IT is a heart wrenching moment when you open a box to find a broken radio.

It certainly is. Back in January I tool delivery of an R52 Radiola and an R36 Radiolette. The R52 had a smashed dial glass and matching damage to the box. The R36 cabinet was cracked in two places and again had damage to the box. Neither radio was in that condition when photographed for Ebay.

I didn't blame the sellers, and ended up giving them positive feedback as they did make an effort with packaging, but it goes to what I've said earlier about how radios should be packed. There should be some sort of 'industry standard' with radio packaging which includes nothing less than double boxing. Australia Post should also increase their allowable box girth sizes to allow for this.

I managed to get a new dial glass off Steve Savell and a dial cover off Peter's Reproduction Dial Covers and along with a good scrubbing the R52 was back in fine order but the R36 will have to be repaired by an expert. One of the cracks is clean but the other is a 'skull fracture' and thus more difficult to deal with.

People who work for the post office and freight companies don't seem to care much, even if only allowing the parcels to be banged around on the automated conveyor systems. So it is up to us to make sure our goodies can be defended against such carelessness.

Without the availability of spares and people who are skilled at cabinet repair, this could have been more than three grand's worth of radios down the bog. The R52 is a rare black one.

I've had reasonably well packed radios broken and cracked and another that only had two thin layers of bubble wrap and then placed in an oversized box where it was sliding around survive without a scratch. I'm often amazed at the damage inflicted by Australia Post on old radios. Most show damage consistent with being dropped from a great height although rarely much damage to the box itself.

One of the most damaged radios I've received was packed with bean bag filling. I figure by the time it made it to the receiving post office it had already worked its way to the bottom of the box and was totally smashed by the time I got it. The seller was quite surprised having used this method of packaging delicate items for 'some time'. A quick check of her history showed lots of soft furnishings. Apart from the damage to the radio it took hours to clean up the damn beads, the stuff was everywhere and clings to everything it touches.

With regards to ebay and aust post being in bed together, perhaps they should take more care and ease off on the cubing rule. Any radio of value I would rather take a drive if at all possible.

brad - Geez mate thats a couple of nice radios damaged. bad luck there

At times I have picked up radios. I think I've just gone with a gut feeling at times but probably not often enough.

My first ever Ebay purchase more than ten years ago was also damaged. The bottom of a Kriesler 11-20 - a fragile radio at the best of times. I was close to being put off online purchases but the trouble with collecting radios is that the bug's bite is more powerful.

I'm often amazed at the damage inflicted by Australia Post on old radios. Most show damage consistent with being dropped from a great height although rarely much damage to the box itself.

It doesn't surprise me as I've watched them, from over a fence, literally tossing parcels out of the van onto the concrete at the rear of a post office. I wish I had've had a video camera with me at the time.

Sad to say, but monopoly organisations like Aust Post tend to degenerate into a Class War culture with bolshy, corrupt unions and arrogant, self-serving top management. AustPost's CEO is paid about ten times the Prime Minister's salary - for what? The Post Office used to be run (better) by a senior public servant whose main reward would be a Knighthood after a few years' service. Postal and transport unions can protect many slack or resentful workers from fear of the sack. Privatisation doesn't solve everything (eg Qantas), but some level of competition certainly gives consumers more power (eg telecommunications).

Maven

Tonight on 7 News there was some footage of a TNT driver dropping around ten parcels from his lorry onto Pitt Street. I haven't been able to find a video of this on Yahoo!7. Passers-by looked on with amazement at the driver's treatment of the parcels.

I saw that too. Any more episodes like this there will be a consumer revolt.

Well, hopefully that's another jerk sacked.

http://7online.com/news/video-ups-driver-seen-kicking-expensive-package/370695/.

I just found this whilst browsing the US vintage radio forums. It seems that the poor handling of and respect for peoples' property is at pandemic levels.

Note how the sheila behind the desk barely batted an eyelid. It's not like the driver wouldn't have made a racket with the way he shifted the carton.

Note how the sheila behind the desk barely batted an eyelid.

She did take action. According to the story:

"The receptionist in the picture suggested [her boss] look at the video after the driver, who apparently didn't use a cart or dolly, left."

Guess I should have read the report - I was more absorbed by the footage itself at the time.

As a surveyor who often travelled back country I would put all my gear in standard pelican cases and check in them as fragile. The times I watched my gear being loaded I can't count. Pick up from the carriage, lift and drop from as high as possible onto the conveyor was the usual method

check in them as fragile

Fragile means nothing to these monkeys. I always tell sellers to expect their package to be tossed around like a football.

Fragile stickers on parcels to the handlers, means ''kick me '' we are dealing with barbarians