Knock 'em dead Dan
That's exactly what Fedex did in my situation.If you...in good faith boxed up your gear well....and in new fed ex boxes...and THEY...fedex took your money for insurance AND did not tell you that because..YOU boxed them up....the chances of an insurance claim will be probably denied. That to me is a company entering into false and deceptive business practices.
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Fed ex should have said...."hey dude no matter how well packed it is, we probably won't honor the insurance...sign here for a waiver."
Next time buy pipe insulation...its pre-cut and its 8ft per section. Usually a buck or less.Man, they can be a pain in the arse. Good luck with your appeal. Last time I shipped a drum, and also did this with cymbals, I bought a pool noodle from the dollar store, and cut a slit around the inside. They go right on the edges no problem, and are great for the perimeter of a cymbal. Im certainly not saying you didnt pack it well, but for future reference to all, those noodles work great for protection.
Good advice for sure, but having to go through such measures would prevent me from ever shipping a drum kit. So I guess I won't ever do it.Dan, I can well imagine how frustrated and angry you must feel at the moment. However, I feel I would be remiss not to comment. What follows may not be well-received, but here goes:
If what is shown in your photo is how the bass drum/floor tom were packed, then I would say that the packing was insufficient. What matters most when packing a fragile item is ensuring that it cannot move within the box while in transit and that it is protected from outside impact, particularly at the corners where the carton is most vulnerable (because corners can collapse on impact whereas sides will often flex back).
Placing the item(s) in a cardboard box within another cardboard box and placing a few pieces of broken Styrofoam between the two will not immobilize the item or protect it from impacts occurring either at the corners or on its sides. Moreover, bubble wrap provides protection to surfaces, not structures (i.e. it will protect finishes but not the actual shell), and Styrofoam, while weight-saving, provides almost zero protection if it isn't rigid and sized so that it fits tightly between the item and the inside walls of the carton.
While shipping drums "nested" is acceptable, nesting requires considerably more packing material to ensure that the drum placed inside the larger one cannot move. Also, any drum loses a considerable amount of structural rigidity once one (or both) heads and hoops are removed. Placing a fully-assembled drum that could weigh 20+ pounds inside a drum that (presumably) still has one hoop and head on adds structural tension to the bottom of the bass drum and stress to its top, which in a box where the drum is free to move around, and where there is no "crumple zone" at the corners, makes for a situation where even a three-foot drop or a conveyor belt jam can cause considerable damage; worse if both heads and hoops are off, and the floor tom is free to move around as well, for in an impact scenario, that drum can act as a "hammer" on the other drum.
Hindsight being twenty-twenty, the suggestion of pipe insulation or swimming pool noodles is a good one if such are placed vertically at all four corners, along with other semi-rigid material that is tight against the drum so that it prevents the corners from collapsing while immobilizing the item. What I have done in the past is make "triangles" out of scrap cardboard that are the height of the carton interior and place them vertically at the corners between the drum and the inside corner of the box. I make them large enough so that one flat side of the triangle presses against the drum at four points, thus immobilizing it. If one or both heads are removed on a bass drum, I wrap the hoop with shipping paper and place it on the outside of the shell (which will also add structural rigidity). This method has worked well for the last ten kits I've sold and shipped over the years.
But perhaps better than my suggestions is to look at how drum companies pack their drums. DW has probably the best packing out there with the "box-within-a-box" method. The drum is bubble wrapped and made immobile within a box which is then bubble-wrapped on all six sides on the outside and placed tightly into a double-wall carton. While such may not be practical for occasional eBay sellers, going to such (or similar) lengths is still easier than winning a package claim from FedEx/UPS.
My DW tom and snare came wrapped in thin sheet material, and then that box was boxed again in a box with bubble wrap.Dan, I can well imagine how frustrated and angry you must feel at the moment. However, I feel I would be remiss not to comment. What follows may not be well-received, but here goes:
If what is shown in your photo is how the bass drum/floor tom were packed, then I would say that the packing was insufficient. What matters most when packing a fragile item is ensuring that it cannot move within the box while in transit and that it is protected from outside impact, particularly at the corners where the carton is most vulnerable (because corners can collapse on impact whereas sides will often flex back).
Placing the item(s) in a cardboard box within another cardboard box and placing a few pieces of broken Styrofoam between the two will not immobilize the item or protect it from impacts occurring either at the corners or on its sides. Moreover, bubble wrap provides protection to surfaces, not structures (i.e. it will protect finishes but not the actual shell), and Styrofoam, while weight-saving, provides almost zero protection if it isn't rigid and sized so that it fits tightly between the item and the inside walls of the carton.
While shipping drums "nested" is acceptable, nesting requires considerably more packing material to ensure that the drum placed inside the larger one cannot move. Also, any drum loses a considerable amount of structural rigidity once one (or both) heads and hoops are removed. Placing a fully-assembled drum that could weigh 20+ pounds inside a drum that (presumably) still has one hoop and head on adds structural tension to the bottom of the bass drum and stress to its top, which in a box where the drum is free to move around, and where there is no "crumple zone" at the corners, makes for a situation where even a three-foot drop or a conveyor belt jam can cause considerable damage; worse if both heads and hoops are off, and the floor tom is free to move around as well, for in an impact scenario, that drum can act as a "hammer" on the other drum.
Hindsight being twenty-twenty, the suggestion of pipe insulation or swimming pool noodles is a good one if such are placed vertically at all four corners, along with other semi-rigid material that is tight against the drum so that it prevents the corners from collapsing while immobilizing the item. What I have done in the past is make "triangles" out of scrap cardboard that are the height of the carton interior and place them vertically at the corners between the drum and the inside corner of the box. I make them large enough so that one flat side of the triangle presses against the drum at four points, thus immobilizing it. If one or both heads are removed on a bass drum, I wrap the hoop with shipping paper and place it on the outside of the shell (which will also add structural rigidity). This method has worked well for the last ten kits I've sold and shipped over the years.
But perhaps better than my suggestions is to look at how drum companies pack their drums. DW has probably the best packing out there with the "box-within-a-box" method. The drum is bubble wrapped and made immobile within a box which is then bubble-wrapped on all six sides on the outside and placed tightly into a double-wall carton. While such may not be practical for occasional eBay sellers, going to such (or similar) lengths is still easier than winning a package claim from FedEx/UPS.
I appreciate that! I will say of all the kits I’ve shipped, I’ve never, ever got a complaint. Even this guy said he was impressed by the packing. Whatever, we’ll see....I'm gonna say it like it is. The packing was a joke !
And whatever you do, never, EVER, write "FRAGILE" on the box!After reading this whole ordeal, I've decided to never ship anything fragile. If it's drum related, I'll send cymbals, hardware (anything metal) etc.. but no drums! Whatever drums I would sell would have to be sold locally and if they don't sell, I'll sit on them for the rest of my life!
What a headache!
I feel the same. I've been lucky with any drums I've received having not been damaged but when selling, I'm not shipping as I don't want to deal with potential damage during shipping or someone saying the item was not as expected. I'd rather just sell locally.After reading this whole ordeal, I've decided to never ship anything fragile. If it's drum related, I'll send cymbals, hardware (anything metal) etc.. but no drums! Whatever drums I would sell would have to be sold locally and if they don't sell, I'll sit on them for the rest of my life!
What a headache!
Isn't fedex non union?Teamster union is the strongest lobby in the US. They have seen to it they are not responsible for shipping accidents... I dealt with it for years early in my sales carrier in contract office furniture. They would damage something and just off load it and the driver would say to the receiver to turn it into their claims rep and he would settle it. They then would get in their truck drive off and that would be the end of it usually because you would never get anywhere with the carrier claims rep. Most times the manufacturer would just send out a new piece at their expense... There needs to be more accountability from the shipping carriers but it will take an act of congress to accomplish it.
Dan,I appreciate that! I will say of all the kits I’ve shipped, I’ve never, ever got a complaint. Even this guy said he was impressed by the packing. Whatever, we’ll see....
This is my feeling too. As many drums as Dan has bought and sold he knows how to pack them. Probably as experienced as anyone here who doesnt buy and sell full time.Dan,
I sold a blue sparkle Gretsch kit to you. I think it was a 7 piece. I had the bass drums hoops on the bass drum and one of them cracked. You ordered a new hoop and I refunded some money back.
From that day forward, I don’t ship the bass drum hoops attached and the issue never happened again. You taught me to be a better packer. In fact I have shipped 30 kits in my career and I think yours was the only broken drum. I have shipped two Sonor SQ2 kits to China.
Dan, it’s a bad experience but I’m sure you sold and shipped many kits around the world and they did not break. I would buy dnd trade with you anyway. I would do like we did when this forum was new so many years on the phone. I would send a check out and a person would send me drum gear before they got the check! I used to do the reverse as well.
Fedex is tough to deal with but keep fighting and they will give you the money. They deny you every time when you file a claim. Many people just give up right then. Just keep it up and they will pay.
Chris