What's the best way to pack and ship a high end turntable for ebay?

[pocket change]

i have a systemdek turntable for sale on ebay.

i really, really want to make sure that i protect it so that it doesn't get damaged or come out of calibration/alignment when i ship it.

here's my plan:

remove and bubble wrap the glass platter
disconnect the belt
use foam cutouts to wedge the drive system in place so it doesn't move around.
use non marking painters tape to secure the tone arm (even if it's clipped in to place) and the top cover.
bubble wrap the unit with the cover on in at least 3 layers of bubble wrap.

what do you think?

here are some pics to get an idea of what i'm talking about:

[Number13]

Sounds solid. Additionally i would remove the head shell ,if possible,
and the counterweight and pack separately.

[pocket change]

Originally Posted by Number13

Sounds solid. Additionally i would remove the head shell ,if possible,
and the counterweight and pack separately.

great ideas!

i'm a little concerned about removing the headshell because i'm concerned that if the stylus gets too much contact it may get damaged. is this an unreasonable concern? seems to me it's safest hovering in place. removing the counter weight is a great idea. i can probably cut out a piece of foam to fit it in.

[Conrad Hoffman]

Why would you post photos that big? Not everybody has high speed access and there's no reason to waste that much bandwidth.

Ideally, the buyer would be within a few hundred miles and you could deliver or have them pick up. Lacking that, assume the boxes will be dropped 6 feet on any face or corner. If your packing can't stand that, it's inadequate. Anything that can possibly be removed should be, and packed separately. Any type of dust cover has to be packed alone- they never survive otherwise. It's best to duplicate the factory packaging if possible.

[pocket change]

Originally Posted by Conrad Hoffman

Why would you post photos that big? Not everybody has high speed access and there's no reason to waste that much bandwidth.

Ideally, the buyer would be within a few hundred miles and you could deliver or have them pick up. Lacking that, assume the boxes will be dropped 6 feet on any face or corner. If your packing can't stand that, it's inadequate. Anything that can possibly be removed should be, and packed separately. Any type of dust cover has to be packed alone- they never survive otherwise. It's best to duplicate the factory packaging if possible.

thanks for the response.

to answer your first question: i posted large pictures because i wanted potential buyers to get an idea of what's at stake. high res photos can describe any flaw or feature better than i. also, most people do have a decent internet connection. when i buy stuff on ebay i tend ask for better quality images of the finish is important to me.

i find it fascinating that you mention an area of a few hundred miles and the idea of delivery.

is the concept of driving a few hundred miles to deliver something an option for you?

i live in a big city and do not own a car. mainly because i do not need one and finding parking is a real hassle, not to mention moving it (at a minimum) of 3 times a week due to garbage pickup and street cleaning times

futher proof of a limited area of travel: i wanted a slice of pizza for lunch today but settled on a lamb gyro because the good pizza place is 10 blocks away and the halal cart is on the corner.

as i think about it your first comment makes sense. is it safe to assume there is no wired internet access in your area? are you on satellite? my first reaction was, "really? who doesn't have at least a 3G speed connection now a days.

speaking of 3g. do you get cell service where you live?

[AVWERK]

Bubble wrap the platter and glass and ke the complete arm off and bubble wrap that also.
Never ship anything UPS (united parcel smashers) thats around 40 lbs or over as you can expect them to drop it from 4 ft. If your package can survive that , then ok. Light packages always seem OK

I purchased a SOTA vaccum TT with an ET2 air arm off the bay and was sweating bullets on the buy, he convinced me that it would be professionally packed, and it was, with 2 boxes, all items seperate, bubble wrapped with no flex anywhere inside. Perfect shipping for so delicate an item.

Regards
David

[SGregory]

I kissed a Talisman S cartridge goodbye shipping it attached to the arm. The arm never moved, some debris was knocked loose and broke the cover over the cartridge. No more cantilever.

Ship the parts dissasembled and seperatley protected.

[Conrad Hoffman]

Sorta OT- I could get high speed access, but it's expensive and just not worth it to me. I don't care about youtube. I'd have to spend more time working to pay for it. Nor do I have cable TV or (gasp) a cell phone. I'd rather put my money into electronics and tools. Got some great ones at a flea market today. Now, speaking of money, I'd sure be willing to pay for a good (real) gyro. In fact the very thought of it is making me hungry! You just can't get one near here. Go to my website and look at the Logan lathe write up or the Nikon 55mm rebuild page. The photos are large and high res, but load fast even with slow dial up. You just have to know the tricks.

As for the tt, it's a nice one. I have to believe anybody who really wanted it in good shape, and knew the risks of shipping a tt would be willing, eager in fact, to drive a couple hours to get it. Sure, it's a PITA, but who wants the hassle of having to deal with damage?

We do live in different worlds. I couldn't possibly manage to live where I do without a car, though the thought of not owning one is very appealing- more money for electronics and tools!

[dangus]

Buy a sheet of the pink rigid foam insulation and use that to make spacers, wedge things in place, or reinforce corrugated cardboard. Wrap the cover in bubblewrap, then place it separately in its own carton. If you live in a city of reasonable size, there should be someplace that sells cartons. Some are available in doublewall construction, which isn't cheap, but adds a lot of protection. Your buyer should be willing to pay for proper packing.

Packing the base is tricky. I'd look for a doublewall box that was a close fit (but with plenty of overhead clearance), then use blocks of rigid foam to clamp it in place. If the base had secure mounting points, maybe bolt it to a sheet of plywood and build a crate around that, or at least a sort of framework to brace it inside the carton.

Headshell and cartridge could be immobilized in foam, or (maybe best) ziptied to a U-shaped piece of cardboard, and stuck in a small cardboard box separately. Counterweight: wrap in bubblewrap and in its own little box. Put all the boxes in a one or two larger cartons as convenient. Extra layers of cardboard help prevent puncture damage.

Visualize it falling off a conveyor belt 6' into a bin, or bouncing off the edge of the bin another six feet onto a concrete floor. Where it's kicked to the loading dock by a disgruntled employee wearing cowboy boots. Or check out that website that shows turntables damaged in shipping.

[Pano]

Photos edited for size and bandwidth.

Please be kind when posting photos.