How to properly ship a machine to us for repair:

If you are reading this, it's probably because you are considering shipping an audio component to Classic Audio Repair for repair and/or restoration.

We are extremely picky about how we want your gear to be packed..  We want your machine to be able to survive a 24" fall from the end of a conveyor belt onto hard concrete or onto someone else's parcel. The secret to packing your gear to be able to survive such an impact can be summarized in two phrases: (1) double-box; (2) bubble pack.

Please read and follow the guidelines below. NOTE that these instructions apply to preamps, power amps, integrated amps, equalizers, tuners, receivers, cassette decks, CD players and small speaker enclosures. They do not apply to turntables, reel-to-reel tape recorders, or larger speakers. DO NOT SHIP A TURNTABLE OR REEL TO REEL, OR SPEAKERS TO US WITHOUT CALLING US FIRST!

STEP ONE : Get some medium-bubble or large-bubble bubble pack. Wrap this around your machine at leasttwice, so that every point on the set is protected by two layers of bubble pack. Tape securely. In the case of receivers or large and heavy items 4-5 layers is preferable.

STEP TWO : The inner box should be selected to be slightly larger than the wrapped-up machine. The thicker the cardboard the better. Fill the bottom of the box with foam chips - about 2" worth. Place the set inside the inner box and fill all voids with foam chips. Tamp these down. With Items over 60 pounds it is advisable to line the inside of the box with 1/2" to 1" thick styrafoam sheets in addition to the bubble wrap and foam chips. Seal the inner box. You should be able to pick up the inner box and shake it and hear essentially nothing.

STEP THREE : Tape an envelope to the outside of the inner box. Enclose a letter indicating what's wrong with the set. Include both day and evening phone numbers and an email. Make a check payable to "Classic Audio Repair" in the amount of $40.00. We also accept Pay Pal as StereoTech Classic Audio Repair with the email classicaudiorepair@gmail.com

STEP FOUR : An outer box should be selected that is about 10% - 15% larger than the inner box. Again, the thicker the cardboard is, the better. Fill the bottom of the box with a small amount of foam chips, about 2-3" worth. Place the inner box inside the outer box, and fill all voids with foam chips. Tamp them down. As before, when the box is sealed, you should be able to pick it up and shake it and hear essentially nothing.

STEP FIVE : Print our store name and address in large letters on the outside of the box. Insure the set for full replacement value. You can write stuff like “This Side Up” or “Fragile” or “Handle With Care” on the box, but don't expect the shipping company people to read these remarks, much less respect them.

STEP SIX : Our order of preference as far as what shipper to use goes like this: (Best) UPS; (Second-Best) Fed-Ex: (Third-Best) USPS Parcel Post.

Now a couple more details. Do not take your equipment to the “UPS Store” or similar and ask them to pack it up. In nearly all cases, they will totally ignore the above instructions, and will give you a hard time if you question their expertise. Later, when we open up the box at our end, your “repair” will turn into a transport damage claim.

If something sticks out on your set (and many volume controls do this), please remove the knob, encase in bubble pack and stuff somewhere between the inner and outer boxes.

If you have any questions about shipping, do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-544-2100.