Mailing flutes

[jim stone]

I'm about to mail some flutes to Dave C for thumbholes.
These flutes are worth a lot of money. In the past I've insured for
full value, which costs a lot, especially with expensive flutes.
I do think a number of folks here are insuring for less or not
at all, and I wonder if they will chime in and advise me. I alone
am responsible for the outcome. The flutes will be sent priority,
with a tracking number, plus enough insurance to keep usps
interested. Private messages welcome. Thanks

[Geoffrey Ellis]

I've shipped using USPS Priority Mail for the last 21 years and they have never lost a package so far. That's comforting, since we are talking about more than 4,000 instruments.

HOWEVER...they do routinely crush packages. I would have lost dozens at least to crush injuries along the way. This got really bad about ten years ago when the post office cut down on the number of employees managing the packages, but didn't cut down on the work load (I have this from a postal clerk I know). This led to hasty and clumsy package handling.

Back then I started putting every flute inside of a length of ABS drain pipe. You can practically drive a car over them without crushing.

So I don't insure packages beyond the $50 of free insurance that is included, unless I ship internationally. Domestic, I spend a couple of bucks on the ABS pipe and so far I've never needed to make a claim.

I've heard from dozens of customers, however, who wrote to tell me that the triangular shipping tube (cardboard) was mangled upon arrival and they were very relieved to find a secondary tube inside.

[jim stone]

Thank you, most helpful. I have very solid wood and felt cases in which these
flutes arrived. Do you think these will serve well? Again, I alone am
responsible for outcomes.

[Geoffrey Ellis]

My UPS driver also shared one of the secrets to protecting fragile items: a box within a box. If you pack the wooden flute cases in a smaller box with bubble wrap around them. Then place that box within a larger box that has room for a bit more packing material, then it would take a mighty accident to damage the flutes within. Most accidents that befall packages come from having something heavy dropped on them during handling, usually when on a conveyor belt. With the post office, they say to pack any fragile items to be able to withstand having a 70lb. weight dropped on it from a height of four or five feet. I strongly expect that just some nice bubble wrap (the type with the larger bubbles) wrapped around the wooden case and inside of a single box will probably be more than enough, but if you are the least bit worried, the box-within-a-box method will give you peace of mind.

You will pay a trifle more for shipping the larger box, but nothing like the amount of extra money you would pay for adequate insurance. Also, insurance money is not always quick and easy to claim, and it won't replace a cherished flute, especially if it happens to be antique or unusual.

[jim stone]

Grateful.

[Kade1301]

I receive and ship recorders between France and Germany often enough, and so far nothing has been lost or contents damaged (though the outer packaging often was crushed or ripped). I just take out a bit of insurance hoping that it will reduce the likelihood of the package being "lost". Insurance for full value isn't even always possible. And I try to make my packages grumpy-postal-worker-proof... I like the idea of a piece of ABS drain pipe - thanks for the tip!

[Geoffrey Ellis]

I have a flute making friend who used to have nice, fancy labels that he made to go on packages, telling the name of his business and openly advertising that there was a flute inside. He stopped doing that when one of his customers received a shipping tube stuffed with newspapers!

When the package is anonymous I don't think there is much danger of theft, and a few precautions will make it safe from damage. I do take advantage of the free insurance simply because the label says "insured" (doesn't say for how much) and I think package handlers are encouraged to be more careful to avoid too many insurance claims. That's just a guess, however.

[Casey Burns]

I routinely ship flutes in their cloth cases wrapped in about 3 layers of bubble plastic and stuffed into one of the Medium Priority Boxes or boxes of similar size and have never had a problem. I save all the packaging bubble from other things and use it to firm up the package from the inside.

When people ship me flutes for the occasional repair, they usually way overpackage the instrument - sending things in large boxes full of styrofoam peanuts, with up to 1' of space between the flute and the outside of the box. This is overkill. This is also a hassle for me in terms of storing, reusing, disposing or recycling this material. Flutes are pretty robust and usually can withstand the effects of shipping, even if the boxes are damaged in transit.

I get more flutes back for repairs that people have left on couch cushions and then someone comes along and sits on them!

However, I take no chances and insure everything for full value, despite the cost. I've never lost a flute but there is always that possibility. This covers damage as well as the package simply becoming lost somewhere in the mail stream. I pass this cost onto my customers. I also usually require signature confirmation so that the package isn't simply left on someone's porch. This still happens even with the confirmation requirement.

For the other makers - I use and recommend Endicia which allows me to print my postage at home. Their insurance is much better than the Postal Service - especially for shipping overseas where there are limitations on the amount that the Postal Service will insure ($600 for the UK for instance). The insurance is also lower cost.

Casey

[Geoffrey Ellis]

However, I take no chances and insure everything for full value, despite the cost. I've never lost a flute but there is always that possibility. This covers damage as well as the package simply becoming lost somewhere in the mail stream. I pass this cost onto my customers. I also usually require signature confirmation so that the package isn't simply left on someone's porch. This still happens even with the confirmation requirement.

For the other makers - I use and recommend Endicia which allows me to print my postage at home. Their insurance is much better than the Postal Service - especially for shipping overseas where there are limitations on the amount that the Postal Service will insure ($600 for the UK for instance). The insurance is also lower cost.

Casey

I'm going to take a look at Endicia--looks promising.

Yes, in theory an insured Priority Mail box is supposed to get a signature, but like you I've had plenty of them left on porches. I stopped insuring flutes for full value once I sat down with a calculator and figured how much I spent per year on it! I had never needed to make an insurance claim after years of shipping and I figured I was spending nearly a thousand dollars a year on insurance. So I stopped insuring the domestic parcels about fifteen years ago. My thinking is that if I've already saved $12,000 that will cover a lot of lost or broken instruments

[Casey Burns]

Jim,

If the flutes are worth a lot, why take chances just to save a few bucks? It would be a drag for them to get damaged and have to be repaired or replaced - at your cost.

Casey

[an seanduine]

If you search on YouTube for Machines of the USPS and associated videos, you will see what you are up against. People do make mistakes, but fully automated machinery is the greater hazard. The machines will stop when they reach a predetermined level of resistance. . .but really this can vary by wear and calibration.
During peak periods the machines are 'cranked' up. . . The FedEx Systems follows the USPS pattern.

Bob

[Geoffrey Ellis]

Years ago I knew a guy with a small online flute brokering business (he sold flutes on consignment) and one of his makers had sent him a package with something like 8 or 10 flutes inside. It arrived totally crushed, every single flute destroyed beyond repair, and there was a huge tire track across the package! How someone contrived to actually drive a vehicle over it is a mystery, but it supports Bob's statement that people do make mistakes. That was a doozy.