Hello to all,  tube_guru here with a guide about the proper way to pack vacuum tubes for safe delivery.

 These delicate items would have to be at the top of any list of fragile items, for not only are they made of very thin glass, they also have delicate filaments inside and and the parts inside the tube must remain in alignment or the tube will not function properly. I recently recieved an item that arrived with the glass cracked and the vacuum seal broken. I got a really good deal on the item and the sad part is, had it been properly packed it would have arrived in one piece, and I would have been a satisfied customer ready to give positive feedback with a nice comment, not to mention repeat business !!

The main item's I sell are tubes and I ship them all over the world, and this is the way I personally pack tubes so that they will endure any abusive handling by those few in the shipping industry that just don't care. If the tube is in a box the first thing to do is put a piece of a packing peanut in the box to secure the tube from rattling around inside the box. Larger tubes may require the whole peanut or two. Next wrap the box with a layer of bubble wrap if it is the large bubble variety, or two layers if it is the small bubble type. If the tube is not in a box it gets two or three layers of bubble wrap. If there are more than one tube in the shipment, I tape all of the wrapped tubes together preferably covering the whole outside of the bundle of tubes with packing tape which adds a lot of strength to the bundle.

Next the right size box is chosen. The box should have a minimum of two inches of space around the tube or the bundle, and three or four is even better. Now comes the filler, I have found heavy gauge newspaper to be the best packing for one to four small tubes. Packing peanuts should be used for larger bundles or heavier items. The news paper should be LOOSELY crumpled and the tube placed in the center of the loosely crumpled paper. This will require several sheets. The result will be that the item almost is riding on air !! If using peanuts, fill partly, place the item in the center of the box and finish filling with peanuts untill slightly over full, close and secure with tape.

Larger or more valuable tubes should be double boxed, which involves packing as above, and then putting that box in a larger box, again with a minimum of two inches of space all around the smaller box. Fill  using peanuts all the way around the smaller box. Use of this method of packing is sure to impress your customers and leave them smiling !! 

Here is a few suggestions  for economical shipping. With the cost of everything rising fast, saving money on packing materials is always helpful. I get my newspaper from the free Recycler type classified ad papers. Packing tape and bubble wrap is purchased at the local .99 cents store where it costs about 1/3 less than normal retail outlets. I use USPS priority  mail for all US shipping because the post office delivers any quantity of the different size priority boxes FOR FREE! Order your free priority boxes online at the USPS web site. This free box service will save you a ton of money. For international deliveries I have found a few stores that have dumpsters with nothing but empty boxes in them which are clean, and I stop and check them whenever in the area. ebay is a good source for packing peanuts along with most local self storage businesses and mailing stores. Don't forget to recycle any packing materials you recieve from your own purchases.

If you are looking for well packed and guaranteed tubes, visit my store.....TUBE GURU's Vintage Electronics, home of the best tube guarantee on ebay!

Thank you for reading this guide. Your vote if found this guide helpful would be much appreciated!.