Ebay seller's pic that best shows the front panel. Note all 4 corners in perfect condition.
The following are pics taken by my reshipper (Shipito) in LA California.
There are two sets.
The first are the standard arrival pics, taken on the 17th September.
Then a second set taken on the 29th Sept, after I asked them for better shots of the unit fully unpacked, and also some of the packing materials used.
This is the first set, 17th September:
Note that the box is still in pretty good condition after US domestic shipping.
Even though the seller hadn't bothered to add any 'Fragile' stickers. US domestic shipping by FedEx.
The next three photos were Shipito's initial 'unpacked photos.'
In these you can't actually see the front and rear faces of the instrument; the areas most delicate and prone to damage. Which is why I had to ask Shipito to do it again, propperly.
The following are the second set, taken at Shipito on 29th September per my request.
I don't think they were listed on Shipito's site in the order they were taken.
These next two are obviously taken AFTER the later pics that show unpacking from the box (again.)
The front panel. Still in perfect condition at this point.
No dings at the corners, screen bezel undamaged.
One plastic foot missing. Might have been missing as sold, don't know.
But it's very easily replaced, not important.
The next two photos of the packing materials, are a kind I wish I could easily get from Shipito EVERY TIME I run a large, heavy, delicate and expensive piece of electronic equipment through their service. It's ESSENTIAL to see this, because some ebay sellers are very incompetent at packing such things. In which case it's necessary to repack (better) for international shipping.
The foam packing. This is actually pretty good. The bags are a product that when activated self-inflate with urethane foam. The foam then sets into a resilient foam, formed to fit the space in which is was activated. One of the bags (front right cavity) has been removed for the photo below, so the item is visible.
The seller made a good attempt to protect both the instrument faces and corners, with several inches of impact absorbing material on all sides.
Not sure if this is the box before re-opening, or after closing it up again.
I paid for the standard 'Add Fragile Stickers' service, and some were added (after this photo.) But not on every face.
Seeing the above pics, I was satisfied with the packing and proceeded to have the box shipped to Australia.
Personally I'd have preferred firmer foam blocks, with more attention to corner penetration protection. But I know from experience with Shipito that they could not improve on the packing protection level this box and padding provides. Shipito only have bubblewrap, and imagine bubblewrap will work with 60lb object corners, ha ha. I gather most of their shipping business involves much lighter items than this, and they have little to no capability for repacking heavy items.
So assume carrier competence, send it as is.
I'm trying out UPS at the moment. Their pricing currently beats DHL.
With all carriers flying my shipments into Sydney airport, I ask them to hold the parcel at their airport depot for pickup by me. This avoids all rigmarole like them attempting to deliver, finding I'm not home, trucking it back to the depot, trying again, etc. I much prefer to completely eliminate ANY further trucking and handling of things like this. For me it's an easy, quick expressway drive to the airport.
This parcel landed in Sydney on the weekend. Monday was a public holiday. I went in Tuesday morning and picked up this (and another) box from the UPS air depot in Botany. (Near Sydney airport.)
They were wheeled out on a trolley to my car by a UPS employee. (Who had been very helpful in finding them, since their 'hold at depot for pickup' flag had somehow been ignored.)
It's the large one already in my car. Both boxes were now very battered looking. I opened both right here, and took some quick pics.
I didn't fully unpack it here, just looked in from the top. It seems OK.
The other box (on the ground) though even more battered, was much better packed and the content was completely unharmed. It went on the back seat, ie NOT jammed against the big one.
Note that all the corner pads are in place. I didn't spot the two very small outer box penetrations.
At home, out of the box. Still seems OK.
Oh oh. Only after pulling off these pink padding layers, I found the first small corner penetration. Rested the pink sheet back in place here for the photo to show orientation. (The roll of solder is acting as a weight to hold it in place for the photo.)
Such a tiny hole. So disasterous.
Below: This is what that tiny puncture hole in the padding means. (Useless bubblewrap torn away for visibility.)
The frame is metal. That damage to the top right front corner is the result of a very heavy impact against something unyielding like structural steel or concrete. The instrument's own weight does the rest. It has pushed the corner through all the padding AND the box cardboard, so this metal and something solid met directly.
The potentially worst, is what this high-G impact did to internals of the instrument. It has a glass CRT, very delicate. Other things can be damaged by impacts too.
This is an event that SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN with a box marked 'Fragile.'
It appears to be the result of a box drop.
The small puncture in the box cardboard corresponding to that corner's damage.
Two more small damages. A ding in the plastic screen bezel, and an impact deformation to the upper left metal frame.
I can't see any visible box penetrations corresponding to these.
ANOTHER bad impact damage to the front frame. This one to the lower left corner.
Box cardboard penetration from the lower left ding.
More box interior views.
View of the front face showing how obvious the bent corners are. (The top cover I removed for a visual check of internals before powering up.) It still works, but has lost that visual 'perfect condition' attribute.
Purchase price was US $350 plus US$150 shipping in the US to my reshipper, plus CA tax.
US ORDER TOTAL: US $535.88
ebay item 313197077017.
Add the costs for reshipper services and shipping to Australia...
Shipping Method: UPS Worldwide Expedited
Package KA from CUMBET via Shipito, Hawthorne, California.
HP 4145B Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer
Weight: 68.00 lb
Dimensions: 33(L) x 25(W) x 17(H) Inches
Customs value: $350.00 USD
Shipito ORDER SUMMARY
Package Processing Fee $2.00 USD
Shipping $406.90 USD (USA to Australia, via UPS)
Insurance $8.90 USD (full insurance for loss or damage)
Oversized Package Fee $10.00 USD
Additional Services $7.00 USD (getting them to take useful photos)
Additional Services: Apply fragile sticker $1.00 USD (stickers, PLURAL)
AU GST on Goods $35.00 USD
AU GST on Services $42.58 USD
Total for shipping to Australia $512.38 USD
Overall total: US $1048.26
Approximately AU $1,463.
Then you broke it. NOT IMPRESSED, UPS.
Ebay item won display.
The seller had briefly relisted the item, with more photos. Listing removed as soon as he understood it had actually sold. He is unfamiliar with Ebay selling proceedures.
Ebay order details screen.
Paypal payment screen.
