Here's a couple of suggestions also:
- Always, repeat always, fill out another pc. of paper with the shipper and recipient's addresses on them, and place this INSIDE the pkg. With any shipping company, when the pkgs. circumvent the labyrinth of conveyor belts in their stations or hubs, pkgs. have a tendency to lose the sticky airbill pouches. Once this is gone, the pkg gets placed into an overgoods area, where it'll sit for awhile until someone does research on it. If the pkg. is opened the paper will be found and a new airbill is generated.
- In addition to filing out an airbill, write the airbill number on the box where it's visible, and not covered by anything. This way, (with FedEX at least) if the airbill pouch is removed, the info can be found by way of accessing the airbill number.
- When pkging. your firearm, after placing the airbill into the sticky pouch and placing it on the pkg., place pcs. of pkging tape on top of the pouch to keep it held down securely. (See above)
- When filling out the airbill, DO NOT write something like Scattergun Tech, Clark's Guns, Jardine's Gunsmithing, etc. Write an acronym which isn't obvious, or just simply write an individual's name and the address. Sure, several people at the location station will know who it's going to since they know the area and deliver there, but not everyone in the system handling your prized handgun will know that it's likely a firearm.
- Pkg. your firearm SECURELY. Place in the stock plastic box it came with, then place an absorbing (shock, water) material next to it and then into a FIRM (not, a reused flimsy box) rigid outer container or box. Don't use one that's been used several times already and will probably break open once other boxes have been placed upon it.
Remember people, yours is not the only box in the system! There are thousands more, each pkg. nicely or not so nicely. They travel miles of conveyor belts and are handled by many people (some gorillas) usually under many time constraints. Pkgs. are loaded/or built tightly into air shipping containers and are therefore placed on top of others to MAXIMIZE the space of the container. Containers, after being completed, usually weigh more than vehicles.
- Purchase the shipping insurance for your firearm. It's worth it.
- Always ship (if overnight service) so the pkg. will arrive before or on Fri. Never tender to the freight company on a Fri, unless you paid extra for Sat del. Otherwise, the pkg. will be with the company longer, allowing extra time for any of those bad things you sometimes hear about to happen. Theft, loss, damage, etc.
- If the pkg will be traveling during a wet season, or to or from a wet area, consider placing some sort of plastic bag around your inner box. It's not unheard of for pkgs. to get wet during their time at stations, hubs, airports, etc, during loading or pkg. handling. Cardboard will just soak it up, and then this increases the chances for your box to come apart (see above) and lose the contents.
That's all I can think of at the moment, perhaps more later.
EricO
