superbeatballer said:
I think I need some help on instructing the seller. What are some key words to throw at them so I can reduce the chances of a shipping mishap? Forgive me for being naive, but I just don't know what proper packing consists of in this instance.
What I would do and what I would ask the seller to do are two different things. You'd have to balance reasonable instructions vs getting the recorder packed sufficiently well.
First I'd tell the seller to place the recorder in a plastic bag. I'd then ask him to get a strong oversized double walled box (or use a double box method) and place
no less than 4 inches of thick styrofoam panels on the bottom and sides of the box. The styro sheets can be bought at Home Depot. He has to make sure the sheets are cut to snuggly fit inside of the box and be sitting very tight on the recorder's side panels, bottom and top (not the face where the reels go). The recorder needs to be in a "vice-grip", for the lack of better term. For the face of the recorder, you'd want to ideally brace it with some styro blocks glued to the top cover or a seperately cut cardboard sheet. The blocks resting on the small of the side panels and perhaps a block between the reels. Failing that, however, a big bag of loose peanuts, placed on top of the entire face would brace it (in the event of the recorder being upside down) but only if they are pretty
tightly packed in there so that they can't shift and that the machine won't easily come out of its "nest".
At least 4 inches (measured from the tip of the reel spindle) of that peanuts bag (peanuts have to be placed in the bag) with perhaps an inch or two of styro sheet to cap the top (on top of the peanut bag). Make sure the seller VERY CLEARLY labels, with arrows and words: "This side UP" and "Do not drop", "Fragile" etc ....
The above is reasonable, I think, for a typical ebay seller to follow and I consider it as minimal no frills but sufficient packing. The styrofoam will absorb shocks and the corners are also well protected while the recorder is tightly secured. It's not ideal but again I'm balancing what a typical seller will go for and security.
Ideally I'd get it wood crated with similar packaging, thick corner blocks or foam in place.
Damn, it's late, I can't think straight but I hope I gave some suggestions and it makes sense. Sorry for the haphazard writting style.
