*** How Should You Package Knives for Shipping?

Just a friendly reminder to folks who live in the cooler parts of the world, SCOTCH TAPE is a poor choice if your shipping to a hot part of the country like southern Arizona in the summer time.

Scotch tape is great on a Christmas present but, it looses all of its ability as "tape" when you heat it up to 100+ degrees.
 
Originally posted by knife doctor
Anyone else had a knife go AWOL and had an easier time settling with a shipper? Who's the most reasonable? Fedex, UPS, USPS, others??!!
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I had one vanish with California Overnight. I use them for all my California deliveries. Well, this one box just didn't show up...and naturally, it was the one I didn't insure. I contacted the good folks at CalOver, gave them my tracking number, they 'looked' for it for a while, I sent them an invoice listing the knife and it's value ($86), and a couple weeks later I got a check for the value of the knife. Can't complain about that. Still use CalOver...Overnight for $5!

I re-use the boxes I get stuff in (cut some down and make smaller boxes if possible) and try to share as many of the fine peanuts that come with those boxes with others less fortunate...always tape everything good with clear packing tape, especially the shipping label...always put an invoice inside with the shipping address and my return address...and don't use the "K" word on anything.

I like the carpet tube idea though...except nobody sends me those.
 
I saw this post and I have to put in my 2 cents! I just purchased 2 Luminox watches and a Tachyon from a very reputable company in California by the bay,(don't want to put their name, I hope this is only happening to me). The watches were shipped separately due to back orders. The first package arrived UPS with one Ti Luminox and the Tachyon, the watch and knife were in their original boxes and they were placed into a bigger box with only 2(two) pages of newspaper acted as insulation! I am sure the boxes moved around all the way from the west coast and the box was half crushed with the corners exposed, I can just reach in with my fingers and grab the boxes inside!

The second package arrived yesterday with one Luminox watch in it's original box, placed into a bigger box and there was nothing, no peanut, newspaper in there to protect it. The box was also crushed partially but luckily Luminox makes pretty strong storage case and the watch still tick!

Is it very expensive to place any type of insulation in a package to make the items secure and protect it from damages? I have ordered many knifes and gears from Bladeart and they sure packed their shippment good! I would think that a company should value their customers by putting some TLC in their packaging instead of just throw them into an empty box and put a sticker on it.

Well, I still have one morw package coming from them due to the wrong blade on the Tachyon, (Stone washed instead of the Black blade I ordered) and I will love to see how they package it this time??!!:confused:
 
Originally posted by nifman
Any thing to know about shipping autos? I wonder after the events in Sept if the mail is going to be watched closer. I also double box and pack with newspaper.
Dennis AKA nifman
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A close friend is a U.S. Postal Inspector. He advises NOT to ship autos via U.S. Mail. The Postal Inspection Service WILL take an interest in ANY auto knife discovered in the U.S. Mail system. Use UPS or FedEx to ship autos.
 
anything that I ship, I wrap in bubble wrap, layers if possible, if sent through the post office. If through ups, them I wrap in bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts and newspaper. It all depends on what kind of knife it is, and where its going, and where its going through.
 
You can find some excellent boxes for shipping knives at the following website: www.uline.com

First select corrugated boxes, then select Indestructo Mailers, then whatever comes next. The mailers are available in all different sizes, and if you ship a lot of knives, the 100-quantity price is very good. These look like the boxes that knifemakers use in shipping their stuff.

Mike
 
sweet I didn't know that I can get all the supplies I need online for free! i just order(for free) a whole bunch of stuff that I'm gonna need in the future. Thanks guys.
 
I've worked for FedEx loading and unloading packages. They treat the packages like trash. If you've seen what I've seen, you would send everything in a steel box. When I was loading or unloading packages, I would laugh at the stickers or labels stating "please handle with care" or "fragile" I would double tape everything and put the knife in plastic so it would be water proof. Put lots of pop corn or foam.
 
I use Australia Post shipping boxes which are a lot lighter than anything I can make, and come in all sorts of sizes. But sometimes, the shape and size is wrong. I've now learnt how to fold / cut pieces of corrugated cardboard into double layered boxes which suit the shape of the knife package better. This saves weight and money by conforming best to the shape of the knife.

Bubble wrap in bulk from my local PO costs little and I use lots of it. Save all the styro peanuts and also all the styrofoam from packaging - eg.- new TV, fridge etc. can be cut to the right size to "bolster" the knife inside the box. Crushed newspaper is not good enough. You need to really STUFF the box so when you rattle the box, nothing moves. Make sure to fold bubble wrap over the tips of the sheath and buttend.

I also use packaging tape - tenacious stuff it is. Seal every seam and coat every corner - the box is just one big ball of packaging tape.

In Oz, we have to declare exactly whatever's inside. I never have any trouble from the PO - they also know me now - send 10 or so every month marked "Hunting knife" - they also usually want some details as I insure every single package for almost their dollar value. I found out that there is a $2 difference between insuring for $200 and $300, guess which I use. Its amazing how often people will insure a $300 knife for just $200 just to save some insurance $$, not realising what the thresholds are for the pricing.

Jason.
 
i usually use the usps priority mail box, if i have some packing peanuts i use that if not then i just use a lot of newspaper. I usually have the box the knife came in originally so i but that into the shipping box along with the packing material,
 
duct tape over all sides and corners, clear over the mailing addy's... just leave the backside clear(other than a 1/2-3/4" border of duct tape) for markings/labels.

never had any problems with that up here.

of course though, I wrap in bubbel wrap so it barely fits, and then either newspaper or peanuts on the sides.
 
I scanned these posts and didn't notice the words "aluminum foil" anywhere. Might wrapping items in foil obscure their identities if scanned and help prevent possible theft? I've received some items wrapped this way. :)
 
WHEN SHIPPING FOLDING KNIVES TO CANADA....

Please, please tighten the pivot adjustment (if applicable) so that there is NO POSSIBLE WAY for the knife to opened with a "wrist flick". Otherwise it can, and likely will be confiscated by Canada Customs!

I have an Al Mar SERE 2000 now detained, with a failed appeal process that has suffered this fate. :confused:

I am still hopeful that I will be able to arrange return to the U.S. so that it can tightened and re-shipped, but even this is extremely complicated.

If the pivots are tight, no problem for me so far in about fifty trades from the U.S. to Canada. :)

Best wishes, jeff/1911.
 
Just a little note here on USPS priority boxes.
I just got a knife shipped in one,they are good boxes but this one was just put together the way the direstions say and it hade been crushed when I recieved it.The box protected the knive but one end completely came open.I removed the knife with out doing anything to the box.It was truely lucky that it did not fall out before I got it.
When I ship in these boxes I put them together as directed plus I use Scotch clear storeage tape to cover the lable and to tape the top flap,sides,pull tabs to open the box and all corners.
Tapeing it this way insures that the box will not come open no matter how bad it is crushed,bent,pulled or pried on.The tape over the label is a must IMO.When I first started on this forum I did not think of covering the label with tape until one day I took a package to mail it and it was raining.After getting in the P.O. I noticed the ink on the label was blurred to the point I had a hard time makeing out the street address and I just wrote it.May have just been the type of pen I used but I made a new label to but on that one and have been covering the label with the tape sence.
 
For those international clients please add a sticker on the inner box "Warning Sharp Instrument" for those idiots at customs who just have to have a peek then bleed on your client's new aquisition. They will still cut themselves but then they can't bitch.
 
The use of aluminum foil is an invite for any law enforcement agency to have a look. It was one of the oldest means to smuggle kit so expect delays whilst people look behind the foil just incase there is something hidden.
 
Doing this daily like the guy from the knife outlet, this is my business. Happy Customers getting what they ordered. I don't send out near as many has him...but....

We do make sure there is a business card or invoice with address of the TO and the FROM attached to the knife box before it is wrapped in bubble wrap. Then it is placed in either a USPS priority mail box or shipped UPS depending on cost and where it is going (speed of delivery).
One thing I train everyone that walks in my shipping area to think about is that these knives are just as important as the ones we sell over the counter. Maybe even more so becuase they are going farther and have a longer journey.
We use a lot of peanuts and I agree 100% with seal the edges of the boxes. that way no one can argue about it. especially if it is your habit and you know it is.
We ship mostly small pocket knives and most are under $200.00 in price, but they are still special to each person that is getting them.
It is important to make sure the knives are not going to jab thru a box and are padded so that won't happen. We had some kitchen ware come to our store that way once and it was pretty amazing. Rigiht thru the knife guards and the box, but with no liniing to protect the box from the knife.
So as simple as it sounds, another thing to remember when shipping is to make sure the knife point and edge is covered and padded against coming out.

We also ship a quite a few knives to Canada and internationally. That has been a new lesson in customs and how to fill those forms out.

If you are interested, take a peak at our site - some of you have been there before -
www.chesapeakeknifeandtool.com
 
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