Xlobsterman
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
I recently purchased this bike on Ebay. What is your opinion of this packing job?
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Packing Job?
- Thread starter Xlobsterman
- Start date
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Xlobsterman
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
The sad thing is he had it packed by a LBS! I am not sure what all that clear plastic was supposed to do? Maybe keep the dust off of it? (LOL) There was some paint damage from the lack of any protection. This is the most critical thing for me when having a bike shipped. Original paint is super critical for me with any of the bikes I have. Anything else can be repaired!
Here is how I pack a bike for shipping...........
birdzgarage
cruisin my 80s bmx bikes
Thats kinda funny they wrapped the seat in cardboard tho.either that guy lied or that bike shop needs a lesson in bike packing
Xlobsterman
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Yea, I was laughing at the whole packing job! This not the worst packing job I have seen for one of the bikes I purchased, but it is high on the list for the worst I have received!
The sad thing is that this guy sells lots of bikes on Ebay!
Superman1984
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
You call that packed? I guess I'd stuff a box if it's something I wouldn't want to refund or have my reputation muddied. I mean hell on FB Market place I seen a guy use denim blue jeans to wrap a bicycle .... we 
but it didn't have a scratch on it & the New Owner was saying he believes he might can still wear them
but it didn't have a scratch on it & the New Owner was saying he believes he might can still wear them
SirMike1983
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
The pipe padding is probably the best way, at least until someone develops something better. Many shops unpack far more bikes than they pack and not all shop pack jobs are equal. My experience is the best-packed bikes are those from other hobbyists who have been dealing with old bikes for awhile. The worst packed jobs are from hobbyists who have no experience or can't be bothered, and sometimes from online sellers who don't do a lot with bikes. The shops are in the middle, some doing a better job than others.
The main problem areas for packing are:
-Bottom bracket and sprocket not supported, so gets damaged hitting bottom.
-Axles not padded and push through sides of box.
-Stays and fork not supported, so get pressed together or bent.
-Loose, heavy items not contained and bang around inside the box, damaging the frame and fenders.
-Front or back not padded, and gets pressed from the end of the box.
-Front wheel taken off, but not padded and bangs against side of frame.
There is a solution for each of these issues, but it takes time, effort, and decent materials to solve.
It does not help that a significant number of bike boxes (half at least, in terms of what I have seen) are handled roughly. A substantial minority are handled even worse, that is, in a totally unreasonable manner such that they seem to be dropped from height off a conveyor, truck or similar. This roughly correlates to damaged bikes, but not always. Sometimes it's dumb luck that a bike survives a bad pack job and bad handling. And sometimes a good pack job is handled so terribly by the company, that the bike is still damaged. So packing leads to a higher chance of survival, but not an absolute one. I wish I could say that if you pack the bike correctly, it will arrive in good order, but it's still subject to the luck of how the company handles it to some degree. I always encourage people to use a bike shipper like BikeFlights or ShipBikes or whatever replaces them because it afford some second level of protection. I've never had FedEx or UPS cover a bike loss - they always find an excuse to get out of it. They usually cite bad packing, and sometimes they're right, but often it's their handling. I will say I've had BikeFlights cover losses that the shipping company would not, even after documentation.
The main problem areas for packing are:
-Bottom bracket and sprocket not supported, so gets damaged hitting bottom.
-Axles not padded and push through sides of box.
-Stays and fork not supported, so get pressed together or bent.
-Loose, heavy items not contained and bang around inside the box, damaging the frame and fenders.
-Front or back not padded, and gets pressed from the end of the box.
-Front wheel taken off, but not padded and bangs against side of frame.
There is a solution for each of these issues, but it takes time, effort, and decent materials to solve.
It does not help that a significant number of bike boxes (half at least, in terms of what I have seen) are handled roughly. A substantial minority are handled even worse, that is, in a totally unreasonable manner such that they seem to be dropped from height off a conveyor, truck or similar. This roughly correlates to damaged bikes, but not always. Sometimes it's dumb luck that a bike survives a bad pack job and bad handling. And sometimes a good pack job is handled so terribly by the company, that the bike is still damaged. So packing leads to a higher chance of survival, but not an absolute one. I wish I could say that if you pack the bike correctly, it will arrive in good order, but it's still subject to the luck of how the company handles it to some degree. I always encourage people to use a bike shipper like BikeFlights or ShipBikes or whatever replaces them because it afford some second level of protection. I've never had FedEx or UPS cover a bike loss - they always find an excuse to get out of it. They usually cite bad packing, and sometimes they're right, but often it's their handling. I will say I've had BikeFlights cover losses that the shipping company would not, even after documentation.
kreika
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
I’ve shipped all mine through FedEx ground. Never a problem yet 10+ years. As the most important thing for me is you receive what’s in the pics. I completely disassemble the bike and wrap every part. I’d rather error on the side of safety and ship in two bike boxes. Of course I’m shipping $$$ full ballooners. If it was no tank, thin fender, 60’s middle weight different story. I live near some tech companies. Lots of free packing materials if your not afraid to do a little recycling. 
About 12 years ago I was browsing eBay and found a mid 80's Schwinn High Sierra for $19.99 with the shipping showing as $20. It as roughly 60 miles from me. My thought was that if the shipping was wrong or the seller wouldn't ship, I could always just take the drive to get it. To my surprise, I won the auction, paid right away, and the seller never made any further contact. four days later, the bike showed up via private carrier, some unmarked box truck with a lift gate. The guy pulled up, unloaded a huge box from a Maytag washer. He wheeled it to the house, rang the bell and left.
When I lifted the top off the box, all I saw was foam packing peanuts. The guy had completely taken the bike apart, bagged every part, and buried it all in peanuts. It took an hour to sort out parts from packing, but the bike was complete and cleaner than expected. I ended up with three and a half huge trash bags full of foam peanuts. I have no idea what he spent to ship the bike, or how much he spent on packing, but my guess it was a case of him shipping it from work, and likely not having to pay for the shipping at all. For all I know, the seller may even have been the driver who delivered it.
When I lifted the top off the box, all I saw was foam packing peanuts. The guy had completely taken the bike apart, bagged every part, and buried it all in peanuts. It took an hour to sort out parts from packing, but the bike was complete and cleaner than expected. I ended up with three and a half huge trash bags full of foam peanuts. I have no idea what he spent to ship the bike, or how much he spent on packing, but my guess it was a case of him shipping it from work, and likely not having to pay for the shipping at all. For all I know, the seller may even have been the driver who delivered it.
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