outside of Winnipeg

Packaging of your precious media

OK, repeat after me, five times:     78’s are fragile…78’s are fragile…78’s are fragile…78’s are fragile…78’s are fragile…

Did I mention that 78’s are fragile? OK, OK, you get the message.

There are few things more sad than sending a valued possession to be restored and transferred – and then finding out that it had been destroyed by someone or something that was not even aware of the act. That is exactly what happens more often than we know, when a package of 78 records get broken during shipping.

Most 78 records are made of shellac and a variety of other materials – which tends to make them very brittle. They will break into pieces just by the slightest bend, and of course by a hard whack. There are 78’s made from vinyl, but those are rare. I would assume that the 78’s you are sending are shellac, just to be safe. Remember that the parcel of 78’s has to make the trip back to your place, as well.

The best packaging method that we have found so far involves the box within a box method or a second method that I will describe below. Please do not go crazy on the packing tape. Just use enough to do the job. We don’t want to damage your records by trying to remove a very aggressive packing job. We need to be able to use the packaging for the return trip.

Method One – box within a box.

The first (inner) box should be a couple of inches larger than the 78, all around. If the 78 is 10 inches, the box should be 12 inches or so – square. The second box should be a couple of inches bigger – all around, than the first box. I would suggest the following steps for packaging of 78’s:

1. Carefully place each 78 between two pieces of paper towel. Tape the paper towels so that they do not separate.

2. Place each 78 between two pieces of cardboard stiffeners – cut slightly larger than the 78 Approx. 10 1/2 to 11 inches square. Place each piece of cardboard so that the veins run opposite each other (one left to right and one up and down). Tape the cardboard pieces so they do not separate.

3. Put some packing material on the bottom and along the sides of the box. Bubble wrap would be excellent in this situation. Place the 78’s one on top of the other – on the bubble wrap and in the first box. Pack any space inside the box all around, with crunched-up newsprint or something similar. The idea is not to let the 78’s move around inside the box. Seal the box with a bit of packing tape.

4. Line the second box with newsprint or something similar to provide a cushion of separation on all sides. Put the first box into the second box, and fill the remaining space all around with more crunched-up newsprint until you have a solid-tight pack.

5. Place any paperwork in an envelope at the top of you pack. Seal the box with packing tape.

6. Write your return address on the box, and send the box to:

Henry Kreindler and Associates – 181 St. Cross Street – Winnipeg, MB Canada R2W 3Y4

You can also write FRAGILE on the box, but I don’t think that will make any difference – since most of the shipping is mechanized.

Method Two – single box, well packed.

Method two is very similar to method one, but only on box is used. This is a fairly good way to ship less fragile records like LP’s and 45’s. One more obstacle to watch out for in LP’s is damage to the record cover caused by movement inside the shipping container. For shipping LP’s I would recommend boxing them up very similarly to method one – with a couple of changes.

First of all, I would remove the LP from the record cover, and wrap it similarly to the method described for 78’s. I would not ship the LP inside it’s cover. I would ship the LP outside of or against the cover to avoid the LP slicing through the cover because of movement inside the box. The rest of the packaging should follow the method one discussed above. I would strongly recommend the cardboard stiffeners and the bubble wrap, or the crunched-up newspaper. The important thing here is to prevent any record movement inside the box. I would use a 14 inch square box to ship the LP’s.

For 45’s, tapes and any other media, I would follow the exact same procedure as for LP’s. The only major difference will be the size of the box.

Here is an excellent link by Bryan Wright about the same subject.

Suggestions on where to get boxes.  There are quite a few places to get suitable boxes; In the United States:

Priority mailer boxes # 0-1095 from the US post office, Office Depot , Business Depot, heavy pizza box

Google search the expression “LP mailer”

In Canada:

Staples, Office Depot, Purolator, Canada Post, Shippers’ Supply, etc.

Methods of Shipment to Winnipeg

Shipping from the United States to Winnipeg, the most economical and relatively safe way to ship is United States Post Office (USPS). I have personally used USPS many times – and found them much safer and more economical than some of the other large carriers. I would recommend using a method that allows tracing of the shipment.

You can look up United States Post Office rates here

our postal code is R2W 3Y4

Avoid: Media Mail.  If you do not wish to do your own packing or shipping, you can use one of the following “one stop” do it all companies – such as:
Mail Boxes, Etc. (UPS), Pack and Ship, Wrap N’ Mail, Mail and More, Pack & Mail, Post Net, The UPS Store . . .

Shipping from other parts of Canada to Winnipeg, I would also recommend Canada Post. Their shipping rates are reasonable. Use a service that includes the ability to track.

You can look up Canadian Post Office rates here

our postal code is R2W 3Y4

We sell shipping kits

If you cannot obtain the proper shipping containers, we sell two kits. The single box kit is $ 5. The double box Kit is $ 9. The average shipping cost from Winnipeg is about $ 12. The kits can hold at least 20 LP’s or other records. Let us know what you are sending – so that we will send out the right size box. Mail a cheque for the box plus shipping – and we will send out the box as soon as we get the cheque. We will credit you half the cost of the kit if we get an order with four or more records.  You can order the kits here.

Please insure your shipment both ways. We are not liable for any damage or loss incurred by shipping

Some general dimensions and weights (approximate)