how to ship a lens?

[thegf]

i recently sold a few items in the Classifieds, but am stumped on how i should ship them.

one of the lenses comes in its factory box (complete with proper fitting styrofoam). would it be adequate to put it in one of those bubble wrap bags, from the post office? or should i put the box inside of another box?

thanks in advance.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Ideally you would protect the factory box as well as its contents. Box up everything and make free with the packing peanuts.

 

[thegf]

OK. anyone know where to get boxes/packing peanuts? 🙂

 

[cambolt]

Go to a shop and ask for empty boxes. Cannibalise boxes from stuff you have bought and cover them in brown paper. I cover the lens in bubble wrap, put it in the factory box, make it very tight with more bubble wrap or newspaper, then put the factory box in the box for shipping. Make sure all gaps are filled with newspaper or bubble wrap; you don't want anything banging around and damaging itself. I don't know where to get packing peanuts, your supermarket/hardware store might have them, I don't use them anyway.

Hope this helps

 

[cambolt]

The factory box is part of the "item" you sold right?

If I was the buyer, I'd expect it to arrive undamaged.

Yeah, and don't go sticking addresses to it either! Especially if the box is for an old Noctilux!!!

 

[Pablito]

OK. anyone know where to get boxes/packing peanuts? 🙂

Mailboxes etc

UPS store

Home Depot has bubble wrap

U Haul has all that stuff

 

[Vics]

OK. anyone know where to get boxes/packing peanuts? 🙂

Staples. Office Depot. Post office.

 

[oftheherd]

The US Post Office gives out some boxes for free. They also sell bubble wrap.

 

[35mmdelux]

Place everything sold inside a larger box wrapped in bubble wrap or packed with peanuts.

ditto above..

 

[nikon_sam]

If you don't have peanuts then wadded up newspaper will work as a packing material...
Or...the UPS store will wrap and ship it for you...they will charge for this service...
If you have the original box & packing then place the lens in the box as if it were from the factory, do not tape the factory box or do anything that would harm or damage it then pack it all in a shipping box...

 

[degruyl]

Everything said up to here sounds good.

I just wanted to mention that if you have a lens and are shipping it without original packaging, I'd put it in a plastic bag, wrap that in bubble wrap and then use peanuts. That will keep the peanut pieces out of the lens. This is also what KEH does.

 

[ferider]

If you want to do the buyer a favor, add "dry bags", as you find them with medication etc. I've had several lenses hazed and requiring cleaning after a shipment. In all cases the lenses were called "clean" when sold, and I am assuming the sellers were honest.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Or try 3M's Inflata-Pak or similar for unboxed items. fforde's sent my Pentax 50-135mm f/2.8 in one and it's a brilliant piece of packaging.

 

[batterytypehah!]

If you don't have a trash bag full of packing peanuts and enough bubble wrap to cover an average suburban lawn then clearly you haven't been in this hobby long enough. You just need to buy more items 😛

 

[mwooten]

Factory box --> wrap with bubble wrap --> put into a much larger box with those large air bladder packing things to fill the remaining volume. Remember that the tops and bottoms are sides too. Envelop the factory box in plushness. 😉

 

[Aristophanes]

Depends on lens size, but I find that internal protection in the box is best achieved by packing peanuts but I also put the lens in a plastic container. The best by far I have found are those from OxiClean or any container with a screw-on cap. This allows you to wrap the lens in thin foam and creates a moisture resistant barrier. Throw in a dessicant pack and you'r good.

 

[splitimageview]

Here's a good shipping box.

 

[thegf]

that is THE stupidest Leica ebay posting i've seen.

 

[splitimageview]

The full story is here.

 

[DNG]

Double Box the Boxed Lens, as below, Get a box at least 2-3 inches larger than the Boxed lens and go to Point 4
The lose lens as below

OK, go to a UPS store

• Buy a 16x16x16 box
• Buy a 12x12x12 box
• Buy small bubble wrap to wrap the lens, and place it in the 12x12x12 box and make it tight. Seal the box
• Buy Peanuts and center the 12x12x12 box in the 16x16x16 box, make sure the peanuts are on all 6 sides the 12x12x12, evenly distributed.
• Seal the 16x16x16 box and label as normal.
• Insure and Track with Sig on Delivery

Done.