How to ship lead

[Joe504]

Any ideas on how I should ship these ingots? They are in a medium flat rate box. I want to sell them, but I want to make sure I can ship them before I try to sell them. They weigh 25.5 pounds each, so, 2 is all I can ship in one box. Thanks for any help.

[jmort]

The motto is "If it fits, it ships." Yes you can. For sure.

[Sweetpea]

Make sure they absolutely cannot move, maybe build a wooden box inside the box.

Fiberglass strapping tape is your friend. Use lots.

Brandon

[Joe504]

Forgot to add the pic

Also, they are too thick to fit into a SFRB

[Zymurgy50]

I shipped +/- 1200# of lead in MFRBs, go buy a 1X8, cut 2 pcs just long enough to fit in the box, i pcs either side of the lead, fiberglass strapping tape the lead to the 1X8, and newspaper padding to fill the box. Never had a complaint on arrival.

[groovy mike]

I think the weight limit is 50 pounds in the MFRB and 70 lbs in the large box - honestly though anything over 40lbs is a PITA to deal with.

[Uncle Jimbo]

Build a strong wood box that fits inside the MFRB and pack them so they don't move, you will have no trouble.
Works good.

[Alan in Vermont]

I think the weight limit is 50 pounds in the MFRB and 70 lbs in the large box - honestly though anything over 40lbs is a PITA to deal with.

70 lbs for all of the sizes, I've been shipping 60-65# in MFRBs regularly, heaviest one so far was 68+. Sent out five boxes with 60+ in each one yesterday.

[Beagle333]

MFRB limit is 70#

[Hardcast416taylor]

The boxes are free, get some and cut them up for lining the inside of the actual shipping box. If more reinforcement is desired, then use wood shims as has been suggested. Nylon strapping tape is an excellent aid, wrap the box in every direction and especially on the corners.Robert

[Bjornb]

Cut a piece of plywood to fit the bottom of the box. Put ingots in box like your picture shows. Place sheet of Saran Wrap over ingots, push wrap well down to follow the contours of ingots. Spray Home Depot "Great Stuff" foam around and over ingots; fill the box. Next day slice any foam that sticks up over the edge of the box. Tape well, ship. Been doing it this way for years. Works great.

[Bjornb]

Or, if shipping smaller ingots, foam into place a cheap plastic container on top of the plywood.

[Springfield]

The foam is a good idea, but I prefer to just double box and use lots of tape. I have received many boxes of lead where the plywood box was pretty busted up. Doesn't hurt to put the lead in a USPS Tyvek bag, at least it will never tear and let your lead get through the busted out sides of the box. The point isn't to get a nice square box delivered, it just needs to hold the lead, even if it ends up looking like a round ball.

[CountryBoy19]

The boxes are free, get some and cut them up for lining the inside of the actual shipping box.

I can't stand it when people do this. Technically, it's fraud as the USPS priority mail packing items are only free if you are using them as a shipping container, not as additional packing material. Will they prosecute you? I doubt it, but the fact remains, they have to pay for that stuff... and people wonder why the cost of stamps keeps going up...

I really doubt there is anybody out there that doesn't have some sort of cardboard-boxes, newspapers, or other items to pack things with. There should be no reason you have to go get perfectly good boxes that USPS has to pay for and destroy them to be used as extra padding... Just my opinion, I have no affiliation with USPS, I'm just trying to be smart and keep rates lower by not taking advantage of the situation...

[fredj338]

I can't stand it when people do this. Technically, it's fraud as the USPS priority mail packing items are only free if you are using them as a shipping container, not as additional packing material. ..

Where do you come up with fraud? The UPS is going broke becasue they pay their employees too much $$, not becasue they give away shipping boxes. If you are shipping boxes in boxes, you are using them for shipping.
The SFRB fits in the large box. You can use several constructed boxes as blocking, tape them well, wrap the ingots in bubble wrap & place in the middle so they can't move around, tape everything really well. No issues.

[Hammerlane]

If I had to cut wood, spray form, this and that I would never get any lead shipped. Shipped over 20 TONS last year USPS Med Flat Rate, Just ask my local PO. I have put half of them on Lt duty. bad backs... Lead will break out if it moves that is the key. And if you only put 20lbs in then the PO will toss, drop or through. Ship at the limit 70lbs. Use cardboard to fill empty spaces and Tape the box where the box is put together on the side also tape the ends and use fiber tape in a directions. Cover the fiber tape with regular shipping tape so the fiber tape does not get caught in the PO belt system. Ship away .. They are now insured $50

[wiliamr]

You can use plastic water bottles half crushed with lids on as a cushioning packing the bottles dont crush easily because the air in them has to be compresed by the ingots to move or tear through the sides. taping the ingots down also helps. Another packing trick is flatten coke cans to line box with. It does add some wieght the plastic water bottles dont, but it is pretty solid.
As far as USPS going broke... Congres passed bills several years ago to force USPS to prefund retirees health insurance for the next 75 years: based on employee complements from about 20 years ago. Also had to prefund retiree benefits to FERS. If the USPS had not had to do that they would have made a profit last year and broke even the year before. As far as pay... beginning pay of 15 an hour for working up to 6 days a week - 12 hours a day. No set schedules (for new hires) working outdoors in all weather 6 - 11 hours a day for carriers. clerks work all hours of day during week. Its not what you saw on Cheers. If you want to talk getting paid too much lets talk about Congress : )

[CountryBoy19]

Where do you come up with fraud? The UPS is going broke becasue they pay their employees too much $$, not becasue they give away shipping boxes. If you are shipping boxes in boxes, you are using them for shipping.
The SFRB fits in the large box. You can use several constructed boxes as blocking, tape them well, wrap the ingots in bubble wrap & place in the middle so they can't move around, tape everything really well. No issues.

Fraud? Maybe not... it's not only part of the terms of use of priority mail packaging, but the price of the box is figured into the postage rate so when you use 6 boxes and pay postage on only one, you've violated USPS terms and ultimately are part of the cause of increasing postage rates... If you can't see the connection then I feel sorry for you.

Either way it makes me sick to see it and when I do I typically mark that person off my list to buy from. Why? Because it indicates to me that the person is dishonest and willing to do anything, even illegal means, to save a few pennies. Which, in turn, makes me question their ethics regarding the item I'm purchasing... to each their own, you likely will never get caught doing what you're advocating here, but you won't sell me anything...

For reference, from the USPS website:
The terms of Agreement for the use of United States Postal Service shipping supplies is as follows: I understand that Express Mail service, Priority Mail service, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International packaging is the property of the United States Postal Service and is provided solely for sending Express Mail, Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International and Priority Mail International. Misuse may be a violation of federal law.

And other reference from USPS:
Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail Packaging
Priority Mail Express and Priority Mail packaging provided by the USPS must be used only for Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail, as applicable. Regardless of how the packaging is reconfigured or how markings may be obliterated, any matter mailed in USPS-provided Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail packaging is charged the appropriate Priority Mail Express or Priority Mail price.

You can toe the line all you want but the simple fact that you haven't been caught and/or haven't been prosecuted for it doesn't mean it is acceptable or ok to do...

As far as USPS going broke... Congres passed bills several years ago to force USPS to prefund retirees health insurance for the next 75 years: based on employee complements from about 20 years ago. Also had to prefund retiree benefits to FERS. If the USPS had not had to do that they would have made a profit last year and broke even the year before. As far as pay... beginning pay of 15 an hour for working up to 6 days a week - 12 hours a day. No set schedules (for new hires) working outdoors in all weather 6 - 11 hours a day for carriers. clerks work all hours of day during week. Its not what you saw on Cheers. If you want to talk getting paid too much lets talk about Congress : )

No kidding. Paid too much? Look at what your mail-carrier does day-in and day-out. Snow, rain, ice, it doesn't matter your mail and your packages still make it to your door/mailbox and some people seem to conveniently overlook that fact. Afterall, they get paid how much to just drive around in a car all day?

Obviously that is a little bit sarcastic but illustrates my point nicely. Compared to the wages of a lot of other professions/jobs postal carriers aren't rolling in the dough. They work hard for their paycheck. How about we give them a little appreciation for what they do instead of placing the blame for increasing postage costs on them?

[NewbieDave007]

[Joe504]

As a side note, I have sold all the lead locally.