MOTM

Larry & others,  One of the best places for boxes and bubble wrap is U-line.
1-800-295-5510. (uline.com)  They have the best customer service going and
fast shipping.  I can order bubble wrap at 5PM and have it UPS ground at my
house the very next day (from Chicago).  They have several locations. So,
shipping can be cheap ground and still fast.

The problem is that boxes are not usually longer than 48"  So, you may have
to get two and overlap them end to end.  The problem with U line is that the
boxes usually come in packs of 10 to 25 and ship flat.  That is where I get
the big 48 x 24 x 12 boxes I ship the cabinet kits in.  They do have a very
nice box that is bigger and sells in packs of 3.  It is a "wardrobe" box.
The are MUCH stronger than normal boxes and are 46x20x24.  You could use a
pair of those and come out fine.  They are $9.80 each.  I use them to ship
assembled cabinets. They will even leave out the metal hanger and give you a
price break.

The problem with ordering big boxes is that flat, they are too big for UPS
delivery.  So, you get stuck with motor freight.  And most motor freight
carriers double rates to deliver to a residence.  So, the empty box delivery
could cost you over $100. If you use motor freight, deliver to work.

I bet if you went to U-haul or one of the other self-serve moving companies
and asked to buy a couple of wardrobe boxes, you would have what you needed
to make it work.  But, get your bubble wrap from U-line.  While you are at
it, you can get very cheaply from U-line small empty boxes to fill in around
the outside space between your bubble wrapped case and the box insides.
They have every size you can imagine. You can calculate that from the inside
of your box to the outside of your bubble wrap.

The bubble wrap you will want is Uline part number S-5120.  This is a great
bubble wrap for a decent price.  You get a 12" wide 75 foot roll of the good
stuff for $19 plus shipping. It is very light.  So, UPS shipping will be
cheap.  I use the 24" wide version (cheaper per sq-ft) to wrap my cabinets.
I've shipped around the globe with this stuff.  It's great.  Forget peanuts.

If you can buy wardrobe boxes for $15 or so each locally and get the bubble
wrap shipping in the low $20s.  You will have only about $55 or so in the
packing materials.

When you pick your carrier, beware.  You will be over the limit for 120"
length plus girth.  UPS will still take them up to 165 length plus girth.
But, the price is higher.  For example, a cabinet kit under 120" ships to
Texas for about $40.  The same cabinet assembled in the larger box that
exceeds 120 inches = $115 for about the same weight.  Fed ex won't even
accept your package that size for ground service.  Over 120" is two day air
or better only.

So, be sure to shop around the price considering both your weight and
package size.  It varies significantly from one carrier to another.  For
example, for international, I always use US Postal Air Parcel.  It is 1/2
the price of UPS.

Larry Hendry, shipper of many big boxes. :-)

-----Original Message-----
From: motm@yahoogroups.com [mailto:motm@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
Larry David
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 1:21 PM
To: MOTM List
Subject: [motm] OT: shipping box for keyboard


Hi folks,

I don't post much here so I hope you'll excuse this OT question.  I
have a large, heavy keyboard in a case that I need to ship
(57"x21"x11").  I'm having trouble finding a box anywhere near that
size.  Anybody know of a good source?  Also, would you recommend bubble
wrap or peanuts or something, or is the case (skb plastic style) enough
protection with a cardboard box around it?  Will be shipping via DHL.

Thanks,
Larry David





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