Looking for help/advice on mailing vinyl

[fent99]

Hi All

I've managed to sell a couple of pieces of vinyl on ebay so thought I'd ask for some advice on mailing them. Don't want to buy mailers and have lots of cardboard any hints and tips for sending vinyl transatlantic?

Many thanks!

[Fer Urbina]

Hi All

I've managed to sell a couple of pieces of vinyl on ebay so thought I'd ask for some advice on mailing them. Don't want to buy mailers and have lots of cardboard any hints and tips for sending vinyl transatlantic?

Many thanks!

I once had an LP sent from the US in a pizza box.

F

[Big Beat Steve]

This has happened to me more than once. The item(s) arrived safely, though.

It is impossible to generalize because there are a number of factors at work:

1) What is the relationship between the weight of your item and your postal rates? Do they actually base their cost on every ounce of weight or is there one standard tariff within a given weight bracket (say, up top 500 grams and then up to 1 kg)? If the latter is the case and if you want to play it halfway fair towards the buyer then use the maximum of cardeboard you can use within the given weight limit. You never know what heavy-handed dimwits are at work further down the line in the "dleivery chain". And even if you have to pay by the ounce, don't skimp on packaging unless you are keen on DEEP RED negative feedback.

2) If you do not want to buy LP mailers but if you want to play the pizza box game (or any other non-LP box) then DO USE a maximum of cardboard inlays inside on BOTH sides of the LP.

3) NEVER trust an LP to arive safely if it is allowed to glide around inside from bump t bump. Wrap up the LP so it really does not budge inside. Otherwise inner sleeve splits will be the least thing to happen, and seam splits will be likely.

4) Some place the inner sleeve and the LPoutside the actual cover to avoid seam splits to the cover en route (but in this case you'd have to place it all in a clear plastic LP jacket - which costs too - and you'd have to use an extra cardboard or two on the LP side to make up for the loss of protection by the LP cover. (A detail many sellers - who probably consider themselves exceedingly smart for placing the LP outside the cover for shipping - tend to forget)

5) FORGET about polystyrene padding, especially when used in the form of polystyrene PLATES. They won't nearly stand as much abuse as you'd imagine. I still cannot get over the dumbness of that seller who once shipped me a (50s original) LP inside two layers of polystyrene with a total thickness of a wee bit more than a standard 2-3 LP mailer (and no cardboard outside!). Some object must have hit the parcel at an angle and - you guessed it, the vinyl cracked halfway through! (Hard to imagine the same would have happened in a cardboard mailer with 2 to 3 cardboard inlays inside on each side of the LP) About as duff as they come, some eBay sellers ...

Good luck!

[JohnS]

Hi fent, buy some proper mailers from covers 33 for a start (they come as a minimum of 25, so perhaps you'll sell some more). Mailers look professional and save an awful lot of trouble. Then scrounge some decent heavy weight corrugated card from where ever you can (shops, neighbours etc). You need at least two stiffeners. If the finished package doesn't flex you are probably okay. Finished packages normally weigh around 450-550 grams. That means Royal Mail will be charging around £2.25 inland depending on weight and to add about 60p for packing. USA will be quite a lot more, around £7.00 + packing using RMs small packet service.

I've sold hundreds of lps worldwide successfully.

Any questions pm me.

Edited March 9, 2010 by JohnS

[Man with the Golden Arm]

if i might add:

check a local paper supply / printer. they might have slabs of corrugated that they recycle. cut them to 15 x 15 (inches that is) and align each piece in opposite grain direction.

I prefer kraft tape with the nylon threading that you must moisten w/ a damp sponge. adds firmness and never comes off if applied correctly and beats plastiky packing tape.

[JohnS]

align each piece in opposite grain direction.

I should have mentioned that, essential.

[thelbc]

FENT99 is an idiot..

put the record between the cardboard and mail it you dumb ass!!!

Hopefully, it's to someone in Spain, Italy, Greece, France or a simalarly corrupt EU country!!

Edited March 10, 2010 by TheLBC

[fent99]

Thanks guys. Hopefully they'll get there in one piece...

[fent99]

FENT99 is an idiot..

put the record between the cardboard and mail it you dumb ass!!!

Hopefully, it's to someone in Spain, Italy, Greece, France or a simalarly corrupt EU country!!

Have we got a troll here? I'm in the UK (part of the EU) and sending vinyl transatlantic. Kinda rules out Spain, Italy, Greece, France or any EU country...

And you call me an idiot...

[jeffcrom]

FENT99 is an idiot..

put the record between the cardboard and mail it you dumb ass!!!

Hopefully, it's to someone in Spain, Italy, Greece, France or a simalarly corrupt EU country!!

Have we got a troll here?

Looks that way to me.

[Dave James]

FENT99 is an idiot..

put the record between the cardboard and mail it you dumb ass!!!

Hopefully, it's to someone in Spain, Italy, Greece, France or a simalarly corrupt EU country!!

Have we got a troll here?

Looks that way to me.

A quick perusal of TheLBC's profile page indicates that he hasn't added any friends yet. Wonder why?