Just bought an enlarger from good about Goodwell… Any help for me?

510Oakster · Jan 11, 2022

Hello all,

Against my better judgement I’ve bought an enlarger from shopgoodwill.com. It’s still in its original box, but my fear is that it will get destroyed in shipping.

I’ve been on a bit of a splurge, and have picked up, uh hum, SEVERAL enlargers this year. My prior purchases were sourced locally, and a couple of Durst Enlargers which were in the original cases/boxes, and they arrived perfectly. But this one is both much larger, and being shipped from ShopGoodwill, which is really an operating entity of many individual stores - sometimes the shippers from SGW are excellent, and sometimes they are morons!

My goal is help the shippers to package the enlarger so that it arrives with the same number of functional parts as it did when they took the pictures for the posting. If anyone has purchased a boxed enlarger from GoodWill please let me know any tips or advise for packing.

Here’s the original post, which show A little bit of how that enlarger was packed from the factory.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/136500050

I can’t figure out from the pictures whether the baseboard will be included, but that’s not a huge issue for me as I expect I could fabricate a new one If needed.

Thanks for everyone’s advice. Brian

Sirius Glass · Jan 11, 2022

I strongly recommend you make a change to your approach to photography. You should not limit yourself to buying enlargers, you should also be buying Hasselblads and Hasselblad lenses.

510Oakster · Jan 11, 2022

Sirius Glass said:
I strongly recommend you make a change to your approach to photography. You should not limit yourself to buying enlargers, you should also be buying Hasselblads and Hasselblad lenses.

Noted! However, I would have to get sign off from management before taking that direction.

BrianShaw · Jan 11, 2022

Make sure that it is properly insured when shipped.

awty · Jan 11, 2022

It looks well boxed, best to bubble wrap any lenses and glass. I would get them to fill the rest of the box with lose foam packing peanuts and make sure the whole box is tightly wrapped in a few layer of plastic.
The problem you have with packaging is when something comes lose and is able to bounce around in the box. If every thing is secure and very tightly packed you shouldn't have too much problem.
Of course if someone is going to go out of there way to damage a parcel then there is not much you can do about that.
I've had a Durst 1000 with a full set of condenser lenses transported to me without an incident.
On the other hand, twice I have had toroidal transformers sent to me poorly packaged and destroying everything in the box with them.

BrianShaw · Jan 11, 2022

Don’t they ship all sorts of stuff all the time? I’d assume that they know what they are doing.

cramej · Jan 11, 2022

BrianShaw said:
Don’t they ship all sorts of stuff all the time? I’d assume that they know what they are doing.

It all depends on who packs it. They don't have professional shippers doing the work, it's store employees. If it has bubble wrap and a box then that's all that is required from their perspective. I bought a turntable from them some time ago and my packing requests were definitely ignored. Luckily, it wasn't damaged.

510Oakster · Jan 11, 2022

BrianShaw said:
Don’t they ship all sorts of stuff all the time? I’d assume that they know what they are doing.

I think the cramej’s comment hits it right on the head, in my experience. I have had some success after sending a note to the shipping department - I’m usually buying camera gear or old slide projectors, and the store employees/shipping department usually know nothing about what they’re packing. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve bought 4 slide projectors in the last couple of months and unfortunately 50% of them were pretty badly damaged from horrible packing.

Sirius Glass · Jan 11, 2022

BrianShaw said:
Don’t they ship all sorts of stuff all the time? I’d assume that they know what they are doing.

cramej said:
It all depends on who packs it. They don't have professional shippers doing the work, it's store employees. If it has bubble wrap and a box then that's all that is required from their perspective. I bought a turntable from them some time ago and my packing requests were definitely ignored. Luckily, it wasn't damaged.

I bought a marble chess set including the board in New Orleans Louisiana and took it to The UPS Store. That was the first mistake. I should have taken it to UPS instead. The UPS Stores are not UPS; they are franchises. I paid the clerk to pack the set so that it would be insured for damage. The clerk did not pack it properly and the board shattered. Since it was a franchise the owner fought the claim and dragged his feet doing The UPS Stores paper work and sent it in incomplete several times. I finally got someone at the UPS corporate level to pressure the franchise owner and I got the check after five months. Do not use The UPS Stores ever!

BrianShaw · Jan 11, 2022

That’s a bit of a shame. I’ve bought plenty of books from various Goodwill shops online and always got better quality than expected. Never bought from shop goodwill, but looked several times, and might be reluctant to buy anything fragile. I can’t imagine, though, that they’d welcome too much suggestion on how they fulfill their shipping. I really hope this works out good for you.

Deleted member 88956 · Jan 12, 2022

510Oakster said:
Hello all,

Against my better judgement I’ve bought an enlarger from shopgoodwill.com. It’s still in its original box, but my fear is that it will get destroyed in shipping.

I’ve been on a bit of a splurge, and have picked up, uh hum, SEVERAL enlargers this year. My prior purchases were sourced locally, and a couple of Durst Enlargers which were in the original cases/boxes, and they arrived perfectly. But this one is both much larger, and being shipped from ShopGoodwill, which is really an operating entity of many individual stores - sometimes the shippers from SGW are excellent, and sometimes they are morons!

My goal is help the shippers to package the enlarger so that it arrives with the same number of functional parts as it did when they took the pictures for the posting. If anyone has purchased a boxed enlarger from GoodWill please let me know any tips or advise for packing.

Here’s the original post, which show A little bit of how that enlarger was packed from the factory.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/136500050

I can’t figure out from the pictures whether the baseboard will be included, but that’s not a huge issue for me as I expect I could fabricate a new one If needed.

Thanks for everyone’s advice. Brian

Looks factory packed. They were shipped like this when new all over the world. I would not worry much, but surely shipment should be covered for at least what you paid (which I assume was NOT a lot???).

Also, buy a box a salt, might need it when you hear @Sirius Glass talking about Hasselblad . Fine gear, just not the only one that will work with your enlarger

Deleted member 88956 · Jan 12, 2022

awty said:
The problem you have with packaging is when something comes lose and is able to bounce around in the box. If every thing is secure and very tightly packed you shouldn't have too much problem.

This is also my exact quote I tell sellers to do before closing the box "make sure nothing moves around inside the box and each piece is separately protected".

mshchem · Jan 12, 2022

I don't know. The earlier suggestions about peanuts and bubble wrap are great ideas. These cartons were designed for a "kindler and gentler" era. Today this box would go inside of another box or in Amazon's case they would buy their own air cargo fleet.

Lots of peanuts, the puffed corn starch kind like Freestyle uses.

Deleted member 88956 · Jan 12, 2022

mshchem said:
I don't know. The earlier suggestions about peanuts and bubble wrap are great ideas. These cartons were designed for a "kindler and gentler" era. Today this box would go inside of another box or in Amazon's case they would buy their own air cargo fleet.

Lots of peanuts, the puffed corn starch kind like Freestyle uses.

You got me on Amazon. I suppose due to their warehouse quotas, the way they've been packing things, books specifically, is just plain gross.

mshchem · Jan 12, 2022

VTLD said:
You got me on Amazon. I suppose due to their warehouse quotas, the way they've been packing things, books specifically, is just plain gross.

Amazon sent me a vacuum cleaner that was in a bulletproof original carton, (the packaging was better than the vacuum ). Amazon put the package inside another box. My theory was incase of returns?? Not sure Amazon takes anything back. Everything comes to them by the container load, if the customer doesn't want it I'm not really sure what happens then?

I haven't bought anything from Amazon in years. Bezo's penis shaped rocket is hilarious

mshchem · Jan 12, 2022

510Oakster said:
Hello all,

Against my better judgement I’ve bought an enlarger from shopgoodwill.com. It’s still in its original box, but my fear is that it will get destroyed in shipping.

I’ve been on a bit of a splurge, and have picked up, uh hum, SEVERAL enlargers this year. My prior purchases were sourced locally, and a couple of Durst Enlargers which were in the original cases/boxes, and they arrived perfectly. But this one is both much larger, and being shipped from ShopGoodwill, which is really an operating entity of many individual stores - sometimes the shippers from SGW are excellent, and sometimes they are morons!

My goal is help the shippers to package the enlarger so that it arrives with the same number of functional parts as it did when they took the pictures for the posting. If anyone has purchased a boxed enlarger from GoodWill please let me know any tips or advise for packing.

Here’s the original post, which show A little bit of how that enlarger was packed from the factory.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/136500050

I can’t figure out from the pictures whether the baseboard will be included, but that’s not a huge issue for me as I expect I could fabricate a new one If needed.

Thanks for everyone’s advice. Brian

That's a pretty enlarger, looks new!

Deleted member 88956 · Jan 12, 2022

mshchem said:
Amazon sent me a vacuum cleaner that was in a bulletproof original carton, (the packaging was better than the vacuum ). Amazon put the package inside another box. My theory was incase of returns?? Not sure Amazon takes anything back. Everything comes to them by the container load, if the customer doesn't want it I'm not really sure what happens then?

I haven't bought anything from Amazon in years. Bezo's penis shaped rocket is hilarious

It's been few years now that Amazon packs books in a box with nothing. Books are typically wrapped tight in thin plastic and that is all. Hard covers frequently come with bumped corners, disgusting. They still take things back, but that's not the point. They used to do good packaging, but books especially, have been a major disappointment. I'm now thinking twice before ordering and looking for other sources where I can actually talk about how it is packaged.

AgX · Jan 12, 2022

Seen the state of the box in question, there is a good chance that the upper styrofoam part is still there too.

Sirius Glass · Jan 12, 2022

VTLD said:
Looks factory packed. They were shipped like this when new all over the world. I would not worry much, but surely shipment should be covered for at least what you paid (which I assume was NOT a lot???).

Also, buy a box a salt, might need it when you hear @Sirius Glass talking about Hasselblad . Fine gear, just not the only one that will work with your enlarger

Salt is not needed with Hasselblads. In fact I have used Hasselblads salt free for over a decade.

cramej · Jan 12, 2022

510Oakster said:
I think the cramej’s comment hits it right on the head, in my experience. I have had some success after sending a note to the shipping department - I’m usually buying camera gear or old slide projectors, and the store employees/shipping department usually know nothing about what they’re packing. I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve bought 4 slide projectors in the last couple of months and unfortunately 50% of them were pretty badly damaged from horrible packing.

I was finally able to look at the listing. So long as they put it all back in the box like it should be, then it will probably be fine. Looks to be a pretty good deal.

grahamp · Jan 12, 2022

That's how my M605 looked when I got it new in the late 1970's. The baseboard fits on top with more polystyrene, then the box closes.

ic-racer · Jan 12, 2022

wow nice enlarger. much better than my first one!

510Oakster · Jan 12, 2022

Well, the enlarger is paid for, the note suggesting packing tips has been telegraphed to ShopGoodwill - so now all I need to do (for the next week or so) is hope for the best!
Thank you all for your suggestions and experiences! I will post a follow-up to either celebrate the arrival of the new (vintage) Durst - or to request condolences…

Cheers,
Brian

510Oakster · Jan 12, 2022

grahamp said:
That's how my M605 looked when I got it new in the late 1970's. The baseboard fits on top with more polystyrene, then the box closes.

Awesome! One of the reasons I’ve wanted a M605 is that I had a M601 in high school, Never really forgiven myself for selling it.

Sirius Glass · Jan 12, 2022

510Oakster said:
Well, the enlarger is paid for, the note suggesting packing tips has been telegraphed to ShopGoodwill - so now all I need to do (for the next week or so) is hope for the best!
Thank you all for your suggestions and experiences! I will post a follow-up to either celebrate the arrival of the new (vintage) Durst - or to request condolences…

Cheers,
Brian

All the best.

Just bought an enlarger from good about Goodwell… Any help for me?

Deleted member 88956

Deleted member 88956

Deleted member 88956

Deleted member 88956

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