I have sold many turntables on eBay, mostly older Dual, Pioneer, Rek-O-Kut and Technics, with all of them arriving to their destinations intact. I had about 16 turntables at one time, and I decided to sell the bunch and get one great table to play my LP's 45's 78's and 16" transcriptions.

Horror Story: Some years ago, I bought on eBay what I think will be my last turntable, (Technics SP15 with plinth and ATP12 arm). At the time I had won it for 635.00, and with the shipping and insurance it cost me 655.00.

 I purchased this from an experienced audiophile, and felt sure he knew how to pack it. WRONG! I was horrified at the way the table was packed! The box was barely big enough to contain the assembled turntable, and it appeared to have been dropped on one corner. The saving grace was that the seller took my advice and floated the platter, and removed and secured the tonearm. After nervously unwrapping the gob of bubble wrap and tape he had used as packing (don't use this stuff!), I was relieved to find that the table had made the trip intact. WHEW!

 It may cost more and take a bit more time to pack properly, but the materials and time can be tacked on to the final total. Just make sure your prospective buyers are aware of your intent in your auction listing. Most people won't mind the extra charges for materials if they know that the item will arrive intact, and the more knowledgable people in our community will appreciate it. 

Please look at my tips below for packing your turntable for shipment.

Some minor dis-assembly is required. You should remove the platter, dust-cover, and sometimes, the tonearm assembly, spindle (if removable), along with any other components that could suffer from remaining on the plinth (base). These items should be boxed seperately before being placed in the master shipping carton, but in some cases it can be practical to place the parts in one box together (noted below).Removing the platter is of paramount importance, as leaving it on the turntable could result in a damaged bearing.

Master Carton Technique

 The plinth or turntable assembly, (especially if you leave the tonearm on it) needs to be floated in fairly rigid packing, such as styrofoam, so that the sides of the plinth and the parts on the surface will not come into contact with other components, the wall of the box it is going into, or loose packing material. Be sure to twist tie the tonearm to the armrest (see below) and remove the counter balance and bias weights. Cover the platter bearing or DD motor assembly with clean plastic and secure with tape, and slip the whole business into a clean plastic bag.

 Place the plinth into fitted styrofoam blocks. These should be as long as the box is deep, and at least 4 inches thick or more, (you can fit these to the plinth in minutes with a razor blade or box-cutter). Once the blocks are fitted to the plinth, place it into the box. The blocks should be snug against the box walls and corners. This will keep the plinth suspended and physically isolated, with the box being deep enough for about 3 to 4 inches of clearance under the plinth, clear the surface components by at least 6 inches on top, and at least 2 inches on all sides. There will be no need to put anything on top of or under the plinth.

 Let me repeat, the platter should always be removed in order to avoid damage to the bearing. This is particularly important with direct drive tables, as the bearings tend to be more fragile, and may have motor components on the platter as well. Regardless of drive type, wrap the platter in clean plastic. If it is a split platter, such as the ones used on Thorens turntables, they should be wrapped seperately, and in some cases, boxed seperately.

 The platter must also be floated in a box, or sandwiched in styrofoam, with at least 2 inches of clearance on all sides. Again, snug it in with styrofoam so that it can't move. If you are shipping an older belt or rim drive, the platter bearing may be very long. In this case, you need to float the platter so that the bearing has at least 2 inches of clearance, and add more foam blocks to keep the platter sandwiched or suspended, (this can be a real challenge when dealing with a 16" platter as used with the Rek-O-Kut G2B). In the event that your platter has a fixed spindle. the lplatter will need to floated in a way to isolate both the bearing and the spindle.

Tonearm removal is not practical on an intergrated turntable assembly like the Technics SL1200, Dual 1000 and 1200 series, Pioneer PL series, or similar tables, but is necessary when shipping high-end tables where the tonearm is almost always an aftermarket add-on. If the arm is to remain on the plinth, be sure to remove the counter-balance and bias weights, headshell (if removable) and secure the arm to the arm rest with a twist tie (gently).

 If you do remove the tonearm, take care to pack it into a box of appropriate size, removing the counter balance and bias weights, and cut foam rubber to fit so the arm, while cushioned, won't move around. It is important not to stress the pivot bearings. The arm should be either boxed seperatly from the weights, or in a partitioned container. Always remove the headshell, (if it is removable) or cartridge and pack it seperately. If there is a stylus on the cartridge, make sure to suspend the stylus so that it makes no physical contact with the packing, or other components.

 The dustcover can be wrapped with plastic or thin foam, and placed into a snug cardboard container to be floated in the master carton.

The master shipping carton should have the bottom filled with about 2 to 4 inches of  foam peanuts, and have 2 to 4 inches of clearance on all sides of the component boxes. I usually place the box with the platter into the shipping carton first, followed by the plinth, and then the tonearm, dustcover, and etc. Add peanuts after each box is placed in the shipping carton, keeping about 2 to 4 inches between the boxes.

Once you seal the carton, take a marker and draw arrows pointing 'up' at each corner on all sides. This will tell the handler to keep that end up. Put some verbal prompts on the box too, it can't hurt.

Now pick it up and shake it! If it rattles, you didn't get enough packing material in there somewhere. You should be able to turn the box upside down (gently) with no noticable shift in weight, and no rattling or detectable motion inside.

Integrated Packing Technique

Same as above, as far as dis-assembly and so forth, but instead of individual boxes all of the parts will go in one box. I don't recommend this for high-end tables, but is usable for junkers, or mid to low end tables.

Crumpled newspaper and cardboard spacers are used . At least 2 to 4 inches of tightly crumpled newspaper should line the bottom of the box. Begin by nesting the platter into the newspaper, (top-side down) and pack it in tightly with more of the same. After you pack in more newspaper, covering the platter, lay a sheet of cardboard over it, apply more newspaper, and nest the plinth in this layer. Use cardboard spacers (you can make thes by folding or rolling cardboard to the desired thickness) to the top corners of the plinth. The spacers should be tall enough to allow clearance of all surface components. Create a card board lid (like a shallow box) that will seat around the perimeter of the plinth and enclose it. The spacers will keep this from contact with the arm and other surface components.

This next layer should contain the tonearm and/or other small components. The tonearm will still need to be packed in it's own container. Snug in with more newspaper.

 Slip the dust cover into a clean plastic bag and set it over the the tonearm layer, and snug it all in with newspaper and seal the container.  

Old low end record changers like V-M, BSR , Garrard and the like that are mounted to a plinth or plastic base will have to be shipped as one piece. By securing the arm to the rest, and taping and tying down any moving parts, the whole assembly can be also packed in the same manner as in the previous descriptions. The platters are usually lightweight pressed metal or plastic, and if so, they don't require removal. If your changer is something like a Dual or Garrard type A with a heavy cast or turned platter, either one piece or two piece types,  you will definitely want to remove the platter. Many record changers have two large screws or bolts on the top side of the changer that are meant to be screwed upwards to lock the changer to the base when shipping. As you turn them, the screw heads actually move up, compressing the springs under the changer, bolting it tightly to the base.  Once done, the unit is ready to pack.

I hope some of you find this helpful, particularly if you have no experience with turntables, especially when dealing with the high end versions. Cheers!