I am curious how most people ship or ask for their kites to be shipped. I know if you go to USPS insurance is $1 per $100 dollars and I always ship kites with at least enough to replace it with a new one if it gets damaged somehow and always ask the same for when they are shipped to me. The piece of mind on such an investment is well worth it to me.

The only thing i have ever heard of happening to a kite wasn't in shipping but when traveling, I heard a guy's kite somehow had jet fuel or something spilled on it that ate a big hole in it.

Has anyone ever had a kite show up damaged from the actual shipping?

I had a framed dual line kite show up completely destroyed from shipping. Mail man carried it up to my door and it had "damaged" stickers placed all over it. Looked like it was run through with a forklift and then run over and slapped against the wall a couple times before someone slammed it in a car door once or twice. He said something like "hope its insured and you may want to open it in the presence of the post master".

I called the store I bought it from, took pictures and went to the post office to show them what they had done.

Turns out the store shipped it without insurance because he was in a rush to get it out the door so the post office didn't offer any recompense. Store paid for me to ship the kite back and then sent me a knew one free of charge. Store owner was going to make a claim with the USPS but last I heard he either never did or never got anywhere.

Lesson learned... whenever I ship I overpack and pack carefully and insure for full replacement value. Its small money to protect a fairly sizeable investment.

never had damaged kites, but missing parts though.

UPS sends me every box damaged with holes punched into them.

1. secure the box well with tape (any folds should have tape there)
2. line the cutting area with another piece of cardboard
3. make the box a little bigger than the size of the kite
4. fill gaps with newspaper

I've never had a kite get damaged, even with some REALLY big stuff in very small boxes. You should have seen the box the hooj ball$ came in from England. I think it only had 3 sides and the rest was gaps and tape. Insurance is inexpensive piece of mind though, and if I were shipping to someone, I would not go without it. My bigger worry is not so much the monetary part but the fact that some of the kites I have had shipped are very hard to find.

I have not experienced it, but have heard of Pansh kites packed tight in box and sliced by Canada Customs when they cut the box to inspect the contents.

Oh this one always get me... I've never had damage but I have had missing parts. In fact I was missing a multi-hundred dollar part from something I picked up on this forum and the shipper did not insure. After me pushing UPS for weeks they agreed to refunded $200 but would only send $ to the seller, which they pocketed. BAD KARMA. The shipper should always insure for the replacement cost. And for kites, place in a thicker bag and fill with paper to pad from box knives getting at the box.

I had buggy parts get lost once. The parts missing almost required the box to be opened, parts removed and taped back up. It was insured. When I ship something to someone, I feel responsible for them getting what they paid for. I always breathe a sigh of relief when I hear it made it safe.

I'm sorry to hear about everybody's issues with shipping. I am definitely going to use that extra piece of cardboard behind the cut to open area though, never thought of that. I do see the consensus seems to be insure it though, so I dont feel like such a freak now asking the lady behind the counter for $2500 in insurance and then tell her when she asks, "its a kite" lol.

I just traded arcs with a fellow from Hawaii.

The spars he sent me were broken in 2 .

I asked him to mark the slip Kite + Gift. He did then saw the check box so crossed out " gift " . I expect this started it. The spars had all stuck together from beach salt . I can only assume the Customs agent saw these rods that should come apart didn't and broke them . Rather than take the taped end caps off . :evil:
It makes me mad but I can see the path to suspicion.

What I HATE is that they charged me taxes AGAIN. I will get my money back but am now expected to prove this was a trade and not a purcha$e.

Also got lucky with a Pansh. Only the bag had been cut by box cutters.