My New HH bow is Trash!

[Crooked Stic]

I have not had any problems Using USPS. I allways do an over kill on the packing just to be on the safe side. I will not use UPS. I have seen too many items come in at work that are made of cast iron and steel broken and damaged.

[SlowBowinMO]

UPS seems to be much worse than USPS when it comes to destroying stuff.

Insurance from both of them is useless for the most part, except padding their bottom line.

[Rob DiStefano]

I ship all over the world, not just the US, and you DO need to protect your shipped goods as much as humanly possible.  I've used USPS, UPS, FedEx, Airborne and DHL ... and know of, or have had personal damaged shipment problems with, all of 'em.  Expect the worse - dropping yer shipment from a height of at least 8 feet and/or having a 50# weight dropped on it.  Package as well as you can for the size, weight and fragility of the object(s) yer shipping.  Double box whenever possible and/or feasible.  And do insure for at least the full value.  YMMV, but it shouldn't (really!).

[wingnut]

insurance is a must.  I ship with USPS priority mail and have had my experience with breakage.  but they pay in 30 days and get almost all of the packages delivered intact and on time.  I don't get upset at breakage anymore, it's no use.  I tell people that USPS is my best customer.  LOL

Mike

[freeman]

Guys, I worked for UPS as a loader when I was 18. The things I have seen happen to the freight, along with their rates and corporate/ policies/ mentality, keeps me from ever using them as a shipper to this day. Aside from the incident I mentioned earlier, I've never had a problem with the postal service and use them almost exclusively these days. The nature of the business does dictate sufficient packaging though. I'd rather have a bow shipped to me for a few dollars extra in PVC or a stout tube, than to have it show up in a mangled cardboard box.

[UKarcher]

I'm with freeman. As someone who works in the dispatch dept of a bed warehouse, I see 50kg bedsteads loaded on the same parcel truck as china, electrical goods etc. They are all packaged in cardboard and polystyrene and it just amazes me that these things ever get there in one piece.
Graham

[ethan]

Something better than PVC is the real heavy- walled cardboard. The stuff they ship metal in. We get it in the tool and die shop I work in pretty regularly. I am 6'1", 200lbs and can stand on it without it bending at all. It's alot stronger than pvc.

[Adam Mooney]

It all comes down to how the bowyer packs it. I use a ribbed PVC tube w. screw on ends duct taped them also, ( It looks like a giant pipe bomb) wrap the bow in bubble wrap and paper. You can drive a truck over it and it wont get damaged. I would say it is 50% the bowyer and 50% Postal Service. Why not go the extra step and maybe pay alittle more to know nothing will happen to your stuff. Plus the insurance

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Arrow Wraps Unlimited:
...Why not go the extra step and maybe pay alittle more to know nothing will happen to your stuff. Plus the insurance

Exactly.  I'd definitely pay more in shipping to know my one piece stickbow was properly tubed.

[Mike Hames]

I got a Sentman bow in the mail from USPS like that. When the person behind the counter handed it to me, I said, wait a minute until I get this out of the box. Had about 15 people behind me in line. I took it from the box, broken, and told him I wanted to see the post master and file a complaint. All of the people were witness to this and I told the post master this. Got my money back in about 6 weeks. The sender had to file all paper work and then they paid him and he paid me.
I will not ship any bow in anything except schedule 40 PVC.
Guns go in hard case with cardboard over that so most will not know what it is.
Sorry about your bow.

[Jimbob]

Hey freeman, I did the same job while I was in college. After working for United Postal Service (UPS) in the sort facility.  I will never ship anything UPS ever, period. The way that things get handled is unbelievable. We had lots of guys that would bust boxes open just to see what was inside. If it was something good it would go home with them. Im suprised if I get somethng from UPS in one piece.

[nchunter]

Yes, UPS insurance on packages is really a fraud!  They NEVER pay up when they destroy a package!  Their line is "If we broke it, then by definition it wasn't packaged adequately, so it's your fault!"  This has not only been my personal experience but that of many people I know.

[John Nail]

Well, I got the form filled out. Pretty painless. There are some good things about living in a small town.
I hope Craig gets paid quickly.
I sill pine for the bow.

[knife river]

Sounds like everyone's got a horror story.  I had a very bad experience with Fed Ex Ground (which is a subcontractor of Fed Ex).  Shipped three large boxes (insured) and all three were badly damaged.  One box had tire tracks on it!!!  The receiver declined to accept two of the boxes and Fed Ex (supposedly) repacked them and sent them back to me.  One, received further damage on the way back to me.  The other one, the most valuable, was "lost" in transit.  Fed Ex Ground balked at paying for the loss, so I filed a suit in small claims court.  They settled before we went to court.  It's gotten to where I hate to ship anything.

[john gerrard]

Just another option. I have used a used carpet roll to ship bows. Try going to a furniture/carpet store and ask for a section of a used carpet roll. They are a very thick and sturdy cardboard and usually free. They make a great shipping tube. Brokenwing

[GroundHunter]

Ouch! That hurts! Specially when you are just waiting to get your hands on a new bow. You have my sympathies.

[String Tracker]

i bought one bow and the sender got some of that blue foam and cut to shape the bow into the foam and then wrapped with extra heavy cardboard.  bow recieved in great condition.  also it was maked "fragile"

[Precurve]

Had an insured bow broken 13 months ago by the USPS.  Filed all the insurance papers, did everything they asked and nothing.  Just a complete farce and a waste of my time.  Don't ship anything by them!

[Ontario Longbow]

That really sucks,, Its like Christmas being canceled. Did you order the exact bow from Craig? What are the details,, I'm sure you will get the next one intact,, All the best ,,Frank

[Okie man]

My deepest sympathies Mr. Nail.  I would have cried like a little girl if that would have happened to me.