Leanna, That's great info!! :thumbup: I've never heard of this "crush rate" label. Could you share any add'l details please....
Sure C! You've probably seen Box Certificates a hundred times over the years but never realized what it was. They're usually found on the bottom of cardboard boxes that are safe to use to ship things.
View attachment box crush label certificate.jpg
On the example above, the box this label would appear on can carry a total of 65 pounds, though that weight varies so make sure you choose an appropriate box for your item. Even very small boxes can hold a lot more weight than you'd expect depending on single / double cardboard construction, liners and other factors, but just because your stuff
fits in there doesn't necessarily mean you should use it.
Three inches of "collapsible material on all sides of the item being shipped" is also required by The Big Three Shipping Companies or any resulting insurance claim can be denied outright. USPS often includes $50 in insurance, and UPS automatically covers your shipment for $100 at no extra charge ... but car parts often cost a lot more than that so be considerate to your buyer and purchase sufficient coverage.
DO NOT use a packing carton to ship anything. Cartons like the one your new box fan, floor jack or toaster came in might be big enough physically but these thin cardboard containers do not usually have a Box Certificate / crush rate label and are cheaply constructed. They will most likely not hold up to rigorous shipping practices and, more importantly, will not be sufficient for UPS / USPS / FedEx insurance policies without that Box Certificate label.
C'mon, we've all seen the horror story video of the Fed Ex guy pitching the big screen tv box over the 6-foot fence and countless others like it. Would you want your intake manifold or new EFI system treated like that??? Probably not, but when you pack something keep in mind it will not be treated gently by anybody but you and the person who's buying it ... with lots of miles, pissed off employees, unkind conveyor belts, scanners and God knows what else in between.
Receiving parties should take pictures of the box, the label (usually on the bottom of the box), the contents and the packing materials to document any insurance claim you plan to file if the item is damaged or destroyed.
Most people would also be surprised to learn that any check generated on a shipping claim goes to the SHIPPER for some strange reason, NOT to the person who actually suffered the damage and is out the money
and what they bought. In effect, you have to trust your seller to not only pack it well enough that it survives, but to pay you for the damage when the settlement check arrives if it doesn't.
The best other advice I can share is to communicate with the other party, cooperate with each other as best as you can, and make sure each understands his / her duties to the transaction. It's key to a successful conclusion if you both know what to expect.
When I ship finished parts, I cover not only the amount of my bill for the labor but the cost of the part(s) itself on the open market in case it has to be replaced. In the event a UPS forklift runs over a customer's box, the insurance coverage needs to be enough that they won't be out anything except the time. << knockin on wood :-D >> I haven't had any outgoing insurance claims yet and plan to keep it that way.
This is an older pic I took to document a common problem I have with incoming parts, a box that's wayyyyy too small to use to send the stuff home in.
View attachment Customer's Box is Too Small (1).jpg
These finished valve covers were going to Canada. What you see is only my wrapping paper and a layer of bubble wrap on them trying to fit into the same box they initially arrived in. Though the box did have a Box Certificate with plenty of leeway on the weight limit, there was barely room for the naked valve covers let alone three inches of collapsible material. If I'd used that box and the valve covers had been damaged or destroyed, the insurance claim would have been denied.
I hope this helps!!!
