Packing and Shipping your vintage typewriter.

We’ve shipped hundreds of typewriters all over the world, with minimal casualties. Correctly packing and insuring your typewriter is extremely important to ensure safe arrival.

Packaging.

We recommend you use UPS ground, in a box that is at least 3 inches longer in each dimension.

If your typewriter has a carriage lock, engage it.
If your typewriter is a basket shift - meaning the carriage does not rise when the “shift key” is pressed, press the shift “lock“ key now.
Place some crumpled paper on top of the type slugs, about the size of a tennis ball. This will just keep them from rattling around.
Wrap the carriage return lever in something soft and tape it, otherwise it sometimes dings the top of the machine.
Completely wrap the machine / carriage to prevent movement. FAILURE TO DO THIS may result in damage. Especially from left to right.
Put the machine in the case (or put the cover on when it comes to a Hermes or something similar).
Wrap the case with paper to avoid it falling open if latches fail. Wrap across with tape to secure.
Fill the bottom of the box with a minimum of 2” of packing material. We try to use eco-friendly packaging wherever possible, rather than styro.
Place the typewriter on the top of the packaging.
Fill all open areas with packaging, padding. There should be a minimum of 3” packaging on all sides of the typewriter. It will move during shipping.
Put a note in the box about who you are and what you need (as we have a lot of typewriters coming in).
Securely seal box closed with STRONG tape, preferably multiple strips.
Write ‘Fragile’ in big letters.

Shipping.

We use UPS ground in general, for it costs much less than USPS for heavy machines, and it has been safer for us.

We have a Sarasota, FL and a Chapel Hill location.

Your machine will go to one or the other depending upon the model, our queue, requests, etc.

We will give you the proper address when we accept the machine.

Write on,

Steven Budden Jr.