eBay

mr_lincoln · ‎09-26-2019

... just had the 3rd cast iron skillet damaged in shipping by USPS. I have shipped more fragile items and heavier too without issue but for some strange reason USPS seems to break large cast iron skillets. Well, not all of them as many go through without issue and sure, I can process the insurance claim and get the money back but these items are old and rare and collected, used and/or treasured by many people. And while it is still a very low % of damaged shipments it just simply bums me out ...

Anyway ... mild rant over, thanks for listening ...

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

a_c_green · ‎09-27-2019

@mr_lincoln wrote:
... just had the 3rd cast iron skillet damaged in shipping by USPS. I have shipped more fragile items and heavier too without issue but for some strange reason USPS seems to break large cast iron skillets.

Well, I don't think temperature shock in shipping would be an issue... I mean, these are cooking pans, after all... but if the handles are breaking off, I would suspect that the handle is poking its way through the surrounding packaging, and then any hard hit from the outside can contact it that way.

I would suggest taping several layers of cardboard around the end of the handle to widen its cross-section, so that it can't push aside popcorn or burst surrounding bubblewrap. It doesn't have to actually come to a point at the end to force its way through the packaging, and end up with the end of the handle making contact with the outer box. Tape a wad of cardboard to the end of the handle so that it's more of a T shape than an I shape, double box it all, and the pan should stay where it is in the middle.

tools* · ‎09-27-2019

@mr_lincoln wrote:
... just had the 3rd cast iron skillet damaged in shipping by USPS. I have shipped more fragile items and heavier too without issue but for some strange reason USPS seems to break large cast iron skillets. Well, not all of them as many go through without issue and sure, I can process the insurance claim and get the money back but these items are old and rare and collected, used and/or treasured by many people. And while it is still a very low % of damaged shipments it just simply bums me out ...
Anyway ... mild rant over, thanks for listening ...

Are you using a box that's large enough so that the skillet, vulnerable to shock, is sufficiently isolated? I use heavy-duty, double-wall boxes and biodegradable packing peanuts to suspend fragile items, yet provide a bit of give.

couldabeenworse · ‎09-27-2019

USPS doesn't know which of your shipments are cast iron skillets, so it stands to reason that the problem is not at their end. Clearly, the skillets themselves are to blame.

ersatz_sobriquet · ‎09-27-2019

@couldabeenworse wrote:
USPS doesn't know which of your shipments are cast iron skillets, so it stands to reason that the problem is not at their end. Clearly, the skillets themselves are to blame.

And the snark contributed to this thread how so?

dasarock · ‎09-27-2019

@ersatz_sobriquet wrote:
@couldabeenworse wrote:
USPS doesn't know which of your shipments are cast iron skillets, so it stands to reason that the problem is not at their end. Clearly, the skillets themselves are to blame.
And the snark contributed to this thread how so?

the contribution is a conspiracy theory … the skillets wanted to enameled! therefore they puckered up until they cracked ! 😄

lex-talon · ‎09-27-2019

@mr_lincoln wrote:
@echo_and_zip wrote:
1. Big bubble
2. Box
3. Foam
4. Box
= Safe arrival
Adding this to your list:
5. Hand deliver ....

6. Offer free local pickup if applicable.

oldwestgold · ‎09-27-2019

As a retired Postmaster of 32 years, I have seen almost everything. If you continue to ship the same way without additional protection you will continue to receive the same results. You must adjust your shipping techniques if they don't work. It's that simple. I had one large Amazon seller shipping specialized large grow lights. Yes, we both can guess what type of plant or herb they were intended to be used for. These bulbs ran in the hundreds of dollars, about 2-3 ft long and 1 ft round. They were very fragile. He continued to have several broken during shipment until he changed the way he was packaging them. Problem solved. I have seen others ship by simply throwing a fine crystal fragile item in a box without any cushioning material then bring them in later asking why they were broken and try to file a claim. I thought possibly they were ordering the previous persons grow lights and smoking you-know-what. I also had one large seller trying to save printer ink and print their mailing labels on a label 1x2 inches. I couldn't even read the address WITH a magnifying glass and the scanners could not read the delivery barcode as it was so small. Yet they complained their packages were not making it. Overpack your items, make your packages visible, make your mailing label visible, use fluorescent fragile labels, etc. Don't expect the USPS to bail you out on broken items because you failed to package them sufficiently. Those days are over. The USPS doesn't write blank insurance checks for your failures as they should not have to.