Best Way to Ship a 5xx?

[Scott Baret]

If there's any Mac that tends to not survive shipping, it's the 5xx series, likely due to a combination of cheap, aged plastic and the shape of the machine. Has anyone successfully shipped one in something other than the original container? If so, what do you recommend?

 

[unity]

It must be shipped face down. Lots of padding underneath and on each side. And packed TIGHT. So it can't bounce around. A large box is sometimes a bad thing for that reason, packing material compacts a bit the the item can float around. If one is really paranoid, a tight fitting box with padding inside another padded box works wonders.

 

[beachycove]

Nothing can make it withstand the treatment some of these things get from the gorillas working in the postal system. I once received a Quadra 605 from the States that had obviously been walked on in transit. That must have taken some serious malice in the workplace. Now, that doesn’t happen to many parcels, but it sure happened to that one.

I have wondered about shipping through Greyhound, which would be more or less city to city and hand to hand, but am unsure about how bad things could get in the bowels of a bus freight bay. Mind you, the way postal charges are headed, we’d be nearly as well to ship things by airline.

 

[ArmorAlley]

Would you consider carving your own protective inserts out of polystyrene? You would need big pieces though.

I like the box within a box idea.

 

[just.in.time]

Drive it. Put a towel down on the back seat, then screen face down, with true bottom against the back of the seat. Another towel draped over, then buckle it in with a 3 point seat belt (don’t want a 50 pound projectile if you get in a crash).

I’m being serious. It’s been a while since I have heard of anyone shipping one without at least a little damage.

Another (expensive) idea is shipping in 3 separate packages: CRT, main cage with logic board, analog board, etc, and finally the case itself. Lots and lots of bubble wrap will get the last two items delivered no problem. The CRT tube would require some special form-fitting foam to form a caccoon of sorts to protect the neck, then a bunch of bubble wrap.

 

[Macdrone]

I agree with just.in.time the 5xx series including the TV will most like shatter into pieces.

 

[techknight]

The only thing I could think of is if shipping was a forced requirement, is maybe take the machine apart and ship the plastic separate from the machine itself?