My Pet Peeve: Packing (or lack thereof)

[stonemint]

I have had to return 3 hats in the last 6 months that were damaged in shipment. One was from Europe, the other 2 from the US.

The 2 US shipped ones both had their visors literally hanging by threads when the arrived. (The most recent one was a killer LW officer by a high-quality maker.)--it broke my heart, because the thing survived a World War; being brought over here in the first place; then withstanding the ravages of time for 70 years, only to be "done in" by poor packing.

I think too many sellers/shippers are used to shipping something like daggers, helmets, tunics, or loose cloth insignia and completely forget the delicate nature of 70-year old visors.

I see the hats shipped in boxes that are obviously too small, and oftentimes with minimal to no padding.

Obviously, if a visor makes it across the Atlantic without any padding or even a plastic bag covering it, it is going to cause friction wear to the piping, visor, and peak, not to mention the jarring/hits to the hat as it is tossed about with 100s of other boxes, many weighing much more than your hat, and in much larger packages.

So what can be done?

[MLH13]

Chris,<O</O

I had the same issue in the past with the side cloth of the visor punctured. This happened because the box was too small for the visor and there was very little packing material inside. <O</O

I always ask the seller to properly pack my items and most do... but I still get a few with lousy packaging.<O</O

I worked in the freight business many years ago and I know firsthand how the gorillas handle parcels. Believe me... you would be surprised how anything makes it to the receiver in one piece.<O</O

Mark<O</O
<O</O

[stonemint]

1. I reccomend placing the hat in a Hefty Jumbo 2&1/2 gollon one-zip click bag. This protects against friction, and adds some extra cushion due to the air being trapped in it.

2. Placing tissue paper inside the hat to keep its form and resist against any crushing.

3. Use a box that is at least 1&1/2 times the size of the hat.

4. Having the hat rest upside-down on the box, so there is plenty of clearance between the visor and the top of the box.

5. Having padding on the bottom of the box (ie, foam pop-corn, balled up tissue paper, or similar)--just laying down a thin layer of paper towels flat on the bottom is absolutely worthless.

6. Make sure the balled-up newspaper/ popcorn surrounds the cap on the sides. (Don't ball up the newspaper so tight that it loses any cushion effect--otherwise you might as well be putting rocks in).

7. Make sure there is at least 1&1/2 to 2 inches of padding from the visor to the top of the lid.

8. For best security, do the above, then put the above box in a larger box, using balled up newspaper above, below, and around the sides of the box.

[stonemint]

I feel better now.

If anyone else wants to pipe in with their ideas (or packing horror stories), I am all ears.

[Koguryo9]

Chris,

I can only attest how well packed the package I received from you last November was.

[KC1]

Stoney -

What would seem to be common sense; the obvious often escapes many!
Very sound, insightful and obviously needed educational post.

[Jon. H]

I'm so sorry to hear that Chris !

I have not had this issue before. But i could mention that i got a beautiful panzer erel from DonC a while ago, which was more than perfectly packed. In a to large case, well protected with paper inside a bag, covered in these white light pieces that kids often tend to misplace for something delicious. I obviously don't remember what they're called

[DJT]

I once received a valuable British WW2 period hat in a box that was way too small for it and it was literally crammed into it. Luckily it arrived without being damaged but only probably due to the material being rather bendable. I've also had the other extreme (packing overkill). For example, cloth badges bubble wrapped and sent in a sturdy box? Fair enough, made me smile though. Some people just lack common sense at times. Stonemint, did you have any trouble getting refunds on those 3 hats that were damaged?

[james m]

When I've shipped anything like a visor I gently stuff the interior with tissue paper. I then have enclosed it completely in bubble wrap. This then goes into a plastic bag. I then center it in a larger(STURDY!) box and surround the visor packaging with styrofoam peanuts.
I've never had anything arrive damaged yet and I use just as much care for anything else I ship.
I also keep reminding myself that we are custodians and have a duty to preserve what we collect.
Jim

[John Hodgin]

I feel better now.

If anyone else wants to pipe in with their ideas (or packing horror stories), I am all ears.

Recently received a Luftwaffe sun helmet, a stellar mint example. The USPS managed to totally soak the box in something resembling motor oil. The "oil" soaked through the entire inside of the box, including the extensive newspaper packing. The sun helmet would have been ruined had the seller not placed the helmet in a large black garbage bag. The garbage bag was totally coated with oil on the outside, but thankfully the helmet was fine inside.

The best part, the USPS had the arrogance to place a large sticker on the outside of the box stating they (the USPS) had received the package in this condition. Now I ask everyone, who out there believes any office of the USPS would accept a box which was dripping with some kind of oil?! Any takers, if so I want to sell you the Empire State Building.....

Incompetent government bureaucracies, we need less of them, not more.

And this is why I only ship FedEx.

[stonemint]

I once received a valuable British WW2 period hat in a box that was way too small for it and it was literally crammed into it. Luckily it arrived without being damaged but only probably due to the material being rather bendable. I've also had the other extreme (packing overkill). For example, cloth badges bubble wrapped and sent in a sturdy box? Fair enough, made me smile though. Some people just lack common sense at times. Stonemint, did you have any trouble getting refunds on those 3 hats that were damaged?

No, no trouble on the refunds. The damage to the hats were not anything the USPS did or did not do, just simple poor packaging. The hats could be repaired, but it will obviously affect their historical integrity. It peeves me to no end.....

[JasonA]

Chris - so sorry to hear. Really ridiculous on the seller's part. Even if they didn't care much for the historical value, you'd think people might be far-sighted enough to realize that they'll have to issue a refund if the item is damaged in packing/transit.

I tend to err on the side of overkill, but better safe than sorry.

Your horror stories remind me of this one...posted by a fellow forum member.

J-

[stonemint]

Jason, I had forgotten about that one--that was a stonemint Pekuro if I recall right. The same sight greeted me just the other day....

[Rich Moran]

To properly ship a visor, I have done the following and have had a number of visors shipped within the US and overseas to Europe with zero issues:

1. Be sure the box you use can properly accomodate the visor when the visor has a cardboard loop around the exterior of the visor. What that means is if you take a box, and the visor fits with a clearance of at least an inch around the exterior of the visor, that is a great start.

2. Get the same size box and where the box ends are glued, cut the box apart. Do not cut the flaps off as these are going to be used as top and bottom support braces to keep the box from being crushed and the visor from moving around inside the shipping box so your making a circular visor box within a square box.

3. Rest the visor upside down on a clean surface, such as your dining room table with a clean towel below/under the visor. Use new and clean brown shipping paper, roll this into something that looks like paper rope that will fit into the inner circumference of the visor, while rolling the shipping paper also twist the paper. The object is to insert the paper around the circumfrence of the interior of the visor with the paper rope you've just rolled and twisted.

What will happen is the shipping paper will slowly unroll and aid in stiffening the visor from the inside out.

What ever you do, do not force anything into the visor peak or anywhere else, be very gentle inserting the paper rope and insure the length of the paper for this is onlhy long enough to fill the visor area.

The remainder of the interior cap void will be filled with balled newspaper that is inserted into a plastic shopping bag. Again the balled paper will slowly open up to aid in stiffing the visor from the inside out.

Be sure to use a bag because you do not want news print rubbing off on anything inside the visor and with the brown shipping paper rope, this will insulate the visor material from the newsprint inside the plastic bag so nothing should damage the visor.

3. Take the opened cardboard box and roll the box into a tube rolling from either end where the box was seperated apart, like you'd be rolling a giant cigarette. What your trying to do here is to get the card board material to forget it was ever straight. Once this is done, unroll the cardboard.

4. WIth the cardboard unrolled and open, place the cardboard around the visor allowing the cardboard to close onto the visor insuring the top and bottom flaps open up out and away from the visor.

5. Mark where one end meets the carboard somewhere at about 75% of the total length of the cardboard. Be sure to use a pencil, do not get anything with ink around the visor. If no pencil, go find one because if you get ink on the visor your buyer is going to be upset.

6. Cut the cardboard at the mark you've just made in pencil.

7. What I have also done is tape the rolled card board stiffener prior to cutting it, but if you do this do not get tape onto the visor, be sure the visor is wrapped with the brown shipping paper.

8. If you did not do what # 7 states, now tape the cardboard stiffner, on the outside while having about an inch of tape that runs to th einterior of the stiffner wall where the hat will be inserted. I have alos put the card board stiffener around the viusor and then tapped the card board liner.

9. Assemble your shipping box.

10. Turn the box upside down and then lay the cardboard stiffner with the visor inside the tube you've made and mark the excess card board so when the excess card board is cut, the excess card board works a lip that rests on th eboot opf th ebox and when closed the lid rests against the lip that is at the top of the box.

10. Insert the visor with the rolled card board stiffener into the shipping box.

11. Do not worrk if the card board around the visor is a little taller, but if it is taller by more than a half pencil thickness, you are going to have to reduce this by unwrapping everything and reforming the rolled stiffner so it will fit into the box correctly.

12. Once the visor and stiffner fit, ball more newspaper to insert between the card board stiffener and the interior of your shipping box. What you are doing here is to insiure the visor will not move inside the box and will not be crushed.

13. Tape the box closed and you should be good to go.

If you've read this so far, it sounds like a lot of work but it is not, even if you have to unwrap the visor to rework the cardboard, this can be done in about 15 - 20 minutes and will provide you piece of mind while your visor is shipped through mail or UPS or FEDEX.

I have even provided instructions to unpack the box, and have left in structions inside the box so your customer can see that when the box is opened.

Always includse a "open here, instructions inside" if you include instructions to unpack and most importantly always mark you shipping container "do not use sharp object here or..." wherever a chance of your customer cutting into the visor.

I';ve always opened the boxes I've gotten with a razor knife that is adjusted just to th edepth of th ecard board insuring not to cut any material, but someone could get really excited to see their new purchase and screw up their visor if not careful.

Happy packing!