Shipping Engine Oil

Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
33,792
Location
CA
I have a few "wine boxes" of engine oil that I would like to send to a friend. Since these boxes are already large, I think it'd be a lot cheaper to send them as-is than to re-package into an even larger box for shipment.

Does anyone foresee issues with USPS/FedEx/UPS accepting the pictured box as-is?


1750566576594.webp
 
I have a few "wine boxes" of engine oil that I would like to send to a friend. Since these boxes are already large, I think it'd be a lot cheaper to send them as-is than to re-package into an even larger box for shipment.

Does anyone foresee issues with USPS/FedEx/UPS accepting the pictured box as-is?


View attachment 285979
The way they throw around packages and how banged up I receive them here in Wyoming, I would recommend against it, all the boxes Valvoline global sent me was shipped in a box that perfectly fit the 20 gal box.
 
I regularly ship FedEx (several times a week) no way I'd drop one of those off at a FedEx Office with a shipping label slapped on the side. Wrap it in bubble wrap and put it in another box.
it won't need bubble wrap, that box is very sturdy on its own, I would just recommend a box that almost perfectly fits the 5 gal box.
 
Please do not ship those as is. The sortation equipment will likely destroy those boxes and oil all over the equipment. As someone who works at one of those facilities and maintains that equipment I would not be happy to be called to clean the spill up, especially with operations yelling at us to hurry up and get the equipment running again. It would oil the chains nicely, but the electromagnetic diverts would not appreciate the extra oil.

Stuff like that needs to be packed very well. Spills and open boxes account for 50% of the damages to sorting equipment.
 
Please do not ship those as is. The sortation equipment will likely destroy those boxes and oil all over the equipment. As someone who works at one of those facilities and maintains that equipment I would not be happy to be called to clean the spill up, especially with operations yelling at us to hurry up and get the equipment running again. It would oil the chains nicely, but the electromagnetic diverts would not appreciate the extra oil.

Stuff like that needs to be packed very well. Spills and open boxes account for 50% of the damages to sorting equipment.
Sounds like they need a better way to deal with fragile stuff instead of throwing stuff around like they do .
 
Sounds like they need a better way to deal with fragile stuff instead of throwing stuff around like they do .

You're preaching to the choir, but for the most part it's all fine, but the occasional mishap happens. If something isn't specifically marked non-conveyable it goes through the auto sort system. It's mostly on the shipper. The person unloading the trailer isn't going to scrutinize every single box. But, if they didn't break stuff I wouldn't have a job, so there's that.
 
I have ordered 2 of those boxes of ATF. They shipped as pictured without an additional box but with plastic bands around them. The boxes arrived in terrible shape but not leaking.
 
Amsoil ships lots of oil everyday obviously.

In 25 years I have been involved with two leakers. One was smashed as in run over. UPS tried to deliver- amazing that. Uck. The other I will say if anyone remembers the Amsoil bottle supplier pushed the limit of plastic bottle thickness- so thin in the bottom corners it was obvious.

My point is - chancy with that packaging. If plastic is thick, maybe but I could argue that cardboard shell is not really secondary containment with the exposed parts. Then there the chance of abuse- high. Not worth it !
 
Do NOT ship them as-is. The spout alone will make it fall in the "special handling" category, which is an add'l charge on top of their regular charges. Putting it in a secondary box will have minimal impact on the rate compared to the handling charge they'll impose.

Sounds like they need a better way to deal with fragile stuff instead of throwing stuff around like they do .
No, packages need to be packaged properly. There's a reason UPS, Fedex, etc can process the number of pieces they do on a daily basis and they can't (or won't) do it if every piece needs to be handled individually like fine china.
 
Back
Top Bottom