Shipping and handling neon signs
Shipping a neon sign risks damage to the glass tubing. Period. Wrapping the sign in bubble wrap and tossing it into a box can prove disastrous. In view of that fact, this page will teach you how I ship neon signs safely. If you came here inquiring about shipping a neon sign or neon sign replacement tube you want to purchase, you can jump to that section at the bottom of this page.
I pack neons with extreme protection. Why? Cartons are tossed during the shipping process. Always. Unless there is physical box damage, you can forget the insurance claim. It won't be paid.
If you follow my procedure listed below, you should fair just fine shipping a neon sign. I really like neon, heck I put this site up didn't I? I hate to see or hear of a neon sign breaking, but stuff happens when you are dealing with glass. So I thought I would freely share my neon sign packing procedure with everyone. Just maybe I can help some folks out. Sound good? Great. Read on.
Safely Packing Exposed Tube Neon Signs For Shipping
by Neonaddict
Latest revision: 06/14/05
The majority of neon signs sold on eBay need to be shipped. Shipping an exposed tube neon sign can be troublesome without the factory carton. Unless the original shipping carton is available, the neon sign will require special packing to survive a shipping trip safely. I've bought neon signs through eBay. Many neon signs. Visit my about neonaddict page if you haven't yet. Go ahead, I'll wait for you.
That link should have cleared any doubts you might have as to whether or not I might just know something about shipping exposed tube neon signs. Yes good ol eBay. The new discoveries of neons from far away.... Oh the joy of rooms filled with neon flickered in my mind.... One major problem. About every other sign that I had won from eBay arrived broken in some way. I know I hate being disappointed when I open my eBay purchased neon carton to find a broken sign that would not light. I'm willing to bet it has happened to you too if you've bought a neon through eBay. Over the years I've been selling on eBay I talked with a lot of you. I heard the same story over and over. Signs arrived broken. The insurance claim was declined. Spent a lot for nothing. It wasn't just me this horrible thing happened to.
Buyers, like myself, do not want to spend good money to end up owning a broken neon sign. Sellers on eBay, like myself, want happy buyers who leave positive feedback comments. A feedback comment of "GOT MY NEON TO ME IN ONE PIECE - OUTSTANDING SELLER A++!" would be highly desired by a person who frequently sells neon signs on eBay. Therefore learning how to ship exposed tube neon signs properly is paramount in importance. Plus, it's just good for the neon sign too. Don't break that glass. Respect the glass. That tube took time and care to make. Aside from feedback, dealing with "insurance claims" is a headache. I personally experienced a 6 month wait for the U.S. Post Office to settle a claim for a package they clearly destroyed during shipping. By the way, INSURANCE? Ha! Forget it unless there is OBVIOUS OUTER CARTON DAMAGE of some sort. If the outer carton looks fine, the claim WILL BE DECLINED in every case. When there is a hole in the side of the box from a tow motor's lift fork, then you have a claim if the sign won't light. IT WILL BE PAID. If one corner of the carton is crushed in 2 inches and the rest of the box looks fine, it fell off the conveyor on it's way into the plane and landed 6 feet down. If that sign won't light, you have a claim. IT WILL BE PAID. Now that's not to say we don't need insurance with my procedure. YOU ALWAYS NEED INSURANCE. Insurance covers incidents I mentioned above. No packing procedure or factory carton is designed to keep your neon in one piece when the tow motor fork goes through the side of the carton, or it falls 6 feet off a conveyor to it's demise, or a 350 pound dock worker loses balance and falls right into the side of the box. Regardless of who you ship with, USPS, Fed Ex or UPS, YOUR package WILL go through a combination of things. Your package will and may be thrown, tossed, slammed, dropped, knocked, pressed, stacked, smacked or wedged. If you just wrap a neon sign like any other salable item on eBay to ship, you are taking a big gamble. Maybe that antique vase can survive shipping wrapped in several layers of bubble wrap in a carton of styrofoam peanuts. My experience is a neon sign 9 times out of 10 will not arrive intact packed in that manner.
From the first neon I won on eBay, which arrived broken, I began to examine other people's packing methods when I bought signs from them. What packing methods worked, and what did not resulting in broken glass. Then I purchased a few signs that came in original shipping cartons. I studied those original neon shipping cartons. They WORKED. Not one broken sign. Hmmmmmmm. I can honestly say I have studied the material well. Why? Didn't you visit that link of mine? I've combined the ideas and came up with a procedure that works well for most exposed tube signs using easily obtained materials. Listed below is the procedure I use to pack a neon sign to ship safely. This way works when done right. Everything can be recycled material, except for packing tape and nylon tie straps of course. Quickly now some basics about the signs themselves.
STANDARD COMPONENTS OF A NEON SIGN
- Power supply
- Glass neon tube or tubes
- Non-permanent wall or ceiling hanging chain
- Bar stock metal framing with rubber window bumpers
- Neon glass tube supports
- Three-prong grounded wall plug
- On / Off switch (usually pull-type)
An exposed tube neon sign (your typical beer sign) supports it's glass tubes with little spring loaded holders secured to the backing frame in most cases. These holders are clipped or wired (or both) to the tubes in several places. Why? Because the glass needs to retain a relaxed yet firm support. A neon sign's glass tubing cannot withstand twist or pressure against it. In original factory shipping cartons, "fingered" foam or nothing touches the glass tubes. They are packaged in a box that surrounds the sign's framing. That box is then placed into a larger box allowing a 3 inch space on ALL sides. The inner box is supported with custom fit thick U-shaped foam pieces. The idea is that the outer carton can take an impact, and the inner carton experiences little shock due to the foam supports. Thick foam is expensive to buy if and when you can find it. It is not necessary for you to safely ship a neon you have sold. Of course if you have access to such foam, by all means use it. This process will take a bit of time on your first sign. Less time as you get the hang of it shipping more signs. Ready? O.K. Let's get started.
- Wrap up the sign's cord leaving the plug end accessible for an extension cord. Nylon ties or "zip" ties as they are called work well. You could also use string, thin "bailing" or "mechanics" wire, heavier gauge bread twist ties or nylon fishing line to name a few. Personally, I leave the sign's switch in the on position. I leave the plug so it can be accessed without completely unpacking the sign. Factory cartons do this. Usually the carton will state something along the lines of: "Before unpacking open this flap and test unit." Generally, I secure the cord to the sign's frame so the plug can be accessed from the top. You don't want broken glass happening during shipment from a loose cord smacking around in the carton. You want to make a kind of "shoebox" for the sign itself. Stand your sign up on a table to get a measurement of the framing. There are metal extensions that come from the frame with rubber bumpers on the end for window display. You want to measure just outside these extensions. You want the inner box square or rectangular, no abstract shapes please. Measure the height, width and depth of the sign. The bottom of the "shoebox" is first.
- Find or buy a corrugated box close to your measurements. 9 times out of 10, the box will be bigger than you need. Place that box on a table or floor. Tape any loose flaps on the inside shut. Carefully place the sign neon face down on the rubber bumpers in the box tight to one corner. On older signs with metal transformers (that big box) the transformer sticks out from the frame of the sign. Cut and refold the two box sides that are away from the frame as needed to get the box size to the sign's frame. We are not looking for total perfection here. You don't want the frame wedged in the box. Just a fully frame encasing box that's secure. Cut the depth of the box to meet the height. Usually this is the back of the transformer. On average the cut height will be 6 to 7 inches.
- Carefully lift the sign out of the box. Now you make a lid for your shoebox. Two pieces of cardboard with the grains running in opposite directions. This is important, crossing the grains will give impact protection! Make it easier on yourself by making each piece of cardboard fold over two sides only. So when looking at your box on the table, one piece folds over the left and right, the other piece folds over the top and bottom edges. Secure the 2 pieces together into a shoebox lid with tape. The folded over ends can be from 2 inches up to the bottom box depth in length.
- Depending on the age of the sign and it's construction determines this step. Newer signs with electronic transformers often have rear wall hanger brackets. If so skip to number 5. Yaaa! Older signs with heavy metal transformers need the following step done. Now another measurement. Back of frame to the transformer's back edge. Usually around 3 inches. You need another small box, or fold spare corrugated cardboard into a square or rectangle or triangle to use as a shim. This does not have to fill the entire space behind the sign. The sign will go into the box on the transformer's back, so you need to get the sign sitting flat in your shoebox. The shim box or cardboard just needs to be big enough so the sign will not wobble in the box. Watch for the wires coming from the transformer. Notch the shim as needed to clear wires. Figure where this shim box sits well on your sign and translate it's place in your shoebox bottom. Tape it into place.
- The sign SHOULD be secured to it's box. Factory cartons do this. You can use nylon tie straps or wire. On newer signs with electronic transformers and wall hanging brackets this is simple. Lay the neon sign into the box glass tubes up facing you. Mark where the wall bracket screw holes touch the box. Do the top and bottom. Remove the sign. Stand the box on it's side. Poke holes in the box where you marked it. Add another hole an inch or so away for the wire or tie to loop the bracket and go through the cardboard. Place the sign in the box again as you just had it. Tubes facing the open end, leaving the box on it's side. Secure the sign through the screw holes and cardboard holes with your wire or nylon ties. On the older signs with the heavy transformer, the best way is to secure the heavy transformer to the box. Lay the sign into the box glass tubes up this time. It should lay nicely on your shim box. Poke 4 holes in the box. 2 on the box bottom and 2 on the side by the transformer. These are best placed just outside where the wires come out of the transformer. Be careful poking holes please! You need to stand the box on an end to do the bottom holes, so hold the sign in the box when you place it on end. Run your wire or nylon ties through the holes so you have two separate straps securing the transformer to the box bottom and side.
- Now that the sign is secure, If you have thin base "fingered" foam, use it here. Cut the foam sheet to fit inside the sign's face and place it fingers to the glass. Tuck the window stops from the frame through so you can see them. Do not fasten this in any way to the glass. No foam? Use medium or large sized bubble wrap. ONE sheet. I said ONE sheet! Cut to fit the sign's face, lay it bubbles to the glass. Fit the sheet inside the frame's window stops. Do not fasten this in any way to the glass. Then install your lid. Tape this shut. Now your sign is in a happy protective shell.
- The outer carton is next. Corrugated cardboard. Double corrugated even better. Avoid paper product boxes such as a paper towel box. UPS or FedEx will not even accept them. Add 6 inches to your original height, width and depth measurements. That is the size of box needed. You need a 3 inch space between the inner box and outer carton. On all sides. The top, bottom, back, front, left and right sides. No less than 3 inches. Remember shippers toss these cartons! More room is fine, but it does increase the shipping costs. I usually end up cutting a box to size. When you have your box, fill with styro peanuts, shredded paper, or newspaper balls to a 3 inch depth. Newspaper balls are best made with one sheet to a ball. Don't laugh, newspaper balls work very well, but only when single sheets are crumpled into a ball. A tad time consuming, but very effective.
- Place your sign's box on the fill and center it in the box. Fill in around it. No need to pack it tight, some air space is good and desired. Just keep your fill firm, but not packed or smashed down. Tape your box shut and address it. You should be able to pick it up and shake it without any noises. You're done! Now that wasn't too bad was it?
Thanks for your interest in my packing procedure.
"neonaddict"
