Shipping Interstate

[Astro_Bot]

Hi folks,

I'd like to ship an OTA interstate, but have never done it before.

I've looked through a few courier/freight websites but am not impressed, so far, with their Terms and Conditions: most have prohibitive terms regarding glass items, second-hand items, or offer no warranty/insurance for such items (and sometimes no insurance/warranty on anything).

This must come up a lot, and surely IIS members have found ways to ship OTAs safely (and affordably) across the country.

So, what courier/freight companies are best for OTAs (or other fragile/glass items)? Do people get insurance separately to manage the risk? Any other tips?

[LewisM]

Got a refractor up from Sydney through Pack N Send. They packed it - bubble wrap, shrink wrap, more bubblewrap, 3 million foam peanuts, GOOD strong box (which I am using to store the scope). Cost was $170 with insurance, which was OK. They ring you when it is in, and you pick it up, inspect it IN SHOP, therefore NO insurance disputes.

I'd recommend them. The scope arrived here in perfect condition.

[allan gould]

also used pack and send for my Losmandy mount from Perth to Melbourne. The head was packed in expanding foam and the rest separately packed with bubble wrap etc etc. arrived in mint condition. I wouldnt use anyone else.

[casstony]

Pack and send 'gold service' includes insurance which covers glass breakage but there are conditions:
- the glass is only covered if P&S do the packing; I have been able to get them to cover glass using original manufacturers packaging but you need to check with them first.
- you need to unpack the item and check it's ok before signing for delivery.
- if you get a damaged item you need to photograph the item and the packaging as evidence to assist the claim.

The best insurance is to use plenty of impact absorbing packaging. Apart from larger SCT's it's not difficult to protect glass well enough to cope with being rolled off the back of the truck.

[alocky (Andrew lockwood)]

Another +1 for pack and send. I've shipped scopes to and from Perth and the eastern states, and a friend shipped his 20" from the USA using them. I've only experienced 1 bit of damage , and that was from a well meaning person putting a Unitron in its box the wrong way around and bending the focuser shaft.
Their packaging seems to survive the shipping process- you can also ask for manual handling, it's a bit slower, but apparently the automated conveyer belts are where most of the damage occurs.
Regards,
Andrew.

[Astro_Bot]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Looks like it's Pack and Send.

[Capricorn1(Tom)]

I bought a C14 from one of the Member which used pack n send....transported from WA to Sunny QLD---arrived in perfect condition

[MrB (Simon)]

Allan, Andrew and Tom, what were the approximate costs for Perth<-->East?
Had never heard of Pack and Send before today.
Cheers.

[Capricorn1(Tom)]

Simon
from memory transportation and insurance from WA to Qld for the C14 , combined weight with packing of 30kg was arong $300.00 Cheers

[alocky (Andrew lockwood)]

I shipped a Unitron 4", Lunt 80mm, G11, weights, cameras, (basically a Subaru outback full of gear) for just under 1K from Perth to Bris for the Transit, with the full gold class everything.
cheers,
Andrew.

[Astro_Bot]

Scope arrived today. Well packed and no damage (that I can detect). I've yet to collimate and star test, but it looks like Pack and Send did a pretty good job.

Using their Gold Service, it was $173 for an 18kg package from Melbourne to Brisbane.