Totally unacceptable, packing and shipping lesson

[l2lku2]

I have sold and shipped quite a few knives, sent many in for modifications etc. and have had very good feedback re. my packing.

I usually wrap each knife in several layers of paper, folded over at the end and taped up and the box is filled with crumpled paper to ensure that the knife cannot move in the box. I just sold a BWM and received these photos from the buyer. This is how it arrived at that end.

I don't know whether I just did not wrap it in enough paper or whether I did not tape it up tight enough, but regardless this is totally unacceptable. I am very lucky that the knife was not damaged, but more importantly, that nobody was hurt. This was despite my best intentions to ship it safely. So a good lesson is to be learned from this and I thought it good to share with all of you.

From now on, if I don't ship in a kydex or leather sheath, I am going to cover the tip in thick cardboard and tape it really tight below the handle to avoid it being able to shift down in the cardboard sleeve.

If any of you have any other advice, please share.

My apologies to the buyer (and all who handled this package). This is unacceptable on my part, despite my best intentions. I will do better in future.

[JWRobinson]

When shipping bayonets I just stick the business end into a cork from a wine bottle. I've done it without the cork and just made a sheath with cardboard but the end of the blade always seems to poke through the package that way. I'm guessing smaller packages get some serious abuse from the USPS

[JTR357]

Holy crap!I'm surprised that was even delivered.

[Esav Benyamin]

As someone said
in another thread
the other day
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley

[rmdmooch]

That thing cant wait to get out and play. Stavi probably delivered it

[M67]

Damn, that makes LK's shipping seem good

Tim, I have no clue how something like that could happen, maybe USPS chucked it against a wall and the tip poped out?


We have gun safes at the shop I work at, so when a new shipment comes in I take the foam wrappers from 2 safes. It's sturdy, tough, and cushiony, and a little goes a long way. But with the tip sticking that far out, I'm just kind of speechless.

That is a lot of luck no one did get hurt and the knife didn't get fubard.

[InquisitorLord]

I think that there had to be a pretty significant amount of force exerted on that box for that to happen. I would say that that is the fault of USPS for trying to stack the smallest boxes on their corners on the bottom of the pile...

[azwelke]

I've had some show up here like that I am sure the post office would not think it was funny if it was reported. They may even keep it.
Always package extra heavy duty, since they throw them around.
Al

[jayinhk]

I always wrap knives that don't have sheaths/scabbards by putting the blade into in a thick sleeve I make from double ply carton. I tape it on tight, and then bubble wrap the whole knife until I can't feel any hard spots. It's then boxed in a custom fitted double or single ply carton before being taped to hell and then wrapped in waterproof paper. Overkill? Maybe. I ship hundreds of knives a year and aside from one or two that have vanished (one in Chile and one in a really nice town in Northern CA), everything's been fine.

[redbeardrob]

I worked for UPS for 5 years as a loader and pick off package sorter, and, for the most part, loaders are not careful in the slightest. Whatever it takes to get the box to fit in the truck... shameful as it is.

[ac700wildcat]

Not really a Busse guy, although I do peek in here once in a while......figured I'd still chime in though. I haul mail and have seen how packages are handled. They are ran across conveyors, tossed into containers across the room, dropped, banged into stuff, etc. I'd suggest packaging things to the point that you don't think anything could happen to them and then protecting them some more. Packages are put into containers with no rhyme or reason. They just get tossed in until the container is full and then sent on their way. Even packages marked fragile don't get any special treatment for the most part.

[jball1125]

Holy crap, hard to imagine that would happen under normal shipping conditions. That box must have been crushed or thrown perty hard for that to happen. Thanks for sharing, will keep it in mind when shipping fixed blades.

[Harleyfx69]

its the post office man,

they and UPS could destroy a block of lead ..

Just tape it up really well into a cardboard sheath use ductape and good cardboard, and like you did pack it in paper and bubble wrap..

I received an upper receiver (ar15) and the barrel of that had knocked through thick cardboard and it could barely move in the tube..

Do not ship post office if you can help it at all.

[BOSS1]

Looks like everybody got lucky on that one.

I always do my best to go a bit overboard on my packaging...in a previous life I used to looking to loss-in-transit situations (tho on a much larger scale usually) and if the shipper could be found to have inadequately packaged an item for transit, it became a problem. That being said, we'd like to hope the opening scene from Ace Venture Pet Detective was a long way from reality, but we know it may not be sometimes.

That's why I also have a requirement posting in all my ads in the exchange that any trade knife shipped to me must be property packaged (no more padded envelopes or complete lack of packing materials please).

BOSS

[RobStanley]

Mate I use these things. Soft padded cases. I bought a whole bunch of them at Blade for about $5 or $6 each to ship my knives back to Oz. Cheap, shock resistant and keep the knife dry and safe. All of my knives have made it back to Oz without any dramas at all. They come in all sorts of sizes, the largest one I found holds a B11 quite comfortably. Here's one with an FSH. I do normally have the cardboard sleeve ever the blade as well.

[kurodrago]

Gee.


I never see something like it.....funny

[Raging Rhino]

DAAAANG! That's serious. I bought a hole bunch of plastic tip protectors off a knife making supply co. many years ago...I'm sure you've seen them. A little plastic sleeve that's solid at the point. I tape these bad boys on to the knife. Sometimes I've made little leather tip protectors...takes 5 min, 3 little strips of leather and a couple rivets. The heavier the knife, the greater the concern (momentum). When I bought my gladius, the tip was sticking out of the box (about 2-3 mm is all), and this was despite an amazingly thorough packaging job by the seller. But, if there's any room whatsoever inside the box, the weight of the gladius will prevail against normal packaging. There luckily was not evident damage (BUSSE ROCKS)...but could have slashed a box handlers hands up pretty good.

[ecos]

Buy some thin sheet metal such as aluminum flashing (for chimneys) then wrap the blade in paper/fabric to protect the finish, then fold the metal around the blade a time or two. Its cheap insurance.

Speaking of insurance I'm not sure how the post office would handle something like if they decided not to deliver. Its against their regulations to ship sharp objects that can pierce the packaging so in theory they may have held the blade at their depot, or if it was damaged not honor the insurance on the package, etc.

I had a short stint working at UPS, and its amazing more packages aren't damaged. My job was to unload semi's and put the packages on the conveyor belt. The unofficial title was "thrower" and thats what most people in that position did. That actual drivers were pretty gentle on the packages but the guys that load/unload trucks, clear conveyor belts, etc often treated the packages like firewood.

[Raging Rhino]

I had a short stint working at UPS, and its amazing more packages aren't damaged. My job was to unload semi's and put the packages on the conveyor belt. The unofficial title was "thrower" and thats what most people in that position did. That actual drivers were pretty gentle on the packages but the guys that load/unload trucks, clear conveyor belts, etc often treated the packages like firewood.

I had the exact same job at UPS...and UR 100% right on. Guys used to joke, "what does Fra-Gile mean?"...and intentionally throw it like a football. The truck unloader is recognized for how fast he works (how long does it take you to clear a semi), not for being gentle. I keep these memories in mind when I pack knives today...fully expecting some idiot to punt it like a football.

[PGeo00]

After you wrap the knife, tape it to the inside of the box. This way the knife won't move around and end up poking through the box... hopefully.