[zybar]

For those chaps who have commercial use of shipping, I have heard that Bax is good and for commercial account customers rates not much higher than Fedex and UPS. Don't really know for sure but worth a look - ?

One of the manufacturers I work with just switched from UPS to Bax Global because they got fed up with boxes getting holes ripped in them or "accordian'ed" (let alone product damage) when shipping from Canada to the US.  I've had a couple of shipments come from them, and so far so good...

Bax Global is very good, but much more expensive and I am not sure they will deal with individuals (I have used them via a dealer friend).

George

[bubba966]

DHL seems to be making a push to compete with Fedex and UPS (with some very funny commercials!). Has anyone tried them shipping audio gear?

Yeah, I had DHL ship a pretty nice DVDP by air.

It'd been dropped hard enough that it never read a disc again.

Upon submitting the claim, they only offered to pay 20% of the insured value. Didn't matter that the damn thing was a paperweight after they touched it. Didn't matter I had the receipt proving what it cost. They said it was only worth 20% of what it was insured for.

After 2 months or so of trying to get them to pay to replace it, they only made it to 40% of the insured value.

Even after I was able to get a deal on parts & labor to fix it, it still cost more than 40% of what the player cost me to have it repaired.

So I'll never be dealing with those assholes again.

And should you find you have to ever use them, insure your package for 500% of replacement cost so that when they fuck you with a 20% insurance payout you at least break even.

[doug s.]

...So I'll never be dealing with those assholes again. ...

unfortunately, if you take that attitude, you will never ship *anything* by *anyone*     they *all* suck.  

the best defense is to thoroughly document everything w/photographs, & pack like yure neurotic about it - which you should be.  in my case w/fedex, i was getting ready to hire an arttorney, cuz i had everything well documented, & was pissed off.  but, they had to lose the stupid thing, so they ended up paying me most of my claim.  i am tempted to sue fedex just to get my last $15 anyways, even if it costs me.  i think that suing all the bastards is the only way to effect relief.  they know most folk won't wanna be bothered...

doug s.

[tex-amp]

Three separate shipments of speakers for the Austin GTG were damaged by UPS. Twice the magnets were ripped off drivers and the third was a damaged voice coil. 3 day fed-ex got the fourth try successfully delivered.

When telling our shipping stories at the GTG.  Mark L. Schifter said  that his company is experimenting with MDF exo-skeletons the problem is so bad.

[nathanm]

Maybe we need to offer an X-prize-like competition to see who can create the most high-tech, indestructable shipping containers.  Something like what Dean Kamen does with USFirst?  I mean, if those packages are enduring enough Gs that a magnet rips off a speaker  Yikes!  There'd have to be some kind of internal suspension system or something.

[Mike Dzurko]

polyethylene foam would be the cat's pajamas

Nathan:

You are sooo right about this one. A few years ago we bit the bullet and went to heavy inner boxes with 2-4" of poly foam pads and then a heavy outer box. Costs a small fortune but cut damages WAY down.  

FWIW; we've done many thousands of shipments with both UPS and Fed EX and it is pretty hard to see that either is consistently better on ground freight. Both can be real bears to get claims paid. Shipping via air adds a lot to cost but does cut damage rates significantly.