Where to get Salk Boxes....
Have you ever accidentally or maybe even intentionally thrown away some of your audio gear boxes and come to regret it? Sometimes, the audio manufacturer will sell you a box and usually they are expensive, but what happens when you can’t get their boxes and you need them for shipping?
I don’t live in a major metropolitan area with millions of people and as a result, I usually have to ship things if I want to resell them so having the factory box is a must. Not having the box has resulted in lower selling prices, tougher resale or expensive packing at the UPS store.
Recently, I had the opportunity to buy a pair of preowned Salk loudspeakers in excellent condition...BUT...the owner only had one of the two boxes which was a no-go for me.
As you know, Salk has ceased operations and liquidated all of their supplies, nevertheless, I reached out to Jim and learned that his boxes and packing materials were custom made for Salk by suppliers in Detroit. The boxes Jim used were long, double wall, telescoping boxes which means they provide the equivalent of 4 wall protection and strength when the top half is slid down over the bottom half. And rather than open at the top like a golf club shipping box, they opened lengthwise.
This prompted an on line search and I quickly found that the Salk style box is not available “off the shelf”. There are people who sell similar single wall boxes in quantities of 10, but not double wall. I then moved on to calling box manufacturing companies...most of whom don’t want to make just one or two boxes or don’t make double wall telescoping boxes of the style that fit loudspeakers speakers, but I did find one….Custom Made Boxes in Des Moines, Iowa.
https://www.custommadeboxes.com/custom-boxes/custom-box-styles#telescopingThey told me that boxes could not be shipped already assembled but empty without the risk of substantial damage. Therefore, the 15”x15”x52” box I wanted would be shipped as two pieces, a top and a bottom both in flat form that would have to be stapled or hot glued together by me to form the upper and lower sections and the shipping size would be 48”x29”x3”. The price would be $15.50 for the tray (bottom) plus $15.50 for the lid and $41 shipping for fedex ground..(an order for two boxes would double the price and slightly increase the shipping cost).
As for foam, Salk often used 1.75” plain white polystyrene which is also not easily available. Alternatively, you might use three 4’x8’ sheets of 1” thick foam for $60 to pack a pair of speakers in two boxes. You can use a foam cutting knife or a hot cutting knife to get clean edges.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/R-Tech-1-in-x-48-in-x-8-ft-R-3-85-Insulating-Sheathing-320821/202532854https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QWL5BFL/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07QWL5BFL&pd_rd_w=Bieap&content-id=amzn1.sym.f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_p=f734d1a2-0bf9-4a26-ad34-2e1b969a5a75&pf_rd_r=NVWR4H9RR03WGK5AS938&pd_rd_wg=hwKZD&pd_rd_r=6c5eafc6-856d-4954-9338-2815509a3542&s=kitchen&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwWhich brings us to the question of whether $125 for two Salk style boxes plus another $75 for foam and a cutting knife are worth the money? For me, the answer is yes because I know that having the boxes makes resale easier, the resale price higher and shipping safer.
If you don’t want to go custom, there is always the “Uline” option…single wall boxes or golf club shipping boxes...but do you really want to take the risk since as the seller, you are responsible for getting the product to the buyer in good condition?
Hopefully, this will help others...and needless to say, custom boxes can be made for any brand of loudspeakers.
