BARRY'S 8 TRACK REPAIR
Packing your 8 track machine for maximum protection  
From the way many machines arrive at my shop, I'm convinced that some folks have this hallucination about carriers:

The UPS, FedEx, DHL or Postal carrier has been thinking about your package all day, and how important your 8 track
player is to you.  So he or she gently takes it out of the truck and very carefully tiptoes up your driveway, softly singing to it
and holding it perfectly level before he/she slowly lowers it to your porch, patio or garage floor.  WRONG !

Your package gets bumped against others on the conveyors.  It may get dropped many times.  Being a smaller
package, it will be at the top of a stack that is moving at highways speeds, and will likely fall several times
before it reaches its destination.  It may be transferred from one truck to another a few times - and they don't
have time to treat everything gently .  When the carrier arrives at your place of residence, your package will
be either DROPPED or THROWN if no one is there to watch.  Below are just two of many examples of the result:
Take a thick cardboard box completely apart and lay it out flat as shown.  Make sure there
is at least 3 inches of extra cardboard beyond anything that extends from the unit such as
controls and connectors.  
Arranging the cardboard so that the corrugations run left to right will make it much easier
to make tight turns around the corners.  Note: You don't need quite this much extra width,
but too much is better than too little.  You want to wrap it TIGHT so the unit cannot twist
inside its protective cardboard sleeve.
Make your first partial "roll", and be sure to TAPE the inner layer securely to the unit.  This
will prevent the unit from sliding in the sleeve.
Keep rolling until you have a good 3 or 4 layers of cardboard around the unit.  Notice that
there's no way the unit can twist and endanger the controls.  When you've finished rolling the
unit, tape up the roll tightly and place the whole works into a slightly larger box, with padding
or peanuts between the roll and the box ON ALL SIDES!  It is best to have NOTHING BUT AIR
where the controls are hiding, and if you've taped it tightly when you started the roll, the unit
will not be able to slide inside the sleeve.  Now if the package is dropped on its corner from
waist level (or falls from the UPS plane), the thick cardboard sleeve around the front will
protect the controls, shafts and knobs.  NOW YOU'RE PROTECTED!
I sent this
unit back
unrepaired
because
3 out of 4
controls
were
broken -
not worth
my time!
If you intend to
pack your unit this
way, please send
it to someone else
for repair.

I will return this kind
of stuff unrepaired,
and charge $35 for
wasting my time -
wouldn't you ?
The cost to
replace the 3
broken
controls cost
more than
the customer
was willing to
pay - so he
paid me $35
to get this
piece of junk
back.  It WAS
a great unit
before this
occurred.
all sides, top and bottom - ESPECIALLY at the front panel where the
likely arrive damaged - and since it was due to improper packing, there is
no chance of filing an insurance claim; I would not support it.

If your unit arrives packed similar to those above, count on AT LEAST an
extra $20 to cover the labor and expense of packing it into a larger box
with more padding for safe transit.  This is the best-case scenario.

From there it only gets worse.  One damaged control can easily add $200
to your repair bill, as these are no longer available and must be salvaged
from a parts unit.  Purchasing units for parts costs MONEY - almost as
much as a working one - and I don't give this stuff away for free.

I reserve the right to send your unit back unrepaired and charge a bench
fee of $35 PLUS return shipping for wasting my time if your unit is packed
like you don't care what happens to it.  I DO NOT REPAIR SHIPPING
DAMAGE FOR FREE, and in some cases will simply move on to the next
job (even if you're willing to pay to repair the damage) if work is busy.

You won't get your unit back until you pay the $35 plus shipping.

Here is an alternative packing method for the safety of your unit: