Is over packing a box bad form?

I would rather it take 10 minutes to open a box than the beers be broken

 

I usually bubblewrap (sometimes ziplock first) and then wrap in newspaper to shield from prying eyes. boxes should be packed tight to avoid movement so no reason for taping. everything then gets fitted into a large trash bag just in case of leaks so the package doesn't get opened, and potentially flagged, en route.

 

is this even a real question? pack the shit out them.

 

Glad to see I'm not the only one to wrap my bottles in newspaper. (Newspaper, then ziplock, then bubble wrap.) I don't know if it helps prevent anything, but I do know it doesn't hurt.

 

I could absolutely be accused of over packaging. I'd rather spend a little more in packing material and have the peace of mind that everything will get there properly. I definately over tape my bubble wrap as well, but the reason I tend to do that is not to make sure it is secured, but to make sure it is tight to muffle any sound of liquid moving around. Personally I feel like the more its muffled, the less likely it is that anybody would try to open it up and see whats inside.

 

Overpack. Always... its better than having the shipping service confiscate an entire box over one bottle/can.

 

This sounds great, but is just not true. When you have to spend 40+ minutes to get bottles out and the resulting mess cleaned up (e.g. electrical tape + bags + packing tape + styro peanuts + industrial plastic wrap + more tape + shredded styrofoam, little bits of which cling to everything), a box is overpacked.

My $0.02: Use as much as it takes to get the beer there safely, plus a little more to be sure, but don't lose sight of the fact that someone has to unpack what you're packing.

 

I tape bubble wrap usually, but I don't mummify it either. Usually a strip up top and a strip down bottom. I'd have to believe that it's not wicked detrimental to the reuse of the bubble wrap.

 

@JoshVelez , this thread is for you!

 

guilty of this !

 

I've got no qualms w over packing, safety first! However, I've got a tremendous problem w what I call "obnoxious packing", i.e- duct taping the cap, duct taping the bubble wrap so wildly that you don't realize it gets on the label, not using bubble wrap because you think the scrunched up newspapers in the makeshift box will keep things safe -

 

Why not just cut it then? Saran wrap is dirt cheap and it's not like you would re-use it anyway. One of the best things I ever did for beer trading was going to a big box store (in my case BJ's) and getting one of those commercial size (3000 square foot) rolls of cling wrap. I wrap the crap out of each individual bottle/can and then tightly wrap the entire group together so they become one big solid clump, then just wrap the entire thing in bubble wrap and place in box. Don't even need to waste money on bags or liners using this method since in the rare case there is leakage it's not getting through the wrap. I wish everyone would do it this way.

 

All of the bottles I received the Saran was around the bubble wrap. Cutting the Saran would cut the bubble wrap as well and I prefer reusing bubble wrap. Remind me not to trade with you

 

Gotcha. I wrap in saran first, then bubble around that so it is easy to take the bubble off to re-use and then cut the saran.

 

Yup, got that from your post. Hope you know I was kidding about not trading with you. Cheers!

 

In over 100 trades, I've only had one outgoing bottle break. And I've never taped or rubber-banded a bottle. Nor have I double-boxed or in any other way "overpacked" a box. What you really need to do is find a "right-sized" box that fits just the bottles you're sending, add some styro peanuts, and lay the loosely bubble-wrapped bottles close together. Add a moderate layer of peanuts to the top, tape the box securely, and you're good to go. The few times bottles have come to me broken, they were loosely packed in a way-too-large box where they banged around. Also, the smaller the box, the lower your dimensional weight, which is the basis of shipping charges.

 

^ this x1000. If a new trading partner gave me shit about "overpacking" a box that arrived safely, I would think long and hard about trading with them again. Pack for safety, not for your partner's feedback.