[Rockhounds] TUCSON!- Damaged shipments

Sun Mar 1 11:28:51 PST 2009

Nate you are absolutely right about carrying what is really fragile. As a 
dealer I must ship the bulk of my material, but if something is small enough 
and fragile enough I do in fact carry it with me. This also applies to 
things like gemstones and jewelry where the value to bulk ratio is high.

Thanks to the list I am now aware of increased use of machines to unitize 
shipments and in addition the use of UPS capabilities by FEDEX. This may 
explain FEDEX's sudden and downward shift in service. I had shunned UPS in 
the past due to its rough handling of packages.  Now I am getting UPS 
service through FEDEX.....sheesh.

Gene Hartstein
Newark, DE

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nathan Martin" <rocknate at gmail.com>
To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors" 
<rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:31 PM
Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] TUCSON!- Damaged shipments

> Earlier this week I used USPS priority mail flat rate boxes to ship rough
> self-collected material back from Lake Arrowhead, CA to Massachusetts. 
> This
> was material that my wife and I collected in AZ after the Tucson show
> ended.  I used the large flat rate boxes and certainly got my moneys worth
> (at least according to the USPS clerk who checked them in).  The boxes
> arrived in 2 days,basically intact but each had some corners smashed a bit
> and one box had a 3/4" hole punched in it.  Since it was mostly micro
> material anyway and I had double wrapped everything it was not a problem.
>
> However, most of what I purchased in Tucson came back in my full size
> backpack that I used as my carry-on luggage.  The backpack weighed about 
> 35
> lbs and fit nicely in the overhead rack.  It did get a hand inspection by
> TSA but I was able to stand there and caution the TSA agent that he was
> unwrapping delicate mineral specimens.  This process worked great and 
> those
> purchased specimens are now in my display case as new acquisitions.
>
> I do a lot of collecting while traveling and anything I really care about
> comes back in my carry-on luggage (usually the backpack).  If I pack it in
> my checked baggage I have no control over how well TSA inspectors will
> repack it when they inspect it.  They regularly "de-arrange" my carefully
> packed collecting tool suitcase during inspections and I have had mixed
> results even packing specimens in with my clothes.  For that reason I used
> the flat rate boxes instead of paying Southwest Airlines $25 for an extra
> bag on the return trip.
>
> I know this info does not help the dealers on the list that have to ship
> large quantities, but I hope some of you other traveling collectors will
> find the information useful.
>
> best regards,
> Nate Martin
> Lexington, MA
>
> On Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 4:24 PM, jb <jabac at hal-pc.org> wrote:
>
>> Gene Hartstein - Fossilnut.com wrote:
>>
>>> I have another question for folks who go to Tucson to buy and ship a lot
>>> of stuff back. I noted I had a lot more breakage this year on material I
>>> shipped. I've been going to Tucson to buy for over a decade and this 
>>> year
>>> for some reason I had more breakage than all previous years combined.  I 
>>> was
>>> wondering if anyone else had that problem this year?
>>>
>>> I used the same packing materials and techniques I always do but just
>>> cannot explain this. Everything gets put into a flat, with lots of 
>>> wrapping,
>>> the flats get filled the rest of the way with paper and or peanuts. The
>>> flats get taped shut, and heavy stuff goes in its own flat. The flats go
>>> into shipping boxes with peanuts and paper to take up any empty space.
>>>
>>> There is no evidence of the boxes getting crushed or anything, but
>>> dropping or throwing boxes would not necessarily show up.
>>>
>>> My best experience remains with flat rate, priority mail but not
>>> everything fits in those boxes.
>>>
>>> Gene Hartstein
>>> Newark, DE
>>>
>> It is likely that the Southern Arizona has installed the automated 
>> package
>> system, affectionately known to the techs that work on it as "The Bundle
>> Smasher". FedEx also has contracts to handle with USPS now so it is also
>> likely that some packages are actually being handled by them. There is 
>> not a
>> whole lot of manual handling anymore (except by pallet and forklift;
>> packages are installed by hand on a pallet and then shrink wrapped for
>> shipping), and it is a chore to get the machine to care very much.  If in
>> doubt, double and triple wrap everything to withstand a 3-5 g force.
>>
>>
>> john
>>
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