Question...I am expecting box in a trade that has been stopped by FedEx due to damage...both myself and the shipper are new to this. My box to him is packed and ready to ship. Being the decent guy I am, I would still like to ship him the box. Should I? Am I crazy? What is his recourse with FedEx??
Is box being returned to sender? If so, wait until then to find out what may have survived. If he can't replace the bottles he may not want to go through with the trade.
I'm also new to trading and have only made two. The first box I sent via FedEx and one bottle didn't make it. But the box was still delivered. The recipient said the box was pretty mangled even tho I had Fragile written all over it. The second trade I shipped via UPS and everything made it safe. So even tho I've only had two experiences I will ship via UPS from here on out.
A couple things I've learned in my year and a half of shipping. I never put fragile on the box. It almost seems like it turns into a challenge for some drivers or others just won't care period. It's dumb, and doesn't make sense, but it happens. The big thing is to find a box that's big enough to hold everything without stretching, but not so big you are throwing tons and tons of packing materials in. What I usually do is bubble wrap each bottle/can individually (bottles a little more) and line the box in an other single line of bubble wrap so there is double protection with drops. I had a close call a few weeks back on a single day ship. The box was a little small so it was stretching a bit but I figured one day it'd be fine. The box actually ripped, but the double bubble wrap kept it safe. If it'd had been more than a day ship, I'd have probably been screwed. Also, I always use Fed Ex since my local place never asks what's in my box and actually gets annoyed when people don't just drop and walk. I think it's hit or miss on either. You could have a rough Fed Ex driver somewhere near you.
Zip lock bags can't stress it enough. I bubble wrap each bottle/can individually and put them in zip lock bags. Then everything goes into a sealed trash bag with at least 2-3 inches of bubble on all sides. Saved my ass when a bomber bottle broke on a shipment out east and nothing leaked out of trash bag.
Yep, forgot that part. I ziplock bag everything as well, but do it before the bubble wrap. I like the ones with the slider top even though they are a little more expensive. They definitely won't leak if anything happens. I know some people line the whole box with a garbage bag, but I think if each one is individually wrapped, that isn't necessarily necessary.
I have shipped over a 100 boxes and never had a problem. This past weekend a box I shipped made it to the final part of the journey and than the update says box damaged return to sender. Does anyone know why they would return to sender and not just make the delivery? It seems easier to take the box 10 more miles instead of shipping it back across country. I used a box from Plated which ships fresh food so it was a tough box with inside padding built in, each bottle was in a ziplock and bubble wrapped and all bottles were put into a garbage bag so I doubt it leaked. It was filled top to bottom and everything was wedged in so doubt the box collapsed. Fedex has not given me any kind of answer other than the box is being returned to shipper.
