Experience with 32 ECT shipping boxes?

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

If you've used 32 ECT shipping boxes, what was your experience? Are they as safe as standard weight boxes for light to moderate weight items, or do they suffer a higher rate of shipping damage?

Most of the items I contemplate shipping in this type of box would be books that weigh 10 pounds or less.

My usual packing method is to strap the book with stretch wrap tape to a cardboard sheet that's at least 2 inches longer and wider than the book is, and just small enough to fit in the box. Then I put a sheet of big-bubble bubble wrap in the bottom of the box, put the book on top of it, and fill the remaining space with air pillows.

[richard1rst]

Here's a thought. Use a box that is just the right size that the book fits snugly with no extra space that needs to filled. Now ask yourself - how can a box snugly containing a book even GET crushed?

I use 32ECT boxes to ship Baseball caps. Those CAN be crushed and I have never had a problem.

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

I prefer that the box protect the merchandise, rather than the merchandise protect the box!

Seriously, have you ever dropped a book and had it land corner first? That is called a "bumped corner," and it downgrades the book's condition to "good" at best.

[sassykzt]

Many books I have purchased  (mostly cookbooks and art books) have had corner protectors(( foam or cardboard)  in addition to being in shrink wrapped or in a heat sealed waterproof bag ( boxes do get wet and then putting in a claim  with USPS/ UPS/ Fed Ex  is a pia!)  . Keep in mind  that the max. weight for media mail is 70 lbs., so your box may be mingled with much heavier boxes.  This is very different from first class mail where the lighter 23 ECT & 32ECT boxes are just fine and everything is under 1 lb. 

There are 3 different types of 32 ECT.

• 32B (Standard): 1/8" thick, It also provides more cushion and shock resistance than our 32E .

• 32E : 1/16” thick, making it thinner, sleeker than the standard. While it has the same ECT rating as 32B, its thinness does mean it is more subject to bowing than 32B and offers less cushioning.  You usualy find these among the custom logo boxes.

• 32C (Strength, Cushion): 11/64” thick --  provides even more cushioning than the 32B.  The good literature corrugated boxes are made from 32C.

[deserdog]

I ship all of my books the same way: Put them in a plastic bag that I fold so that it is tight to the book. Fold once length wise, and seal with tape. I fold over the end of the tape and put an X with black marker so the buyer knows were the end of the tape is. then fold the other end of the bag over and do the same thing. then I cut 2 pieces of cardboard a 1/2" wide then the book in both directions. Sandwich the book in-between the cardboard and tape together using 6 pieces of tape. Again fold over the end of the tape. then I put book in a box that is 1" wide and longer then the book, only about 1/4" thicker. then have padding between the sides. When I close the box, I make sure there is no movement. I have sold hundreds of books,a nd never had one damaged in shipping. Have had buyers report that the mail person left on the porch in rain, and books have never go wet.  

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

@sassykzt, that's very interesting -- I didn't know there were different grades of 32 ECT, I've browsed a lot of catalogs and I never ran across those. I don't know how I'd even tell what grade I'm looking at. Probably I've only seen standard, and the other two are rare, or I haven't found the places where they're sold.

I hadn't considered your point about how Media Mail packages are likely to be transported with heavier items, and so be more exposed to damage. I'm not sure it's right -- how many people actually order more than 10 pounds of books at a time -- but it sounds like a possibility that I should consider. In light of that, i'm going to forget about using 32 ECT at all. The cost and weight savings aren't worth the risk.

@deserdog, I'm going to add a waterproof bag to my packaging now; heaven knows I've gotten plenty of soaked packages myself, despite having a perfectly visible place to leave them where they would stay dry. Otherwise I'm happy with the kind of packaging I've traditionally used, but It sounds like you've developed an equally secure method that works for you.

[yuzuha]

IME it is not the ECT that matters, it is how you pack.

I ship all of my Priority Mail items in 32 ECT boxes. Never had a single one damaged. I've even shipped in 23 ECT and 26 ECT boxes before-- same thing. What you have to do is pack to make sure there are no voids in the package, because that is what leads to them being dented and crushed in. If you pack properly, 32 ECT is just fine.

[monty.216]

What is the ECT of priority mail boxes? 

[ryry-jj]

For those wondering, ETC stands for edge crush test, how the box is tested for bursting strength.  It is the test used when the box is made up of recycled content rather than virgin material.   The virgin equivalent box are testes and noted as 200# for single wall 275# for double wall.  They all have more options but these are the most common.  Recycled fibers are always a bit "softer" but these boxes are fine for most shipments.  The gross weight is printed on the bottom in the box makers seal

[kh-laura]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.