Someone in America actually thought that shrimp tails would make good packing material when they sent in a camera for repair several months ago. Creative methods for shipping broken cameras never cease to amaze me. Perhaps the logic is that “the camera is already broken, so why protect it during shipping? If it breaks again, they’ll just repair it.” In any case, as someone who opens hundreds of packages a day with broken camera contents, I have created a list of the Top 5 WORST methods to ship your camera:
- Packing the camera in a box without any packing materials: The image of a box of rocks comes to mind.
- Using a box that isn’t adequately sized: The image of a fat guy in a little coat comes to mind.
- Shipping a camera in a padded envelope. The image of bringing a knife to a gun fight comes to mind.
- Improper packing materials like old napkins, dirty socks, and plastic bottles (yes I see it sometimes). The image of me throwing up in a trashcan comes to mind.
- Wrapping the camera completely in tape. Similar to “Box of rocks” above, but a box of taped rocks instead.
One would think that common sense would prevent these types of mistakes. After seeing these things on a daily basis, I beg to differ.
By the way, honorable mention must be given to the cat lovers whose cameras became the litter box. As a courtesy to the unsuspecting handler, please wrap your urine soaked camera in a plastic bag and provide a warning note! I’ll ensure that someone else opens it.