Inner wear use a similar logic
Just as important as the carton are the multiple layers cocooning the boombox. :
1. Innermost layer of tissue paper/kitchen towel material to prevent scratches to the paint finish or acrylic components like the cassette door.
2. Three layers of bubble wrap or packing foam

Delicate zone protection  : Helps to add specific protection to delicate zones like the speaker grills /tuner window/cassette door by affixing a rigid shape over the first layer of bubble wrap before adding the next layer or two:

1. speaker grill : Plastic plates slightly larger in diameter than the grill

2. Tuner window/casette door - a strip of 2 ply cardboard cut to size

Now the most important thing is packing this encapsulated boombox within the carton without forgetting to allow for space around. You need to place 'spacers' along the edges and corners - use tight wads of crumpled news paper or better still polystyrene pieces to make sure the boombox occupies a central position with Zero contact with the outer carton.

Polyurethane for the final filling in of surfaces

Polyethylene;polystyrene foam strips to make the suspension hammock that holds the boombox within/ strips placed approx 2 inches apart from one another to cushion shocks and also support the outer cardboard.

Now seal up the carton - mark off the top and bottom - write fragile on all sides/faces and draw as many glasses as you want to so that the folks in transit with either think 'glass' and fragile or 'wine' and get drunk enough to toss the box around - but now that it  is packed well - who cares

Inner wear use a similar logic
Just as important as the carton are the multiple layers cocooning the boombox. :
1. Innermost layer of tissue paper/kitchen towel material to prevent scratches to the paint finish or acrylic components like the cassette door.
2. Three layers of bubble wrap or packing foam

Now the most important thing is packing this encapsulated boombox within the carton without forgetting to allow for space around. You need to place 'spacers' along the edges and corners - use crumpled news paper or polystyrene pieces to make sure the boombox occupies a central position with Zero contact with the outer carton.

Now seal up the carton - mark off the top and bottom - write fragile on all sides/faces and draw as many glasses as you want to so that the folks in transit with either think 'glass' and fragile or 'wine' and get drunk enough to toss the box around - but now that it  is packed well - who cares

sage advice DocP!!

From my own experience, I'd steer away from crumpled newspaper. It's not very sturdy and tends to unravel itself during the journey. I've found tightly rolled bubble wrap with tape is and excellent buffer.

Just my 2 cents...

 DocP this thread is a gold mine of packing info. Thanks

Let us also explore some speciality options available

Moldable packaging pads from STOROPAC

http://www.storopack.us/en/pro...-packaging-pads.html

Instapac Moldable packing material:

http://www.sealedairprotects.c...-foam-packaging.aspx

Corner(edges) protection brackets (external) :

http://www.antalis.ie/business...rner-protection.html

Internal Corner spacersuse the same inside against the boombox or in the box within a box methodZ)

http://www.polystyreneps.com/s...orner-protectors.php

Foams :

http://www.deluxepkg.com/foam.html

Polyurethane for the final filling in of surfaces

Polyethylene foam strips to make the suspension hammock that holds the boombox within/ strips placed approx 2 inches apart from one another to cushion shocks and also support the outer cardboard.

Delicate zone protection  : Helps to add specific protection to delicate zones like the speaker grills /tuner window/cassette door by affixing a rigid shape over the first layer of bubble wrap before adding the next layer or two:

1. speaker grill : Plastic plates slightly larger in diameter than the grill

2. Tuner window/casette door - a strip of 2 ply cardboard cut to size

those are some great posts DocP -

SHOCK is the major enemy of all these old brittle & thin plastic cases-

and posts and their internals can absorb zero shock -

if there were a perfect packing material

it would be  the special gel foam used on some bike seats -

as that suspends & protects against from hits from any direction

I've never tried it, but what about that expanding foam used in DIY projects? You could use it around a basic packing job and a second outer box. Fumes might be an issue though!

It is one of the most preferred methods for fragile items as the item is encased thoroughly and the padding fits the carton completely in a snug fit preventing movements/cushioning shocks. A modified approach is one with the foam inside a 'bag' to make it a cleaner/faster process

eg: INSTAPAK QUICK

http://www.lpsind.com/packagin...uick-packaging-foam/

Useful topic .

Anybody who sents boxes or fragile items abroad

should use it as a reference.

There's a nightstand in there somewhere 

http://consumerist.com/2008/06...tion/comment-page-1/

what about a make-shift handle at the top of the box for carrier's 

Long time ebay Power seller (ty62), and very careful packer .

I have seen it all, for example if you send a turntable, always take the counter weight off the tone arm as that can brake the beck of the tone arm just by shear momentum.

Also does not matter how well you layer, and pad, if you are sending a cheaply made boombox, or one that was worked on, opened before, and the inside panels, especially the one that holds the main transformer is not fastened, it can destroy the unit from the inside.

again a seller of dirt in the ears has probably if I explicitly told him
he should pack this boombox well he sends them in newsprint which follow
both handle broken off, it is to freak out 

he is total mental if he thinks news paper will protect this unit  i feel your pain.

the sad thing is I have the seller an extra 10 euros more so he paid the boombox well he packed was probably too lazy 

that's really hard to believe the seller writes me
he can not see anything on the pictures this is something defective I
will equal to the monster 

This is NO way to pack a box! This is my biggest fear after a purchase...whether or not it'll arrive as it was described..

Jens, like Driptip said..I feel your pain!

Sad.

Who is the seller? From Where?

An example of very bad packing I received some days ago! Just a box in a box without any protection at all!  It stayed within the country and traveled for about 200 kilometers. Amazingly it arrived without any damage. So big compliments to the local Netherlands postal service PostNL. They did do an amazing job!

Would have been very sad if something went wrong with it. A thirty year old mint Elephant would have been trashed. Some sellers arghhhh!

 The box just after I opened the top.

That poor Elephant

Would have been so sad if it was trashed... This is one of the best preserved working Elephants I've seen! Yeah she was sold very very cheap, but no reason to throw it in a box like this... Total horror imo

Holy crap you were lucky there Michiel!

^^That's just terrible Michiel, I'm glad it arrived safely.

A lucky escape Michiel .          I received a Aiwa 968 from Germany packed with news paper smashed in transit .

That is amazing and incredibly fortunate. Makes you feel sick thinking about what could and probably should have been the outcome.

The worst I ever had was a Roberts radio cassette that arrived wrapped in a black bin bag. No protection whatsoever, and the address label had a footprint on it!

No damage whatsoever though. They don't make 'em like that any more!

I had that once too! A box just wrapped in a black garbage bag! It was a black empty one and everything that could break was indeed broken luckily it was a cheap parts box, but I was shocked when it arrived!

Im really happy with the Elephant. I expected a parts box with good antennas. But its in fact the best Elephant I've ever seen! No issues at al, didn't even need switch cleaner!  

Really sad to hear this Cris. It really depends on which postal service is used with packages from Germany. I always try to avoid the cheaper options, because it seems like the cheap postal services throw with boxes. They don't give a damn at all. Over here they deliver the box in a private car with the box sitting on the front chair! Really amateurish stuff

ha thats exactly how my aiwa 770 arrived....ok it had a couple of cardboard strips in there and that was all.....would have been gutted...no philips box here...sorry mike...but im glad she arrived safe mate

This is an interesting thread, but it fails on one point (particularly with regard to eBay).

The tread suggests spending time and money to please the recipient, but it totally overlooks the fact that there are too many cheapskates out there.

I have a box on eBay at the moment that will be shipped in a strong box with the appropriate packaging. I am also offering free inland shipping with UPS (none of the cheap carriers for me who chuck boxes in the back of battered old Ford Transits).

The box in question has been professionally cleaned, belts replaced etc. I paid to have it fixed.

So, despite the fact that it cost £52 for repairs and shipping (ignoring the cost of the bubble wrap), all I get on eBay is constant questions asking, "will you take an offer on it?". If I say, "what's your best offer", they reply with pocket money responses.

So, for example, I have a pristine and rare box selling for £150 which is the best example anybody will find, I must have had 15 questions offering £50 for it, and one even asking for free express shipping.

Fact is that too many people expect the vendor to take a day off work to source all of the packing materials and pack it properly, AND then expect to pay nothing for the item.