I don't know about you but it has happened to me twice this week,I go down to the front gate and the parcel is there leaning against the fence.The first thing that goes through my mind is ,I bet its broken.I reach out and pick it up by one end ......yep,what used to be a perfectly good vintage rod rapped in what appears to be bubble wrap and brown card board looking very much like a dogs hind leg........----!!!

  Bad feelings  can be avoided on the other end by doing one very simple thing ,PUT THE ROD IN A HARD TUBE ,WRITE FAGILE ON IT,then put it in the post.

  The best tube for sending rods in the mail is a length of 40-50mm high pressure pvc pipe that you can get from your local hardware or pool shop.Ask for a piece thats a couple inchs longer than the rod when its broken down,this will cost about $3,you can also get (at the hardware)end caps that will push on ,put one end on ,now rap the rod with bubble or news papper and put it in the tube and cap it and tape em on.I glue spunge into the caps to avoid broken tips.

  This is not only the best way to send a rod( if it dosn't have it's own tube already ),this is the way I store and take my rods out on the boat or on the river.

  So if your selling or buying a fishing rod on ebay make sure,insist that it is posted in a hard tube.