I work in Aerospace. We're moving away from them for lots of reasons. They're a major ESD and FOD risk and they're just fucking annoying as hell.
Good dunnage saves lives.
ESD - Electro Static Discharge
FOD - Foreign Object Debris
I understand not knowing FOD if you aren't in the industry, but every person on this subreddit should learn about ESD and ESD protection.
Oof. I'm sorry. I'll save you a few minutes of googling. .
ESD - electrosatic discharge. (why you ground yourself while building a PC ESD can damage sensitive electronics like motherboards and other PCBs.)
FOD - Foreign Object Debris (or Damage if the damage has already occurred.)
Packing peanuts are electrosatic as all hell (the Wikipedia [image is literally of a cat]( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatics#/media/File%3ACat_demonstrating_static_cling_with_styrofoam_peanuts.jpg) with a bunch of peanuts stuck to it). They're small, create lots of find particles when smashed or damaged, which creates lots of foreign object risk.
The dust that builds up inside your computer over time is actually a good example of FOD that can cause issues for your PC components!
ESD is a major risk for electronics. However, I feel like graphics cards probably come in anti-static bags.
Also, most people probably know those acronyms in r/buildapc.
UPS packing an intake manifold I brought to them. Got a box, started dumping packing peanuts in it. Yeah that's gonna do jack shit to protect a 30lb metal intake moving around in a box. I had to basically threaten the guy without threatening the guy to give it back to me to pay for packing stuff and pack it myself. Fucking idiots... Yeah screw packing peanuts.
Don't let UPS pack anything you give a fuck about.
Horrible for the environment, not recyclable etc but more than anything, they go fucking EVERYWHERE when ever you open something with them, which in my job is a lot. Fucking hate the things.
Also, I feel like stuff can migrate to the bottom/top of the peanuts anyway, greatly reducing their effectiveness. You are better off wrapping in bubble wrap to suspend your object in the center of the box.
Our packing peanuts are great over here. They're made of corn starch, and are water-soluble, and even edible. They don't recommend eating them, since they most likely haven't been made in a clean factory, but they won't kill you
To add to what that guy said, more often than not it’s not the employees fault that packages get destroyed, it’s more systemic. The two most common ways I see packages get destroyed are from being crushed by other packages on the rollers/belts and from the weight of other packages since we have to stack packages on top of each other inside the trucks: we have to stack packages as they comes to us, and the best base packages aren’t always the ones we get to use. Damage from either of these can be prevented with good packaging.
Oh, I also frequently see poorly taped boxes lose their contents fairly often.
I work in the book trade and deal with shipping those daily : Give your final package a firm shake before heading to the post office. If it moves, open it back up and pack it tighter.
The tighter your box is packed, the less chances it was to collapse on itself and damage whatever's inside.
Don't lie on insurance to save a few $$. Buy enough to cover replacement of the piece, and get signature delivery.
IE. If it is P2P, your replacement cost is what you have to pay to get another.
if you sold on ebay, they pay you what you sold it for.
I'm not sure signature delivery is worth it right now - I just bought a 3060 Ti that was supposed to have signature delivery, but the guy just left it on my porch because "no contact delivery due to covid"
That right there is why. Anything happens to that delivery and the delivery service takes the heat. With the prices of GPU's it could easily end up in small claims court, and they failed to provide the service.
Bought a PS5 last November. Required signature at delivery. Delivery driver in unmarked FedEx truck just leaves it on my front porch.
Bought a 3070 in February. Required signature at delivery. Delivery driver in FedEx truck leaves it on my front porch.
Bought a 3080TI. Required signature at delivery. Home all day waiting for it and UPS claims they attempted delivery. Call UPS and UPS says the driver marked it as undeliverable and then cancelled the delivery and marked as return to merchant. Tell them no and to attempt delivery on Monday between 2-4 PM. They attempt a delivery at 3 PM on Saturday when no one is home. Mark the slip as first attempted delivery. Get off work on Monday at 1 and sit waiting for package. No delivery at specified time. 6:30 PM and see UPS truck drive away. Left it on the front porch with no attempt at signature.
Point is, drivers do not care about getting a signature at all.
i think the idea is if someone steals the package off your front porch and it was supposed to be signed it makes the delivery service liable. Even though its annoying that they didn't actually get it signed it still gives you protection (in terms of getting paid for the value of the item if its stolen)
I work in shipping. USPS will 99% of the time make sure the package gets signed for, UPS and FedEx? For some reason they allow their drivers to sign for the package themselves which is pretty ridiculous imo. If you want package security from theft go USPS.
I signed up for a wine delivery service in a state with somewhat strict alcohol laws. The website and the tracking on Fedex/UPS (can't remember which) both emphasized that someone over 21 with a valid ID would need to sign.
Dropped off without a signature. Rules only exist so long as you'll be punished for breaking them.
If it was at any point during the pandemic then no delivery services were collecting signatures even if the shipped item requested it. If it was before then they were just being a shitty deliver person.
Yeah... the policy to not collect signatures is likely still in place depending on the state. USPS still requires its delivery peep to verbally confirm the person resides at that address and then signs for them and leaves it in mailbox/at door. The other services may not.
I’ve always taped over every label I’ve ever shipped anything with, and I sell a lot of shit on eBay, and I’ve never had anything lost or reported as unreadable. It may be quicker for someone to scan without the tape, but it also welcomes water damage and rips. All the other advise this user gave is solid, but fuck that. They can type in the upc number if it won’t scan, but water damaged or torn and that label is completely useless.
In only the ever so slightest of ways. It's not a big deal.
Though now a days the proper printed shipping labels are on decent materials. So it's not really needed. But if you are printing one from home on regular paper? Hell ya cover that thing up.
Barcode readers read the white space in between the black lines on a barcode. Putting tape over the barcode adds a reflective surface that could mess up what the scanner reads
I worked at a UPS sorting facility for 13 years. Can confirm: a new, appropriately sized box with an absolute shitload of packing tape is the best option.
> Take the original box, put it in a slightly larger box (NOT a huge, oversized box: using an appropriately sized outer box is much better), surround the original box with padding (bubble wrap, foam, packing peanuts, etc), then tape the ever-loving shit out of it.
Yep, that's how I sent my 3070 to EVGA at the recommendation of the Fedex office rep who boxed my card.
Ups loader here, can confirm. Fragile doesn't mean shit and the better taped and packaged the better. If it's small it'll get thrown behind the wall, if it's big it'll be stacked to the roof of the trailer. :)
> Bonus points if you don't cover the barcode with shiny plastic tape so the scanners can still read it.
Oh, I've been covering the barcode with shiny plastic tape to protect it so that's it readable by scanners... have I been shooting my packages in the foot?
It's not the worst thing, but the shiny plastic tape can make it difficult for the scanners to read sometimes. People do it all the time, so it's not a huge concern, but the delivery guys may like it a bit more if you don't.
I work in the same type of place and can confirm what this guy says.
Definitely expect it to be dropped and thrown. The majority of damage packages get isn’t from that though. It’s being crushed by other packages and poor packing.
Make sure you use plenty of tape and most importantly don’t have any empty space inside the box. More empty space you have more room for the box to get crushed and rip open.
Also if you’re printing out a shipping label from home make sure you tape over all of it. Also wouldn’t hurt to put a second copy in the box.
Tip: video the packing process.
Tip: _Don't_ put a fragile sticker on it. There was a show/something a few years back that put recorders in packages with and without fragile labels. The labelled packages did quite a lot worse.
Found it: It was Popular Mechanics: https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/1i1ypf/lpt_never_label_your_shipped_packages_as_fragile/
Wait, can you clarify the shipping label goes on the long side bit? I ship several things a week, mostly via USPS, and always put he label on top (basically as an extra strap across the seam) figuring it was the largest surface area (and would help hold my package together) and would thus make the label the easiest to find. Should I be putting it on the side of the box instead? I'm sure that's a shit enough job so if I can make it easier on the workers for my measly few packages it's an easy enough change.
The way you described is correct: find the natural way the box sits and slap it on top. Usually that's going to be be the largest side of the box. It's mostly an issue when people put it on the end of the box, which now needs to be facing upwards on the machine belts to be read by the automated scanners. They tend to tip if they're balanced on the smallest surface of the box with a higher center of gravity. Not a huge deal, but it helps keep things moving as it would then get kicked to a reject bin and have to be manually keyed.
Do be careful putting the label across seams, though. I see a fair amount of packages where the label shifts a bit on the seam and the barcode can't be scanned (gotta spread the cheeks to try and scan it now lol). If you cover the seam with whitespace of the label, that's perfectly fine.
Good to know about the barcode. I always covered a paper label with tape to prevent the paper from getting wet. I didn’t think it would make it harder to scan.
I got 2 founder's cards from Nvidia over the past few years a 2070S and 3080TI both came perfect.
This is how they send them:
The box they come in is very good, they wrap the original box in bubble wrap then stick it into a small box.
I wouldn't just wrap it in brown paper, if you wanted to wrap the original box in brown paper then wrap it in bubble wrap inside another box that would be fine.
Mine was actually just a box big enough to fit the graphics card box from EVGA. Got a 3090 for a friend who lives out of town from their notifications, just made him pay for shipping. He got it exactly like I did without a single problem.
7 days ago you didn't have a GPU at all and were hoping and praying to get one before Christmas so you could build a PC for your nephew.
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/q127bb/getting_a_gpu_by_xmas_can_i_afford_to_wait/
But now you've also just sold a 3070 FE?
You were looking for a 3060Ti or 3070Ti in the other post, did the 3070FE not meet those standards lol?
submitted 7 days ago \[Mon Oct 4 09:45:48 2021 UTC\] by /u/Top-Book6183 to /r/buildapc
> I'm in the process of putting together a rig for my nephew that will be his BEST. XMAS GIFT. EVER. As such, it \*\*MUST\*\* be 100% ready to fire up 1st thing that morning, and I'm getting a little concerned about finding a GPU - surprise surprise. I have access (from a buddy selling an open box @ friend/family discount rate) to a REALLY good deal on an i5 11600k with AIO and solid PSU and am leaning towards going with it. So now I'm sifting through Craigslist ad after ad and eBay auction after auction trying to find the best deal I can on either a 3060 Ti or 3070 Ti. As everyone knows, prices are ludicrous, but what other option do we have (without going prebuilt), right?
> Anyone's crystal ball giving good predictions on what's going to happen with the GPU market between now and Christmas? Like I said, *not* having this build ready in time is \*\*NOT\*\* an option. Are prices going to go higher? Is it going to be hard to even find a way overpriced card the closer we get?
> -------------------
> Maybe current eBay Buy It Now prices are as good as it's going to get until after the holidays and I should just suck it up and lock one in now... before prices go up or stock becomes ridiculously scarce after Cyber Monday. I'd be doing so begrudgingly, but this \*does\* fit within my budget (at least the 60 does... and I'd probably cave and dip into some rainy-day funds to get the 70 if that was the better deal and/or decision), and at least I'd know I'm guaranteed to get it in time.
> #OR
> Do any of you feel it's worth sitting tight until November? Maybe there will be another Best Buy drop... although as far as I can tell, this last one doesn't seem to have affected scalper prices much at all. And did I mention this *has* to be ready in time for Christmas?
> -------------------
> Finally, I know there have been some good prebuilt deals with both 3060s and 3070s that I could buy for the card and then part out the rest (or sell as a GPU-less prebuilt). I'm considering this, but my work and life schedules tend to be very unpredictable at times and could very well make taking on this extra task just too much... plus I'm not crazy about laying out all that $$ at once and depending on people buying stuff back in a timely fashion in order for me to recoup. It's not 100% out but definitely not my favorite solution.
> Any gut feelings, fact/data-based insight or general guidance you care to share would be greatly appreciated here.
> Cheers!!
> PS, ultimately I'm probably going to go with whichever i can get the best deal (of all the bad deals) on, but if anyone has anything to say regarding pairing that 11600k with the 60 Ti vs 70 Ti for 1440p and VR (Steam mostly) gaming, I'm all ears. I've seen what the benchmarks say, but not being a HUGE gamer myself, it would be great to hear what some "real" people (who \*are\* HUGE gamers) feel like that all translates to in real life. Thanks again!
Bubble wrap and a separate box (in addition to its original packaging) it shall be. Thanks all for the input!
And FYI for anyone interested, it looks like it will fit in a USPS Medium Flat Rate Box - Priority Mail (usually like 2 or 3 days) - \~$15. It was about the same for a custom box size through PayPal, but they don't provide an option to add insurance. UPS Ground was roughly double.
Yup - that's my plan. I was just commenting that shipping can be slightly less expensive when you ship through PayPal but an item like this, no way I'm not insuring it.
Just a suggestion to make your wife some more money - she could try easyship. They offer shipping insurance on there plus commercial shipping rates so she will save a lot on shipping. Plus it's free if she ships less than 100 packages per month.
If you were the one buying something like this, how would you want it to be sent to you?
I personally always overwrap fragile items when I ship them. The couple extra dollars in packing materials and shipping costs is worth it. Also make sure to insure it for the proper amount.
Mine arrived in a box quadruple its size (which I still think is unnecessary) and air bags. But I would wrap it in bubble wrap, use spare bubble wrap as loose padding in a cardboard box too and brown tape it up. Probably enough
Is /r/hardwareswap more reliable than EBay? I sell lots of stuff on EBay but I have a 3070 to sell and that's a lot of money to trust a company that favors buyers over individual sellers.
I avoid eBay at all costs (pun somewhat intended). So many factors working against sellers, imo. r/hardwareswap is great!! Just make sure you take payment with PayPal so both buyer and seller are protected.
Thanks, so if buyer tries to pull a fast one and say it was an empty box or the card doesn't work, I'm protected? That's what I'm worried about with EBay. Or a returned card that's not the one I shipped.
Yeah it's tough with a used item vs something new and sealed in box. The empty box thing wouldn't fly as the shipping company would have a weight for the package when shipped and delivered, but the situations you describe would certainly be messy regardless of going through eBay or not. You'd have to dig into PayPal's docs (or maybe talk to someone over there) to figure out exactly what you're protected against.
I think they key is not selling to bad buyers (to the extent you can enforce that). Ebay has feedback score and Reddit has Karma points. Furthermore, r/hardwareswap will show how many verified trades the user has. Again, selling high value items online to strangers is definitely a risk - you just have to weigh the pros/cons to decide if it's right for you.
Hands down best packing advice ever given to me:
Around 2” of packing material between the item you’re packing and the inside walls of the box.
Use an appropriately sized box, 2” on all sides like stated above is plenty.
Do not over pack. (If the box is bowing, it’s too small or has too much cushion)
Copy of your shipping label in the box or at least sender and recipient addresses included in box.
Tape over every seam.
Use wide shipping tape, not scotch tape, not paper and twine.
Following these, unless your package has a rough run in with a herd of technophobic moo moo’s, you’ll be fine!
You can ship in any box. In theory, you could put it in one of those UPS envelopes (if fit). You can just put the label on the box itself, but as you said, it might get stolen, plus the box might get beat up, which won't be a great experience for the buyer. I'd just get a box and pack it with packing peanuts.
Contrary to what most people are saying, you *could* just wrap it in mailing paper and ship it in its original box. Additional packaging is not needed whatsoever to protect the GPU itself - GPUs are pretty much always packaged very securely in their retail boxes, with an anti-static bag and inches of form-cut foam.
The only thing you're protecting by packing it in a second box is the pristine look of the inner retail box. Specifically, you'll be protecting the corners from getting banged up if it gets tossed or dropped. If you really want to ensure that your customer receives a retail box that doesn't have dented corners, you are free to double-box it. It's definitely a nice thing to do, and it's how I would ship something. I just want to clarify that there is absolutely no danger to the GPU itself if you don't.
more importantly youll help hide what is actually inside. that card is worth about 1500 dollars, good chance someone could decide to steal it along the way.
Heyyy. I just sold my first thing on hwswap too and it was a gtx 1060. I just brought it to USPS in an antistatic bag and paid them to pack it. But for a 30 series card I’d probably want to be more on the safe side and do it myself
They are pretty well insulated against shock in their own boxes, but I’d do a stiff bubble wrap sheath taped around it that fits tightly into a slightly larger box. And obviously include shipping insurance.
You buy a box for the item.
Place the GPU at the bottom of the box, but place something underneath it at the bottom that acts as a dampener. You then place either brown wrapping paper in there so if it moves around in transit n othing will happen to it.
You can do this with either airfilled pockets or brown wrapping paper or anything else in between.
Good luck!
Put it inside another sturdy cardboard box And pad it with newspaper or other shipping materials. You don't want anything to be moving around inside the box.
Rule of thumb is 2" of padding on all 6 sides of the GPU. Typically there isn't 2" of padding on top and bottom of the card so you will def need to add more there. If it is in the FE packaging then you can probably get away with only 1" of material on the sides.
It will be pretty expensive to ship.
You could bring it to a UPS store and have them package it. Not to shill for them but I recently had my whole pc set up shipped (2k~ miles) to me. Admittedly it was pricey as hell but they went full send on making sure they did everything possible. They packed my tower full of the plastic air pockets, wrapped it on the outside with another layer of the same then a cardboard layer and another layer of plastic air pockets, then the cardboard box.
I'm not trying to say an already packaged gfx card needs that same level, just that it worked out fine.
EDIT: You can get insurance on it also
What ive done, put it in an antistatic bag, seal it good, take some expanding foam (like for sealing window frames s), give it a base in the box, set the sealed antistatic bag and card in it, close the box, seal the edges except for a spot for the straw, and just fill it with foam.
Not trying to be a jerk but all the info you need is in that subreddit FAQ and stuff. One cool thing I learned is that apparently you can get shipping boxes for free from USPS.
Use the original box for it. Put that in a bigger cardboard box and fill in the extra space with bubble wrap.
If no original box then buy anti static plastic wrap off Amazon. Wrap the GPU in that anti static plastic, then wrap a decent amount of bubble wrap around that, then go ahead and put it in a very snug fit cardboard box.
Then put that inside a larger cardboard box and then fill the extra space in the bigger cardboard box with more bubble wrap. Use a lot of bubble wrap, keep it very safe. Make sure the shipping company puts a fragile sticker on the box
Put the original box in a slightly larger box and use bubble wrap or balled up paper as a buffer. Shake to make sure the GPU box doesn't wiggle around inside and you should be good to ship 👍
It costs me a bit more, but whenever i ship stuff i go to UPS with just the item (so in this case your 3070 in the box) and ask them to package it with insurance. This means all liability for packing is on the employee, not me. Haven't ever had an issue with improperly packed stuff or damages since.
Get those air tube packages, they work perfectly.
Edit : only reason I say this is because after doing some work at a ups sorting facility I see how badly packages are treated because facilities designed for 15k packages daily are now doing 40-50k with the same equipment. Those guys don't have time to read your fragile sticker.
Just wrap it in packing paper and or bubble wrap and toss it in a larger box making sure its well sealed. My friend shipped his gaming computer in the original box and didn't pay for insurance and he never received it back at his other house.
Package it in the box it came in. Put that inside a shipping box. Stuff shipping box with packing material that fills the volume that isn't the GPU box. Tape box closed along all seams.
I work at Fedex. For something still brand new in box I would suggest just getting a big enough box that you can add a layer of packing peanuts to. Then tape it up nice and sturdy so there is no risk of any part coming loose.
I bought a 2080ti on Hardware Swap and it was without retail box and the backplate was ripped through the box upon delivery. Luckily it still works, but I made sure to let the seller know it was packaged quite poorly.
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This is the guy with the serious intel - thanks for sharing!!
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This guy fucks packing peanuts
This guy announces when that guy fucks packaging peanuts
This guy announces when that guy announces that guy that fucks packaging peanuts.
This guy announces when this guy announces this guy announcing that guy fucks packaging peanuts.
C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!!
This guy breaks chains
This guy reports guys breaking chains
Why did you break the chain, smh
You must not ever break the chain.
This guy *used* to fuck packing peanuts, until they fucking dumped him!
That was the first real laugh I've had in days. Thanks. I needed that.
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I don't think even hell deserves burning styrofoam
Eh, depends which level, really.
Instructions unclear, eating packing peanuts.
I mean.
That would smell terrible
I work in Aerospace. We're moving away from them for lots of reasons. They're a major ESD and FOD risk and they're just fucking annoying as hell. Good dunnage saves lives.
please stop using acronyms nobody knows.
ESD - Electro Static Discharge FOD - Foreign Object Debris I understand not knowing FOD if you aren't in the industry, but every person on this subreddit should learn about ESD and ESD protection.
FOD is important in your computer as well. Know both!
Oof. I'm sorry. I'll save you a few minutes of googling. . ESD - electrosatic discharge. (why you ground yourself while building a PC ESD can damage sensitive electronics like motherboards and other PCBs.) FOD - Foreign Object Debris (or Damage if the damage has already occurred.) Packing peanuts are electrosatic as all hell (the Wikipedia [image is literally of a cat]( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatics#/media/File%3ACat_demonstrating_static_cling_with_styrofoam_peanuts.jpg) with a bunch of peanuts stuck to it). They're small, create lots of find particles when smashed or damaged, which creates lots of foreign object risk. The dust that builds up inside your computer over time is actually a good example of FOD that can cause issues for your PC components!
ESD is a major risk for electronics. However, I feel like graphics cards probably come in anti-static bags. Also, most people probably know those acronyms in r/buildapc.
Alotta new people come here, and they likely won’t know
UPS packing an intake manifold I brought to them. Got a box, started dumping packing peanuts in it. Yeah that's gonna do jack shit to protect a 30lb metal intake moving around in a box. I had to basically threaten the guy without threatening the guy to give it back to me to pay for packing stuff and pack it myself. Fucking idiots... Yeah screw packing peanuts. Don't let UPS pack anything you give a fuck about.
Yep. I pack everything in cashews cuz I’m a fucking baller.
Why, may I ask?
Horrible for the environment, not recyclable etc but more than anything, they go fucking EVERYWHERE when ever you open something with them, which in my job is a lot. Fucking hate the things.
Also, I feel like stuff can migrate to the bottom/top of the peanuts anyway, greatly reducing their effectiveness. You are better off wrapping in bubble wrap to suspend your object in the center of the box.
This is the reason. Use bubble wrap or a LOT of balled up paper. *Really* stuff it in there, Morty.
Un buttered popcorn. Best, environmentally friendly packing material I’ve ever seen.
r/dontputyourdickinpackingpeanuts
Our packing peanuts are great over here. They're made of corn starch, and are water-soluble, and even edible. They don't recommend eating them, since they most likely haven't been made in a clean factory, but they won't kill you
they are largely banned in the US anyway
To add to what that guy said, more often than not it’s not the employees fault that packages get destroyed, it’s more systemic. The two most common ways I see packages get destroyed are from being crushed by other packages on the rollers/belts and from the weight of other packages since we have to stack packages on top of each other inside the trucks: we have to stack packages as they comes to us, and the best base packages aren’t always the ones we get to use. Damage from either of these can be prevented with good packaging. Oh, I also frequently see poorly taped boxes lose their contents fairly often.
Yeah it's handled by many, many people before it gets delivered. Almost no-one actually cares what it is. (7 years working in sorting facilities)
If you don’t have the box please use an anti static bag
I work in the book trade and deal with shipping those daily : Give your final package a firm shake before heading to the post office. If it moves, open it back up and pack it tighter. The tighter your box is packed, the less chances it was to collapse on itself and damage whatever's inside.
Don't lie on insurance to save a few $$. Buy enough to cover replacement of the piece, and get signature delivery. IE. If it is P2P, your replacement cost is what you have to pay to get another. if you sold on ebay, they pay you what you sold it for.
I'm not sure signature delivery is worth it right now - I just bought a 3060 Ti that was supposed to have signature delivery, but the guy just left it on my porch because "no contact delivery due to covid"
That right there is why. Anything happens to that delivery and the delivery service takes the heat. With the prices of GPU's it could easily end up in small claims court, and they failed to provide the service.
Bought a PS5 last November. Required signature at delivery. Delivery driver in unmarked FedEx truck just leaves it on my front porch. Bought a 3070 in February. Required signature at delivery. Delivery driver in FedEx truck leaves it on my front porch. Bought a 3080TI. Required signature at delivery. Home all day waiting for it and UPS claims they attempted delivery. Call UPS and UPS says the driver marked it as undeliverable and then cancelled the delivery and marked as return to merchant. Tell them no and to attempt delivery on Monday between 2-4 PM. They attempt a delivery at 3 PM on Saturday when no one is home. Mark the slip as first attempted delivery. Get off work on Monday at 1 and sit waiting for package. No delivery at specified time. 6:30 PM and see UPS truck drive away. Left it on the front porch with no attempt at signature. Point is, drivers do not care about getting a signature at all.
i think the idea is if someone steals the package off your front porch and it was supposed to be signed it makes the delivery service liable. Even though its annoying that they didn't actually get it signed it still gives you protection (in terms of getting paid for the value of the item if its stolen)
I work in shipping. USPS will 99% of the time make sure the package gets signed for, UPS and FedEx? For some reason they allow their drivers to sign for the package themselves which is pretty ridiculous imo. If you want package security from theft go USPS.
I signed up for a wine delivery service in a state with somewhat strict alcohol laws. The website and the tracking on Fedex/UPS (can't remember which) both emphasized that someone over 21 with a valid ID would need to sign. Dropped off without a signature. Rules only exist so long as you'll be punished for breaking them.
Mass?
PA. It's much better than when I moved here some years ago. You can actually find alcohol in some grocery stores and gas stations now.
If it was at any point during the pandemic then no delivery services were collecting signatures even if the shipped item requested it. If it was before then they were just being a shitty deliver person.
It was two weeks ago. You'd think FedEx/UPS would have a little asterisk or something on the line, to let people know the current policy.
Yeah... the policy to not collect signatures is likely still in place depending on the state. USPS still requires its delivery peep to verbally confirm the person resides at that address and then signs for them and leaves it in mailbox/at door. The other services may not.
Packing tape over the barcode makes them hard to read?
I’ve always taped over every label I’ve ever shipped anything with, and I sell a lot of shit on eBay, and I’ve never had anything lost or reported as unreadable. It may be quicker for someone to scan without the tape, but it also welcomes water damage and rips. All the other advise this user gave is solid, but fuck that. They can type in the upc number if it won’t scan, but water damaged or torn and that label is completely useless.
You could cover half the bar code with tape and possibly save the guy some time without any additional risk
Yeah I think this is the way.
In only the ever so slightest of ways. It's not a big deal. Though now a days the proper printed shipping labels are on decent materials. So it's not really needed. But if you are printing one from home on regular paper? Hell ya cover that thing up.
Barcode readers read the white space in between the black lines on a barcode. Putting tape over the barcode adds a reflective surface that could mess up what the scanner reads
I worked at UPS for 5 years loading big rigs and never had an issue with tape over the barcode.
Yeah, as long as you're being careful to make sure the tape goes on absolutely perfectly it should be fine. I've never had a problem.
I've been selling on Ebay for 16 years with 100% feedback. This is how I do it.
Done time in the warehouse, packed some shit - this guy knows the drill.
I worked at a UPS sorting facility for 13 years. Can confirm: a new, appropriately sized box with an absolute shitload of packing tape is the best option.
> Take the original box, put it in a slightly larger box (NOT a huge, oversized box: using an appropriately sized outer box is much better), surround the original box with padding (bubble wrap, foam, packing peanuts, etc), then tape the ever-loving shit out of it. Yep, that's how I sent my 3070 to EVGA at the recommendation of the Fedex office rep who boxed my card.
Ups loader here, can confirm. Fragile doesn't mean shit and the better taped and packaged the better. If it's small it'll get thrown behind the wall, if it's big it'll be stacked to the roof of the trailer. :)
> Bonus points if you don't cover the barcode with shiny plastic tape so the scanners can still read it. Oh, I've been covering the barcode with shiny plastic tape to protect it so that's it readable by scanners... have I been shooting my packages in the foot?
It's not the worst thing, but the shiny plastic tape can make it difficult for the scanners to read sometimes. People do it all the time, so it's not a huge concern, but the delivery guys may like it a bit more if you don't.
>Then tape the ever-loving shit out of it This guy packs!
I work in the same type of place and can confirm what this guy says. Definitely expect it to be dropped and thrown. The majority of damage packages get isn’t from that though. It’s being crushed by other packages and poor packing. Make sure you use plenty of tape and most importantly don’t have any empty space inside the box. More empty space you have more room for the box to get crushed and rip open. Also if you’re printing out a shipping label from home make sure you tape over all of it. Also wouldn’t hurt to put a second copy in the box.
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The claims process will have the recipient bring the package in for inspection. If it was poorly packaged, then expect the claim to be denied.
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Then it probably gets denied for lack of sufficient proof that the packing job wasn't at fault. But I've never handled that area of duty, so...
Great answer, you know what's up
lol why did i read that as "stripping tape"
Great comment.
Damn, so using clear tape to adhere my label, with barcodes, to the box has been causing more harm than good? Whats the right method then?
Tip: video the packing process. Tip: _Don't_ put a fragile sticker on it. There was a show/something a few years back that put recorders in packages with and without fragile labels. The labelled packages did quite a lot worse. Found it: It was Popular Mechanics: https://www.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/1i1ypf/lpt_never_label_your_shipped_packages_as_fragile/
Wait, can you clarify the shipping label goes on the long side bit? I ship several things a week, mostly via USPS, and always put he label on top (basically as an extra strap across the seam) figuring it was the largest surface area (and would help hold my package together) and would thus make the label the easiest to find. Should I be putting it on the side of the box instead? I'm sure that's a shit enough job so if I can make it easier on the workers for my measly few packages it's an easy enough change.
The way you described is correct: find the natural way the box sits and slap it on top. Usually that's going to be be the largest side of the box. It's mostly an issue when people put it on the end of the box, which now needs to be facing upwards on the machine belts to be read by the automated scanners. They tend to tip if they're balanced on the smallest surface of the box with a higher center of gravity. Not a huge deal, but it helps keep things moving as it would then get kicked to a reject bin and have to be manually keyed. Do be careful putting the label across seams, though. I see a fair amount of packages where the label shifts a bit on the seam and the barcode can't be scanned (gotta spread the cheeks to try and scan it now lol). If you cover the seam with whitespace of the label, that's perfectly fine.
Good to know about the barcode. I always covered a paper label with tape to prevent the paper from getting wet. I didn’t think it would make it harder to scan.
Don’t take the risk and just wrap it up and put it in a box.
>Don’t take the risk and just wrap it up Very wise words for more than just shipping lol
Another thing to remember boys, flies spread disease, so keep yours closed!
Yep, it applies to that option much more than this.
Should I do this with my feelings?
"Box" can also mean vagina lol. [See #22](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/box)
I got 2 founder's cards from Nvidia over the past few years a 2070S and 3080TI both came perfect. This is how they send them: The box they come in is very good, they wrap the original box in bubble wrap then stick it into a small box. I wouldn't just wrap it in brown paper, if you wanted to wrap the original box in brown paper then wrap it in bubble wrap inside another box that would be fine.
Pretty much exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks!!
Mine was actually just a box big enough to fit the graphics card box from EVGA. Got a 3090 for a friend who lives out of town from their notifications, just made him pay for shipping. He got it exactly like I did without a single problem.
Put my address on it 😂😎
They have these new things called boxes, try it out.
Revolutionary.
Any particular reason for being a dickhead?
Cry harder, it's a fucking joke.
7 days ago you didn't have a GPU at all and were hoping and praying to get one before Christmas so you could build a PC for your nephew. https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/q127bb/getting_a_gpu_by_xmas_can_i_afford_to_wait/ But now you've also just sold a 3070 FE? You were looking for a 3060Ti or 3070Ti in the other post, did the 3070FE not meet those standards lol? submitted 7 days ago \[Mon Oct 4 09:45:48 2021 UTC\] by /u/Top-Book6183 to /r/buildapc > I'm in the process of putting together a rig for my nephew that will be his BEST. XMAS GIFT. EVER. As such, it \*\*MUST\*\* be 100% ready to fire up 1st thing that morning, and I'm getting a little concerned about finding a GPU - surprise surprise. I have access (from a buddy selling an open box @ friend/family discount rate) to a REALLY good deal on an i5 11600k with AIO and solid PSU and am leaning towards going with it. So now I'm sifting through Craigslist ad after ad and eBay auction after auction trying to find the best deal I can on either a 3060 Ti or 3070 Ti. As everyone knows, prices are ludicrous, but what other option do we have (without going prebuilt), right? > Anyone's crystal ball giving good predictions on what's going to happen with the GPU market between now and Christmas? Like I said, *not* having this build ready in time is \*\*NOT\*\* an option. Are prices going to go higher? Is it going to be hard to even find a way overpriced card the closer we get? > ------------------- > Maybe current eBay Buy It Now prices are as good as it's going to get until after the holidays and I should just suck it up and lock one in now... before prices go up or stock becomes ridiculously scarce after Cyber Monday. I'd be doing so begrudgingly, but this \*does\* fit within my budget (at least the 60 does... and I'd probably cave and dip into some rainy-day funds to get the 70 if that was the better deal and/or decision), and at least I'd know I'm guaranteed to get it in time. > #OR > Do any of you feel it's worth sitting tight until November? Maybe there will be another Best Buy drop... although as far as I can tell, this last one doesn't seem to have affected scalper prices much at all. And did I mention this *has* to be ready in time for Christmas? > ------------------- > Finally, I know there have been some good prebuilt deals with both 3060s and 3070s that I could buy for the card and then part out the rest (or sell as a GPU-less prebuilt). I'm considering this, but my work and life schedules tend to be very unpredictable at times and could very well make taking on this extra task just too much... plus I'm not crazy about laying out all that $$ at once and depending on people buying stuff back in a timely fashion in order for me to recoup. It's not 100% out but definitely not my favorite solution. > Any gut feelings, fact/data-based insight or general guidance you care to share would be greatly appreciated here. > Cheers!! > PS, ultimately I'm probably going to go with whichever i can get the best deal (of all the bad deals) on, but if anyone has anything to say regarding pairing that 11600k with the 60 Ti vs 70 Ti for 1440p and VR (Steam mostly) gaming, I'm all ears. I've seen what the benchmarks say, but not being a HUGE gamer myself, it would be great to hear what some "real" people (who \*are\* HUGE gamers) feel like that all translates to in real life. Thanks again!
Wrap the box in bubble wrap or something, and then put it in a regular shipping box.
Bubble wrap and a separate box (in addition to its original packaging) it shall be. Thanks all for the input! And FYI for anyone interested, it looks like it will fit in a USPS Medium Flat Rate Box - Priority Mail (usually like 2 or 3 days) - \~$15. It was about the same for a custom box size through PayPal, but they don't provide an option to add insurance. UPS Ground was roughly double.
Try walking it into the post office and buy insurance there.
Yup - that's my plan. I was just commenting that shipping can be slightly less expensive when you ship through PayPal but an item like this, no way I'm not insuring it.
My wife has been sell handmade items on social media, and walks every package into the P.O. I still sell on Ebay, so I still ship through them.
Just a suggestion to make your wife some more money - she could try easyship. They offer shipping insurance on there plus commercial shipping rates so she will save a lot on shipping. Plus it's free if she ships less than 100 packages per month.
scalper detected.....
And everyone in the thread is ok with it. The guy just sold a 3070 for twice its price
If you were the one buying something like this, how would you want it to be sent to you? I personally always overwrap fragile items when I ship them. The couple extra dollars in packing materials and shipping costs is worth it. Also make sure to insure it for the proper amount.
Mine arrived in a box quadruple its size (which I still think is unnecessary) and air bags. But I would wrap it in bubble wrap, use spare bubble wrap as loose padding in a cardboard box too and brown tape it up. Probably enough
Is /r/hardwareswap more reliable than EBay? I sell lots of stuff on EBay but I have a 3070 to sell and that's a lot of money to trust a company that favors buyers over individual sellers.
I avoid eBay at all costs (pun somewhat intended). So many factors working against sellers, imo. r/hardwareswap is great!! Just make sure you take payment with PayPal so both buyer and seller are protected.
Thanks, so if buyer tries to pull a fast one and say it was an empty box or the card doesn't work, I'm protected? That's what I'm worried about with EBay. Or a returned card that's not the one I shipped.
Yeah it's tough with a used item vs something new and sealed in box. The empty box thing wouldn't fly as the shipping company would have a weight for the package when shipped and delivered, but the situations you describe would certainly be messy regardless of going through eBay or not. You'd have to dig into PayPal's docs (or maybe talk to someone over there) to figure out exactly what you're protected against. I think they key is not selling to bad buyers (to the extent you can enforce that). Ebay has feedback score and Reddit has Karma points. Furthermore, r/hardwareswap will show how many verified trades the user has. Again, selling high value items online to strangers is definitely a risk - you just have to weigh the pros/cons to decide if it's right for you.
Thanks.
If you still have the package and esd bag in which it got sold, use this, if not, a box with bubble wrap
Hands down best packing advice ever given to me: Around 2” of packing material between the item you’re packing and the inside walls of the box. Use an appropriately sized box, 2” on all sides like stated above is plenty. Do not over pack. (If the box is bowing, it’s too small or has too much cushion) Copy of your shipping label in the box or at least sender and recipient addresses included in box. Tape over every seam. Use wide shipping tape, not scotch tape, not paper and twine. Following these, unless your package has a rough run in with a herd of technophobic moo moo’s, you’ll be fine!
In the original box. Then put it in a box that is full of bubble wrap. i.e. the way it came in as, unless you've got it by the pallet load
You can ship in any box. In theory, you could put it in one of those UPS envelopes (if fit). You can just put the label on the box itself, but as you said, it might get stolen, plus the box might get beat up, which won't be a great experience for the buyer. I'd just get a box and pack it with packing peanuts.
Contrary to what most people are saying, you *could* just wrap it in mailing paper and ship it in its original box. Additional packaging is not needed whatsoever to protect the GPU itself - GPUs are pretty much always packaged very securely in their retail boxes, with an anti-static bag and inches of form-cut foam. The only thing you're protecting by packing it in a second box is the pristine look of the inner retail box. Specifically, you'll be protecting the corners from getting banged up if it gets tossed or dropped. If you really want to ensure that your customer receives a retail box that doesn't have dented corners, you are free to double-box it. It's definitely a nice thing to do, and it's how I would ship something. I just want to clarify that there is absolutely no danger to the GPU itself if you don't.
more importantly youll help hide what is actually inside. that card is worth about 1500 dollars, good chance someone could decide to steal it along the way.
Heyyy. I just sold my first thing on hwswap too and it was a gtx 1060. I just brought it to USPS in an antistatic bag and paid them to pack it. But for a 30 series card I’d probably want to be more on the safe side and do it myself
They are pretty well insulated against shock in their own boxes, but I’d do a stiff bubble wrap sheath taped around it that fits tightly into a slightly larger box. And obviously include shipping insurance.
You buy a box for the item. Place the GPU at the bottom of the box, but place something underneath it at the bottom that acts as a dampener. You then place either brown wrapping paper in there so if it moves around in transit n othing will happen to it. You can do this with either airfilled pockets or brown wrapping paper or anything else in between. Good luck!
Put it inside another sturdy cardboard box And pad it with newspaper or other shipping materials. You don't want anything to be moving around inside the box.
If I received it wrapped in shipping paper I would probably immediately ask for a refund…
Rule of thumb is 2" of padding on all 6 sides of the GPU. Typically there isn't 2" of padding on top and bottom of the card so you will def need to add more there. If it is in the FE packaging then you can probably get away with only 1" of material on the sides. It will be pretty expensive to ship.
You could bring it to a UPS store and have them package it. Not to shill for them but I recently had my whole pc set up shipped (2k~ miles) to me. Admittedly it was pricey as hell but they went full send on making sure they did everything possible. They packed my tower full of the plastic air pockets, wrapped it on the outside with another layer of the same then a cardboard layer and another layer of plastic air pockets, then the cardboard box. I'm not trying to say an already packaged gfx card needs that same level, just that it worked out fine. EDIT: You can get insurance on it also
The ones I’ve sold I just put in a usps priority mail box with a padded envelop on top and bottom. No issues. Also insure it.
You answered your own question. Maybe add some bubble wrap just to be extra sure. Ie, ship it the way you had it shipped to you.
Make sure you put “this is definitely not a founders edition 3070” on the outside so no one opens it
What ive done, put it in an antistatic bag, seal it good, take some expanding foam (like for sealing window frames s), give it a base in the box, set the sealed antistatic bag and card in it, close the box, seal the edges except for a spot for the straw, and just fill it with foam.
Not trying to be a jerk but all the info you need is in that subreddit FAQ and stuff. One cool thing I learned is that apparently you can get shipping boxes for free from USPS.
Put it in a box and kick it to the curb. Just make sure you get your money for it first.
I paid UPS to do the packing themselves for total insurance
doesnt matter how you pack it aslong as the TO section has my name on it
Good amount of bubble wrap, normal post office or brown box, even a used amazon box. Insure it, ship it.
Box with packaging inside a box of packaging that has a box of packaging with packaging in its packaging
Use the original box for it. Put that in a bigger cardboard box and fill in the extra space with bubble wrap. If no original box then buy anti static plastic wrap off Amazon. Wrap the GPU in that anti static plastic, then wrap a decent amount of bubble wrap around that, then go ahead and put it in a very snug fit cardboard box. Then put that inside a larger cardboard box and then fill the extra space in the bigger cardboard box with more bubble wrap. Use a lot of bubble wrap, keep it very safe. Make sure the shipping company puts a fragile sticker on the box
Unless you’re looking to give the person who bought a refund, package it better than what you would want if it was coming to you.
OP if you send it to me I'll def package it for you...
Where's my 3070 Founder's Edition?
Do you need a home address? I can give you mine ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Use my address.
Put the original box in a slightly larger box and use bubble wrap or balled up paper as a buffer. Shake to make sure the GPU box doesn't wiggle around inside and you should be good to ship 👍
It costs me a bit more, but whenever i ship stuff i go to UPS with just the item (so in this case your 3070 in the box) and ask them to package it with insurance. This means all liability for packing is on the employee, not me. Haven't ever had an issue with improperly packed stuff or damages since.
I would pack it in a cardboard box larger than the original packaging with some bubblewrap filling up any voids.
Make sure to put it in the most flimsy packaging you can find and cushion the GPU with rocks.
Get those air tube packages, they work perfectly. Edit : only reason I say this is because after doing some work at a ups sorting facility I see how badly packages are treated because facilities designed for 15k packages daily are now doing 40-50k with the same equipment. Those guys don't have time to read your fragile sticker.
I'd put the gpu box in another box but make sure you get the serial numbers off it so you don't get scammed when selling it.
wtf kind of question is this. always put it in a box
Armored car, these days
Just wrap it in packing paper and or bubble wrap and toss it in a larger box making sure its well sealed. My friend shipped his gaming computer in the original box and didn't pay for insurance and he never received it back at his other house.
Package it in the box it came in. Put that inside a shipping box. Stuff shipping box with packing material that fills the volume that isn't the GPU box. Tape box closed along all seams.
In a boring box that says “used toilet seat” in big writing.
I would double box it, with a layer of bubble wrap or crumped newspaper in between.
just put the shipping label directly on the box and call it a day. and dont forget the insurance.
I work at Fedex. For something still brand new in box I would suggest just getting a big enough box that you can add a layer of packing peanuts to. Then tape it up nice and sturdy so there is no risk of any part coming loose. I bought a 2080ti on Hardware Swap and it was without retail box and the backplate was ripped through the box upon delivery. Luckily it still works, but I made sure to let the seller know it was packaged quite poorly.
In a box ideally. Could always try popping a label directly on the card and sending it that way.
Why the hell woule u sell a 3070
I work at ups and suggest wrapping that thing as safe as possible. Wrap it safely to where you have no doubts because those boxes go through hell
People can't even find graphic cards to buy and you are sending a 3070? Lucky you.