Poll: Would you ship a PC in the box the case came in?

[Viper GTS]

I have to mail a PC either Friday or Saturday. It's a brand new system that I built. I'm not sure what the best way to ship it would be. I know I'll be sending it FedEX, since it's only $30 something for 4 day delivery insured for $800. The packaging itself is what I'm unsure about.

Option 1: Drop it in the box the case came in (1" of styrofoam shell around it, fill in the gaps on the sides with peanuts) & ship it that way. Cases are usually shipped in the box they come in, so it would probably be OK.

Option 2: Get Mailboxes Etc. to make me a box that adds 6" to each dimension, thus allowing three inches of peanuts all the way around the box the case came in. Total of ~4.5" of padding on all sides.

As far as the system itself, the HD will be in a SilentDrive enclosure which should add some shock protection. I'm most worried about the Taisol HS breaking the tabs off the motherboard & banging things up inside.

Anybody with PC shipping experience have any advice? How about those of you who build systems for profit?

Viper GTS

 

[blues008]

I too would be interested in a response.

 

[GeekDrew]

Seems as though everyone wants to know this... (me included)

I don't know tho... I've never came across that particular situation before.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It largely depends on how the computer is equipped, if all the drives are screwed in with 4 screws, how strong the box is, and how the packing in the box is.

I've had good luck shipping K6-2 systems in thier boxes. Dunno about that HSF though.

 

[Phil21]

most likely it would be fine assembled ready to go, and put in the case box..

But, if you want to be careful just do:

ship the machine in the case box, but take out the processor(s) and hard drive(s). These are the only things that I've EVER seen shake loose. Just package 'em up seperately (or find a way to perhaps secure in a drive bay of the case) and away ya go.

-Phil

 

[vi edit]

I usually just drop complete systems into the boxes that the cases were shipped in. What I try to do is use rubber bands around the DIMMS to hold them in place better, as well as removing the HS/F from the CPU and zip tying it to the case somehow to prevent it from falling off enroute and bouncing around inside of the case.

The HS/F is the big one that you need to watch out for. They have a tendency to pop off of the ZIF socket tabs holding them in place, so your worries are not invalid. Just take off the HS/F and either ship it seperately or fastent it down to the inside of the case somehow.

Other than that, once the person receives the computer, have them call you so you can walk them through making sure that everything is seated in place properly. I've had problems with AGP cards getting jolted out of place, as well as the power cable running from the MoBo to the PS getting jiggled loose. THe rubber bands around the DIMM banks have helped to alleviate most of the problems with ram popping loose.

Two more words of advice - NEVER ship from Mail Boxes ect, and always insure for FULL value of the PC Your best bet is to drop ship it from a direct UPS pickup counter. Mail Boxes ect charges anywhere from 10% to 100% OVER the real cost of what you should be paying to have it shipped.

 

[Geekbabe]

You pack the pc in the box the case originally came in, along with the foam protectors,tape it up good,then you place the taped up box inside a second box that's large enough to accomodate foam peanuts on the bottom,sides and top.tape up well, label and ship

 

[Viper GTS]

The HD & CD-ROM will be installed using drive rails, the floppy will be secured using four screws directly to the drive cage.

I used four of the foam pads that Alphas come with on the four corners of the HS, so it shouldn't rock too much. Taisol HS's use a very secure clip, it can connect to all three lugs on each side of the CPU socket. The motherboard I used (Intel DB815EEA2) only has two lugs on each side (both middles, then opposing sides). It seems pretty secure, but I don't know how it would respond to a beating.

vi

I'll be shipping FedEX, not UPS, & MBETC is the only FedEX dropoff that I know of.

The person I'm shipping it to is most likely NOT capable of installing the HS, though she may have someone that can do it for her.

There is no video card (onboard video), but it does use a GPA memory card in the AGP slot. I used the AGP retention clip that came with the motherboard, so it's not going anywhere.

I don't think the memory will be a problem, but I can certainly rubberband the clips.

Viper GTS

 

[Viper0329]

Can u just take off the HSF and put it in a little seperate box and put it on when it gets there.

I wouldn't worry about the HD while shipping it. They move the heads off of the platters I think when they shut down.

As for the box just make sure it has plenty of foam all around it.

 

[whitelight]

i don't think extra peanuts will absorb that much more shock. the box the case came in should be fine. computer companies like dell, ibm, etc ship in boxes with only styroform shells.

 

[dman]

I believe that the shipping places all require double packaging. This is IFF you want to be able to collect on insurance should the system arrive damaged. They may NOT advertise that, but, come time to collect you'll have to prove it was packed to meet requirements.

I know for certain UPS and USPS required dbl box with certain amount of foam between the two boxes.

If you don't go that route you are taking your chances. Odds are it'll get there ok. Even if it's dropped, and dented, the components will probably be OK, you just have to make sure they aren't jarred loose from the slots/etc before powering on. And you may end up having to replace the case.

If you do go the pc case box route, make sure to put peanutes to fill in the gaps where there currently is no foam on the sides.

 

[EagleKeeper]

I have had no problems with shipping using the original box - one use only. After the second series of shipping (original & mine), the box starts getting beaten up.

Peanuts along with the original styrofoam have done the trick 6-7 times

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

I would just ship it in the box that the case that it came in. Just make sure you keep enough packing material between the case and the box. You should be fine.

 

[LintBalll]

I hate it when I receive electronics or computer stuff in the "retail" box.

I double-box everything electronic I ship. Use packing peanuts, that "link sausage" stuff, or even newspaper.

Your buyer/recipient will appreciate it and your damage odds go way down.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

We've never had problems with shipping PCs in their original box with FedEx, and we don't bother with removing parts or putting in extra protection. Just make sure there is 'FRAGILE' marked on the box somewhere

 

[rgwalt]

Definitely ship in the box that the case came in. I've shipped systems via UPS, and they won't give you any insurance money if you don't have those styrofoam forms. Fill in around the forms with peanuts, and maybe even double box it.

Good luck. Shipping systems bytes.

Ryan

 

[Viper GTS]

How do the large OEM's ship their systems? For example, Dell, IBM, etc. Surely they don't remove the HS's?

I have some large ZIP ties, I could zip tie around the base of the socket to make sure the clips don't pop off. That way short of breaking the lugs off it wouldn't come off.

Viper GTS

 

[iamwiz82]

<< How do the large OEM's ship their systems? For example, Dell, IBM, etc. Surely they don't remove the HS's?

I have some large ZIP ties, I could zip tie around the base of the socket to make sure the clips don't pop off. That way short of breaking the lugs off it wouldn't come off.

Viper GTS >>



dell has a huge plastic thing which wraps around the HS, and its passive, with a 80mm fan on the case, usually. They only use one box, with about 2 in on each side of styrofoam custom buit to the case.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Oops, with 'no extra protection' I meant rubber around the processor or something like that. We do put extra filling in the box itself.

We buy most PCs from Dell, and they ship it in a box with some foam to hold it in place, but with no extra protection besides that and everything installed already (No loose CPUs or memory or so).

P.S. Now that I think of it, we also use UPS for shipping, depends on the country we send it to.

 

[Marty]

Well, personally I would never do it, but the local computer store where I worked summers does. Whats more, these are extremely cheap cases with correspondingly poor packing. Additionally, we used to jam the mouse, manuals, and software in the little spaces betweed the styrofoam packing. It was a pretty shady operation.

One time a customer called, saying that there was a big dent in the side of the computer and that it wouldn't work. It came back, and there was a dent, and the processor had come out of its slot and was hanging by the fan wire. Not a pretty site, but it wasn't broken. We replaced the case side and reinserted the processor, and all was well.

Marty

 

[Viper GTS]

Bump for the late afternoon crowd. This thing's going out one way or another, &amp; I'd prefer it arrive safely.

Viper GTS

 

[p0tempkin]

Viper, I did your Option 1, with the HS/Fan attached, but secured. It arrived A-OK.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Safest way is to take a vacation and hand deliver it.

Other than that, every-one has given you good suggestions, suff it full of packing, insure it, secure potential loose parts, drop it off and have a brewsky.

 

[Mday]

i would ship it inside the original box. along with a bigger box on the outside if possible.

i would definitely stuff the sucker to the gill. i would put shredded paper in plastic bags, and use that as cushioning. of course you must use the styrofoam =)

 

[Muadib]

I have before, many times with no problems. If you are worried over insure it.