IME it mostly depends on the weight. Of course appropriate packaging is a given necessity. I’ve had poor experiences with shippers and amplifiers over about 75 lbs, in heavy cardboard boxes, even well packaged. Most people forget about shock damage. Very few Fedex and UPS drivers are Hercules, and, without a lift gate, not infrequently drop heavy parcels two plus feet to ground level and then grab their handcarts. Transmitted forces must go somewhere when the boxes are essentially undamaged....right to the internal components, disrupting circuit board components etc. I’m not demeaning shippers, as I think my drivers are diligent but human, have no help on the truck, but are expected to handle parcels up to 150 lbs. Not to forget packages moved from truck to truck at hubs along the way, conveyor belts etc. The only issues I’ve had with buyers (2) over 20 years was when I’ve sold a 100+ lb component and, after strongly urging 2 day air, they elected ground for savings. Long story short, both arrived with shock damage, boxes were relatively normal, and shippers denied both claims. Both had disrupted internal components on eventual repair. I split the costs of repair on both occasions but will not ship heavy items on my dime/insurance any longer.
How many shipments can audio equipment survive?
I’m sure many buyers and sellers on Audiogon have pondered this question. Assuming an audio component is otherwise very well cared for, how many times can it be shipped from one place to another before it gets damaged? I’m sure this depends on a number of factors:
Quality of packaging: Some manufacturers have really well thought out packaging that keeps the components snugly cushioned in custom molded clamshells with double boxes. Perhaps there are even packaging techniques that I haven’t even seen that work really well. I have also seen some packaging, even for really high quality components, that is poorly constructed and will fall apart after one or two shipments. For something really substantial like speakers, I know some companies will sell you brand new packaging if you need it. I once got a quote of around $250 for some new speaker packaging, not including shipping fees. Definitely not cheap, but perhaps worth the money if you’re trying to sell some goods and don’t want to limit yourself to local-only transactions.
Size and type of component. It seems to me that smaller electronic items the size of a large book would hold easily over multiple shipments. That just seems intuitive. In my mind, the most risky items would be big heavy amps (especially tubed) and speakers. Come to think of it, am I overly paranoid about that? Maybe high end audio components are more durable that I expect. In my mind, I picture internal parts like speaker crossovers, and amplifier circuit boards just popping loose eventually during a bumpy ride. Does that happen? If so, it would seem kind of silly given that so many high end components are extremely durable on the outside, perhaps even overbuilt.
I wonder how manufacturers think about this question when they ship their gear to audio shows all over the country, or perhaps even internationally. Do they sell off their gear at a discount after one show, or do they ship their stuff from place to place like “going on tour”?