QTH.COM Swap Chat

I see just about one ad per day for someone looking for an empty box (the one the gear originally came in) for transceivers, amps, etc. I've also seen a couple of ads selling empty boxes for what I think are very high prices.

So what am I missing? Why all the interest in original boxes? Should I go dumpster diving at my nearest ham store and stock up on them?

For one, equipment is easier/safer to ship when it is in it's original box/inserts, etc. When selling said equipment, it seems to add that extra attraction to the sale. Right or wrong, it might also make the buyer feel like the equipment was better taken care of. That's my take on it anyway.

I thought of that, but at the rate these empty boxes are selling for, it's a lot cheaper to take the equipment to a shipping location, and have them worry about it.

As far as making the sale more attractive, most if not all the boxes for transceivers have the serial number on the box, so that wouldn't match.

Maybe I'm thinking of something sinister but it's kind of strange that I have noticed more and more of these types of ads.

N8QBY wrote:For one, equipment is easier/safer to ship when it is in it's original box/inserts, etc. When selling said equipment, it seems to add that extra attraction to the sale. Right or wrong, it might also make the buyer feel like the equipment was better taken care of. That's my take on it anyway.

I traded for a Kenwood TS-940SAT. The guy who had it carried it down to the UPS store and paid $94 to pack and ship it. It arrived destroyed, so he paid again to ship it back to him. I felt so bad for him.and I still feel bad about that deal.

I traded for another Kenwood TS-940SAT a year later. I drove to Ohio to pick it up. There was no way, I was going to trust a shipping outfit with that rig. It came with double boxed in it's factory cartons.

So, I traded it away for a Kenwood TS-480SAT. I had allot of confidence in those double boxes and agreed to ship it to VA. I boxed it up, carried it down to the post office and 11 days later it arrived damaged at it's new owners house. The new owner refused to send it back and had it repaired. I still feel bad about that deal as well.

Sometimes, regardless of how hard you try, crap happens. I'll ship no more heavy radios. Pick-up only. That is the only way you can be sure.

BTW, Last heard, the UPS Store was trying to get out of paying for Kenwood TS-940SAT number 1.

Steve KA9MOT

The local UPS hub in Madison Heights Michigan REFUSES to ship electronic gear especially ham radio gear in anything other than the OEM shipping container. They have a placard behind the counter that clearly states that policy.
You can buy any box you want but if it isn't the "factory" box they are very likely to turn you away. Over the years I have shipped hundreds of items domestically and internationaly and had not one claim for damage. I have shipped Globe kings to Japan and SABA consoles to Chile. Packing is not a problem . Yet , take a very well packed SX-28 to the Madison Heights UPS and the standard come back to "It's a RADIO" is "Is this the original box" . When you explain the original box probably would have disintegrated around 1955 the standard answer is "We cannot ship it" They do suggest taking it to a UPS pack and ship store...of course it will then cost two or three times as much to ship.