I design, build and ship furniture. I am moving towards having the
designs built in quantity overseas and I have a question about
shipping.

The questions revolve around what I need to know about maximum box size
of the carriers and insurance claims. I currently ship (fed-x, ups,
whoever is cheapest) with a 1 1/2 inch styrofoam layer around the
furniture. On the rare occasion that I file a claim, they have declined
payment for improper packaging. I have since moved to no insurance,
eating any damage myself.

1) What would a large retailer require for padding if they were to
purchase these products and ship them from their own warehouse?

2) I have heard that the shippers are considering expanding the foam
requirement to 3 inches all around. Is that true?

3) Is there any fudging in these dimensions.... in otherwords, do the
large retailers get better service from the shippers because of the
volume they deal with, and therefore not require such stringent
padding?

Thanks so much for any help you might have, or to where I could read
further on the topic.

Tor

http://www.musicalfurnishings.com

wrote in message



1) What would a large retailer require for padding if they were to
purchase these products and ship them from their own warehouse?

The amount of packing is determined by the weight of the product, the
fragility, and the environment it will be handled in.

UPS has testing labs to help you determine this.



2) I have heard that the shippers are considering expanding the foam
requirement to 3 inches all around. Is that true?

See above. Perhaps another type of material is better for your particular
needs. Polyurethane and polyethelyne foams have different characteristics,
but cost more.


3) Is there any fudging in these dimensions.... in otherwords, do the
large retailers get better service from the shippers because of the
volume they deal with, and therefore not require such stringent
padding?

No, large shippers will be denied as fast as the small shipper. If it
passes the UPS drop test, it will be certifed and claims paid.

You need to point your research in other directions; that's not
very relevant here. If you're serious, you need to develop:
-- Your own testing abilities for shake/drop
-- Your own packaging methods, in conjunction with some experts.

UL, CSA, DOT specs, which are online, all have shake/drop specs.
So does UPS and I think Fedex. They're very easy to do but
complex to explain, but they are effective. DOT has excellent
information available free.
Carton manufacturers often have engineering departments to
recommend packagine methods and materials. There's about a 99%
chance what you need already exists and can be used directly
without anythiung but dimensional change. That engineering is
buried in the cost of the product and is only pennies.

You won't likely be able to make the shake tables, but if you
aren't shipping by railroad they won't be absolutely necessary;
truck shake testing is cheap at most testing labs and something
you only need to do occasionally once you get going. If you do
buy a shaker table, get a used one from a defunct company; just
be sure all the paperwork comes with it for calibration.
If you can't find a lab, look under Compliance labs; they'll
likely have the equipment. Earthquake labs will too, but they'll
be very expensive; that is NOT what you need.

Dropping is easy. For furniture it's not much of a drop, but
they drop on flat face AND corners, so it's telling information
for furniture.

Luck

Pop


--
--
"Never forget that everything Hitler did
in Germany was legal." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
wrote in message
oups.com...
I design, build and ship furniture. I am moving towards having
the
designs built in quantity overseas and I have a question about
shipping.

The questions revolve around what I need to know about maximum
box size
of the carriers and insurance claims. I currently ship (fed-x,
ups,
whoever is cheapest) with a 1 1/2 inch styrofoam layer around
the
furniture. On the rare occasion that I file a claim, they have
declined
payment for improper packaging. I have since moved to no
insurance,
eating any damage myself.

1) What would a large retailer require for padding if they were
to
purchase these products and ship them from their own warehouse?

2) I have heard that the shippers are considering expanding the
foam
requirement to 3 inches all around. Is that true?

3) Is there any fudging in these dimensions.... in otherwords,
do the
large retailers get better service from the shippers because of
the
volume they deal with, and therefore not require such stringent
padding?

Thanks so much for any help you might have, or to where I could
read
further on the topic.

Tor

http://www.musicalfurnishings.com

Thanks so much, I did not know that there was a weight consideration
with the foam buffet amount. Looks like I will need to reseach further.
I am trying to get to a maximum size so I can begin redesigning these
products. It appears as though I am in a bit of a bind, how do I test
the products if I don't know how big t make them. I am trying to make
them as big as possible, as every inch counts.

I will ask my carton maker. Of course, this will eventually be done
overseas. It is really the max size that I'm seeking, so I can move
ahead...

wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks so much, I did not know that there was a weight consideration
with the foam buffet amount. Looks like I will need to reseach further.
I am trying to get to a maximum size so I can begin redesigning these
products. It appears as though I am in a bit of a bind, how do I test
the products if I don't know how big t make them. I am trying to make
them as big as possible, as every inch counts.

You have other considerations with size. Shipping UPS, you have certain
dimensions to work with. Go above them, you pay extra for shipping. There
are three categories of Oversize.

As for testing, you have to come up with a size, put a pack around it, then
test. If you are buying from overseas, you may also want to consider the
dimensions to fit inside of a container with no wasted space.

You also have to consider fragility. I worked with a computer company to
come up with a package for their unit. They had a lot of damage in shipping
and we came up with a $20 pack that worked. But, by adding a 5¢ screw to an
internal power pack, they eliminated the source for damage and then only
needed a $5 pack to do the job.

That is excellent info, thanks so much. The product (a coffee table) is
selling for around $500 bucks and I am trying to keep the shipping
within the 130 inches oversize. It will ship in three packages, the
legs, the table rim/apron, and the surface insert. It is the table rim
that is huge (36 x 36 x 4.5) but it is very light and tough. It sounds
like if I can get it to pass some tests, that I could perhaps get it
done with less than 2 inches of padding, where I initially thought it
was a set foam cushion of 2 inches. This is hopeful, as I do not want
my table to get much smaller.

Tor

ps, thats quite a story with the screw, $15 saving is tons of money.
http://www.musicalfurnishings.com

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote

You also have to consider fragility. I worked with a computer company to
come up with a package for their unit. They had a lot of damage in
shipping and we came up with a $20 pack that worked. But, by adding a 5¢
screw to an internal power pack, they eliminated the source for damage
and then only needed a $5 pack to do the job.


How much did it cost to come up with the 5¢ screw solution?

"Lee Michaels" wrote in message news:K-


How much did it cost to come up with the 5¢ screw solution?

A few people came up with the idea, but some moron that did the original
design insisted it would take too long to assemble compared to his system.
Just a lack of common sense and empire building on his part.