Shipping advice for Esoteric

Ground should be fine as long as it’s insured.

When i bought my Esoteric UX3 from Ralph at SpearIt Sound,  i received it in the triple box weighing in at 77 pounds.  It came UPS Ground & insured. It is packed so well in 3 boxes and the main box is suspended in foam inside the other 2 boxes. Doubtful it will get damaged.  The UPS  driver made my house his first stop as the box was huge and was in his way in the truck. Lucky me. 🙂 

Triple box it and put it on a pallet

That is easily within Ground’s abilities to ship reliably. Especially triple boxed, and (I presume) with an inner closed-cell polyethylene foam cradle (the best cushion at this weight class), and with the appropriate insured value. Added up, that’s already all over-the-top security. And I imagine the freight costs would be be very, very high. I’d ship it Ground and sleep great for the next 2 - 5 nights. 

Most (not all) of the people with Ground horror stories simply don’t know how to pack worth a god damn. The real high-end makers like Esoteric, VAC, etc - they’ll include the best packing with their products. They can’t afford to have losses in transit, even with insurance. 

That closed-cell foam stuff is godsent. Customizable, endlessly reusable. SO much better than that horrible polystyrene foam everything used to ship in. 

Thanks, Mulveling.  Similar to Stereo5's reply, this does have Esoteric's triple boxing with all the trimmings, incl.  the polyethylene foam cradle that you mention.  Sounds like I'll do well to use FedEx ground with proper insurance and not worry.  

Thanks all ~

When I shipped my C.E.C. transport to Audio Union in the States for a check-up, I had it double-boxed in the factory packing. I took it to the local UPS store, and when I told them what I wanted it insured for, they said the only way they'd cover it was for them to take my double boxed factory pack and enclose it in yet another box surrounded by bubble wrap. Yes, it cost something. The Audio Union distributor (a good guy) said he had never seen overpacking to the extent my box was packed and once he was done (nothing major, had to do with the belt taking a hard form from disuse), it was shipped back in the same UPS packing. Crazy overkill. But, no worries. I hate shipping gear and really try to avoid it if possible. But triple box overkill seemed to work just fine. 

Use all the factory boxes and strap it to a pallet.  I can just imagine a heavy box tumbling down a conveyer line and throwing the drive unit out of alignment.  My Esoteric was shipped on a pallet from the factory.

@mbump 

I have had great experiences shipping on pallets using Estes. And if you’re shipping to someone’s home, for a bit more, they will drop the pallet right by their front door.

All the best.

@mbump 

You might want to get a price from DHL.  International is what they do best. 
 

All the best.

When I got my amp (Nakamichi PA7) hte seller marked the box as "medical device"

When I got my amp (Nakamichi PA7) the seller marked the box as a "medical device"

When I got my amp (Nakamichi PA7) the seller marked the box as a "medical device"

No matter what shipper I use I put the address of final destination shipping terminal labeled hold for pick up, its allowed if you call and ask, I call the people at the terminal and set it up. I’ll do this certainly if I’m nervous for sensitive gear. My son worked for FedEx loading trucks while he was out for Xmas break said boxes fly off and drop 10 feet, he said everything is pretty brutal. I was told by the FedEx guy at the store they need to pack the box for you to even have a chance to get paid for damage even then slim chance or small percent of claimed value. You pack it yourself you get nothing. Not sure if that’s true but I wouldn’t doubt it, I’ve been told that by more than one counter guy. I would think pallet is best odds. All these years shipping turntables, tube amps never a problem guess I’ve been lucky. Heavy dense stuff is tricky, I hate the shipping process, nerve racking. I’ve had best luck with wood crates but then high shipping cost or nice heavy dense foam skeleton type inserts  double and triple boxed.

Sorry for the duplicate posts, noob