Shipping Advice (Comics & Other stuff)

[Han]

I don't care how you ship your books when you sell them, or the best or worst shipping or explosive terribleness of how others pack their shipping. I've glanced through other shipping threads, but they seem to be entirely about shipping ONLY comics.

 

I just have a specific question that I thought you guys would be the best to ask.

 

I'm sending a buttload of comics (read: probably about 25 or so...not THAT many) to a friend who is in the Marines, stationed in Afghanistan. I'm also sending him some other niceties that he's asked for, like lip balm and comfort food and stuff.

 

I'm using USPS, since it's a deployed address. From what I understand, mail/packages going to deployed servicemen gets shipped to a central US location where the mail going to one place is chucked into a box together until the box is full, then shipped off. So the speed at which it arrives to that location matters not.

 

What advice would you have for me to ship all this together? I don't want to pack separate boxes, but I also want to make sure the comics stay protected so they arrive in good condition. I don't own bags or boards, and I'm not positive if that would be the only thing to do to protect the comics. P:

[mschmidt]

USPS priority medium flat-rate box - you should be able to fit 25 books in there and still have room for some other, small things.

[HouseofComics.Com]

What Mike said, and if you need a bit more room, just move up to a large flat-rate box.

[RockMyAmadeus]

The best thing to do to protect books is make them into a brick. You gotta get bags and boards, though. Take 10 bagged/boarded books, put them in one magazine bag, until all 25 are in three mag bags. Tape the mag bags tight around the books. Then, tape those three separate bags together, to form a brick.

 

Then, using small bubble bubble wrap, wrap it up so that you have a football-like bundle. Make sure the bubble wrap is fairly tight. 5-6 layers should suffice. You should be able to comfortably drop the whole thing from about 3 feet. If you don't feel comfortable, you need more bubble wrap. As it takes shape, it will become obvious at which point it becomes "safe."

 

Then, put that package in the MIDDLE of a big, sturdy box with your other items, fill in with styrofoam popcorn, and you're good to go. You now have 5 layers of protection from the books to the outside world (bag, board, bubble wrap, styrofoam, box.)

[Conan_Aficionado]

Put all the comics in a bag, secure the bag tightly around the comics with tape, sandwich them in between to cardboard pieces and stick that in a bag and secure tightly with tape, Put in box.

 

Here is a link of how and what to when shipping to APO FPO military addresses....

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_5013898_mail-packages-soldiers-afghanistan-iraq.html

[kdoginohio]

I packed all of my care packages like I was packing books. Worked for me every time.

[shadroch]

Any books you are going to send to service people overseas are going to be manhandled once they get there, so I won't worry too much about getting them there as 9.8s.

 

I've shipped hundreds, if not thousands of books to South West Asia the last decade.

I start with a piece of cardboard, load 15 comics, put another piece of cardboard and repeat to make a brick. Wrap the brick in several pages of newspaper and throw in some bubble wrap or styrofoam peanuts.

I've yet to hear a complaint from any of them. You could most likely send them coverless copies and they'll enjoy them just as much.