Thoughts on Sending a Sextant by Courier/Post

[Slowboat35]

I've just sold a nice Freiberger sextant in its wooden box and the purchaser wants it posted. My instinct is 'no way' due to the risk of brutal treatment damaging it.
Am I overthinkiing this?

 

[Sandy]

NO

 

[veshengro]

If you could fill the Sextant box itself with something like Bubble wrap, to prevent the instrument moving about, I would think the wooden box would withstand a bit of rough treatment, if you then wrapped that in the normal way.
Local Post Office sells bubble wrap (expensive there) and various approved cardboard boxes.

 

[john_morris_uk]

If the sextant is wrapped and immovable its dedicated case and then the whole case is surrounded by layers of bubble wrap inside another bigger strong box it should be fine. IMHO.

Wrapped like this I’d have few qualms.

It’s how mine arrived.

 

[Refueler]

A decent sextant case should have a bar that crosses the handle to lock it in place inside the box. Placing foam under that bar to press handle down - screw lock the bar so sextant is locked in position.
Soft sponge foam around sextant ... then box into Postal box with that airpouch protection round.

 

[neil_s]

I had my Tamaya posted to me - the sender filled the case around the sextant with foam plastic and then provided a cardboard box with further packing to hold the case. The sextant arrived in good order.

 

[pandos]

I have had dozens of items sent by courier, from GB to NI and onwards to Cork, including but not limited to a fridge, radar, sextant, and a navtex with built in printer. Never had any damage.

Pack it in the box and then pack the box in a suitable sized cardboard box which is a tight fit, then put this into a larger box with some packing in between...tape it up well and send it off..

 

[The Q]

Note a most stuff sent by the post office is not covered for loss, you'll be lucky if they give you a few stamps for its loss or damage..

 

[john_morris_uk]

Well that’s four replies saying more or less the same thing…

 

[Refueler]

Insu

Note a most stuff sent by the post office is not covered for loss, you'll be lucky if they give you a few stamps for its loss or damage..

Insure it .....

 

[john_morris_uk]

Insu

Insure it .....

Indeed. Or use a reputable courier.

 

[Stemar]

Indeed. Or use a reputable courier.

Is there such a thing?

 

[srm]

My sextant came from a reputable London retailer and was posted to Shetland in its wood case, (around 1975). When it arrived it looked as if it had received a heavy blow on the corner of the lid, sufficient to move the lid and damage one of the mirror frames. A replacement was sent direct from the manufacturer and arrived undamaged.
I would suggest both internal and strong external packaging. Once it is in a mail sack no one can see the "Fragile, with care" labels. From my student days experience as a seasonal Royal Mail worker mail sacks were thrown, dropped, and trampled on.

 

[Daydream believer]

Insure it-It could get lost,
Well it is a sextant after all

 

[Refueler]

My sextant came from a reputable London retailer and was posted to Shetland in its wood case, (around 1975). When it arrived it looked as if it had received a heavy blow on the corner of the lid, sufficient to move the lid and damage one of the mirror frames. A replacement was sent direct from the manufacturer and arrived undamaged.
I would suggest both internal and strong external packaging. Once it is in a mail sack no one can see the "Fragile, with care" labels. From my student days experience as a seasonal Royal Mail worker mail sacks were thrown, dropped, and trampled on.

In my early days at sea - some of us had our own sextants we carried with us when travelling to / from ship. Quite often they would be in their case, in a suitcase and checked in. Some airlines actually had had an extra allowance added to the Marine Ticket allocation - Sextant Box as extra to cabin allowance,

Marine Ticket - a ticket that can only be issued to a Mariner with confirmed Ships Name / Joining / Leaving instructions. It is a g'teed seat. A Marine Ticket issue cannot be 'bumped off a flight' .... in fact it even goes further - in the event of overbooking - boarding pass can be taken from a non Marine Ticket passenger and given to the Marine Ticket holder ... this has happened for me and I was totally embarrassed .. and apologised to the guy.
I also told the Ground Girl that she was out of order taking the pass and handing it to me while guy was still there ...

 

[penberth3]

Insu

Insure it .....

That doesn't stop it from being damaged, which is the objective.

I've seen musical instruments, computers etc. deliberately dropped off the back of trucks, 1.5m free fall to the road. I wouldn't trust any third-party service.

 

[Refueler]

That doesn't stop it from being damaged, which is the objective.

I've seen musical instruments, computers etc. deliberately dropped off the back of trucks, 1.5m free fall to the road. I wouldn't trust any third-party service.

Whats that old saying :

Better be Insured and Not Need It
than
Not Insured and Need IT

 

[14K478]

I think there are two things:

1. Secure the sextant in its clamp in the box (note that I have (for good reasons!) two C. Plath sextants and they secure in their boxes in different ways - one clips and locks rigidly in place and the other has a wooden turnbuckle which could shake loose.

2. Wrap something shock absorbing round the box, and protect the corners