Shipping vinyl

[ghost of miles]

A poster here on the board has generously & graciously offered to lend me a hard-to-find LP for a radio program that I'm doing. What is the safest way to ship the vinyl back to him, ensuring that it doesn't get damaged at all?

[couw]

[couw]

Just use a Mosaic box with lots of bubbly stuff. To prevent damage to the cover/jacket, ship the LP outside of the jacket and put some bubbly stuff between.

[wolff]

Just use an LP shipping box(very easy to find) and pack as Couw said. You can also sandwich it between other 12x12 cardboard squares. Send Priority so it gets there faster than the cheaper media mail. You could also double box.

[ghost of miles]

Thanks much for the advice--will do!

[Brad]

I've always heard and read that you shouldn't put the lp into the jacket but outside. Why is that? Warping?

[couw]

I've always heard and read that you shouldn't put the lp into the jacket but outside. Why is that? Warping?

no, it's about possibly wrecking the jacket. The high prices are payed usually not for the record being in NM state, but for the Jacket. The Jacket is more than half of the price it seems.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

A poster here on the board has generously & graciously offered to lend me a hard-to-find LP for a radio program that I'm doing. What is the safest way to ship the vinyl back to him, ensuring that it doesn't get damaged at all?

Take good care of that hard-to-find LP....but don't worry a bit about the burn of it that you'll be shipping here. Plain old ordinary manila envelope will do fine.

[Leeway]

I was told once that you should ship the LP in its inner sleeve, but outside of the LP jacket, because the vinyl will be able to bend, whereas, if it's in the jacket it cannot bend, and so will break or crack instead. This makes some sense to me, although I don't know if it's true. I've shipped and received vinyl both ways w/o a problem. I think a lot has to do with the sturdiness of the shipping box,and the internal packing that is used.

[wolff]

I was told once that you should ship the LP in its inner sleeve, but outside of the LP jacket, because the vinyl will be able to bend, whereas, if it's in the jacket it cannot bend, and so will break or crack instead. This makes some sense to me, although I don't know if it's true. I've shipped and received vinyl both ways w/o a problem. I think a lot has to do with the sturdiness of the shipping box,and the internal packing that is used.

I think it has more to do with whether or not a truck rolls over it.

Inside the jacket could cause a seam split if the record can move around.

As long as I pack tight I do not worry about it.

[patricia]

When I ship vinyl I ALWAYS overpack, in a large box, though not so large that it is subject to oversize charges at the P.O. I first put bubble-pack on the bottom and sides. I then lay the album on that, with more bubble-pack between the albums, if there are more than one. I then put more bubble-pack on top and seal like a crazy person with packing tape on every exposed edge. I do this because for the most part the chances of me finding a replacement are slim to none and if any get broken, that's the end. My vinyl-loving friends mock my meticulousness, but not the fact that they have NEVER gotten a broken record from me.

I'm curious, Ghost. How did your friend ship the record to you, originally?? Did you not save the packing he/she used to send it back, since it obviously got to you, undamaged??

Edited August 12, 2004 by patricia