Good Couriers for Transporting Astronomy Equipment

[skir]

Can anyone provide advice on good couriers to use, bad ones to avoid? Also any advice on packaging methods would be good.

[ollypenrice]

In my neck of the woods UPS wipe the floor with all the rest I've met. All the others subcontract to gangs of ferrel teenagers in vans whose work ethic is to avoid the slightest effort and belly-ache about having to drive up to our village. They even ring up and ask if I'd like to meet them ten miles away to save them the bother. 'My turbo won't work, I can't get up the hill / I've got rear wheel drive and it's been raining...' Poor little lambs.

For delicate items I think the key thing is to keep the item at a long distance from the outside of the packet and have lots of shock absorbent packing in between. The manufacturers use a cardboard box within another and bubble wrap to keep them apart. This means that if the parcel is dropped the inner box slows down slowly. Cardboard boxes are remarkable things. DIdn't some nutter land a wingsuit on a large pile of cardboard boxes?? *

Olly

*I checked and, yes indeed, he did;

Don't use this man to deliver your telescope...

[keithatrochdale]

Hi

It depends what and where from/to, Ollys advice may be true in France, but it may be different in the UK.

I use a Rochdale firm to collect a 10" scope from S.London and they did a next day collection for £25 and the scope was fine. I did collect from the dept at 9 am the next morning, but excellent service and a fraction of the cost of the big names. They are a group of small independents and so, I guess, have to do a good job.

http://www.apc-overnight.com/apc/depots-home.php?depotid=295

And look for your local deport.

[toilandtrouble123]

I'm going with parcel force for my equipment at the end of the month. Check out their website, and get a quick quote.

Nat xx

[L8-Nite]

Can anyone provide advice on good couriers to use, bad ones to avoid? Also any advice on packaging methods would be good.

For what, and to where ?

Packaging methods differ for shipping a tripod compared to an expensive OTA., and the distance & number of various transport methods involved along the way, ie. truck, ship, air cargo, van, etc.

[skir]

For what, and to where ?

Packaging methods differ for shipping a tripod compared to an expensive OTA., and the distance & number of various transport methods involved along the way, ie. truck, ship, air cargo, van, etc.

Possibly for ota and mount within the uk.