers which are a little cheaper and almost as good.

As Bluecane pointed out, it's also totally reasonable to just ship first in the styro, and then request it sent back to you. Those things will last many shipments.

 

I have quite a bit of those pulp shippers but won't ship those without box-in-a-box. Just don't trust them with the beer.

cbeer88 is right, better to spend a little more and make sure it gets there then to have a shipment break and have to replace the beer as well spend the money to ship again. I'm about 75 shipments in and have had one breakage. And that breakage was a styro shipper so nothing is foolproof.

 

"Yea, I hear ya, now I am holding my breath, I called to see if they could tell me how bad it was and they said that they are actually sending it through to the trader. I asked what was damaged and she couldn't tell me, tried to call the facility, and all she could get was voicemail, so they will call me back. Maybe they are just going to deliver whatever wasn't broke?? cbeer, I wonder if I could have had it too thin at the bottom of the bottle, that is one place that doesn't get the same layers as the sides....oh well, I live and I learn, bombproof and a half from now on.."
remember, this is trying to help:
I sell packaging materials for a living. Usually on every box there is a number next to the anacronym ECT (Edge Crush Test) which basically gives you the rating of the box. The ECT number is the amount of pounds it would take to make the sides fail if the weight was stacked right on top of the side of the box. Do not use anything under 32 ECT. It may seem strong enough, but trust me the extra change will add considerable strength to the integrity of your box. You have to remember, its not the throwing around of your box that normally damages it. Its the stacking and packing that shipping companies do to maximize profits by putting as many packages in one trailer as possible. So if it looks sturdy as hell, it will get stacked upon. And yes, feel lucky that they are forwarding the box on. Fedex did the same for me, and only one bottle broke. So yes, I will always use Fedex.

 

For what it's worth, wineries and stores seem to be moving to the sideways pulp crates as the price of styros keeps going up. If it's good enough for them to ship hundreds of boxes full of expensive wine, it's probably good enough for beer trading. I've never had a problem with one in either direction...

 

Surely I can't be the only immature one here noticing all the enticing text within this thread just waiting for a wise crack....

 

In all seriousness, if the cost of the shippers are too much for you to live with, trading may not be something you want to get too deep in. Trading is not cheap, and if you try to make it inexpensive by cutting corners on packaging it will most likely cost you more in the long run and be a hassle. The shippers are reusable for a good number of shipments (depends on the hub that handles them, some people I trustee have boxes last 10+ travels, others only 2-4). So a $12-15 shipped can only be an extra $2 each shipment.

I am not trying to imply you didn't pack well, who knows the box could have been ran over by a truck and only one bottle broke. The bottle shippers are not 100% safe either though. I sent one out that seemed VERY secure. Upon arrival the recipient wondered why I didn't return his shipper. Turns out FedEx broke a bottle and repacked everything in a completely new box (and according to the other person, fairly badly). There was no notice or anything, so my guess is some employee screwed up badly in damaging the box and once they saw alcohol they figured all parties involved wouldn't mind if the incident was resolved secretly.

Also, there are these shippers which might be cheaper if bought in bulk: http://gorillashipper.com/wine-bottle-packagingshippers/

 

Alot of shipping does have to do with how you pkg.your bottles BUT also keep the box around 10pds and lighter break up the shipment into two boxes. Rememer heavier boxs have a chance to break open more than one that is around 10pds. Next time do a MPS shipment with Fedex it will save you money Express Saver.