Shipping hi-fi system, help needed for choosing the right carrier..

[KonfuSed]

Hi all,
I've one Sony Hi-fi system lying unused at home as I got my Denon/wharf setup. And I want to send it to my natives at Assam. Now this whole thing is around 25-30kg of weight and the box size will be 3ft x 2ft x 2ft. I've contacted Gati and they said they can do the shipping and would probably cost around 2-3k (it might even be higher). Is Gati is safe for sending Audio Equipment which are much more delicate then bikes (I know of people who have used Gati to ship bikes). Has anyone used any other courier companies for similar items?
Please help me out here.
Regards,

 

[gobble]

GATI is your only choice as they ship by rail... Otherwise your gear will enjoy a bumpy ride over all pot-holes across India ESP on the way to Assam.

 

[KonfuSed]

GATI is your only choice as they ship by rail... Otherwise your gear will enjoy a bumpy ride over all pot-holes across India ESP on the way to Assam.

Oh ok. And that sounds scary, I know about the roads of Orissa and then at Assam due to all this 4 laning work. In fact I had plans to drive down this time but had to cancel it due to the same road problems You are sure that they use only Rail for shipping?

 

[gobble]

Oh ok. And that sounds scary, I know about the roads of Orissa and then at Assam due to all this 4 laning work. In fact I had plans to drive down this time but had to cancel it due to the same road problems You are sure that they use only Rail for shipping?

Yes. Ask them to ship by rail till the destination town ...

Good luck!

 

[ajay124]

Having recieved stuff from all four,I would say TNT,DTDC,GATI,BLUE DART in that order.But most of all the safety of your goods depends upon how well you pack them.Sturdy box,rigid packing with thermocole,bubble wrap,tough cloth or thick plastic sheet covering the box.And if you want to play very safe,then, wood on the borders.Ultimately cost of packing,shipping has to be related to cost of goods,but its better to be safe than sorry.I have received goods in damaged condition (including a Bryston amp which had been damaged in a Gati shipping-would blame bad handling/bad shipping both in this case) and it's a bad feeling.

 

[KonfuSed]

Thanks Ajay, I'll try to be as careful as possible while packing. Will be using the same box that came with the system with Thermocoles, Bubble wrap etc. Wooden box may not be possible for me.
I've just talked to GATI and they said they'll be shipping it by road only, not rail. And they'll charge approximately 2500Rs for the package.
Talked to one DTDC sub-office and they said they can also do the delivery and it'll be charged at 60rs per kg (which I'm not very sure as they charge around 70Rs per half kg for small items). In that case it'll turn out to be slightly cheaper as the weight will be less than 30kg. But first I need to confirm it from DTDC about the pricing and shipping method (they said Train but not sure).

 

[ajay124]

Have shipped and recieved several packages through DTDC and find their services just about the best in India for safety/punctuality/customer service.Price paid by me was around Rs 100 for shipping by air from Chandigarh to Bangalore,Chennai,Indore,Kannur etc.Package sizes ranged from 7-15 kg.For bigger packages lesser rates are possible.Best price at the smaller franchises.The main office seems to go by the listed rates.You should look for air shipping to the nearest airport and the rest by train/road.

 

[KonfuSed]

To my place they'll charge 65Rs/kg by surface and 120Rs/kg by Air. But they do volumetric weight calculation and for the Music system it becomes around 40.764kg and with 65Rs/kg it's around 2650Rs. Considering Gati is also asking for the same price almost I can go with DTDC as per your suggestion. I'll also talk to a small franchise of DTDC near my place and ask him if he can reduce the per kg charges as the volumetric weight is much more than actual weight is 27kg. By air the volumetric weight will be 32.5kg around and that'll be around 3800Rs and that's getting bit too costly..
Now I'm even thinking about shipping a Plasma TV but I remember reading somewhere that Plasma TV's are bit difficult to transport and can malfunction if not transported properly. Hence I'm worried and may be I'll buy a 32 inch LCD and that will be much safer I guess.

 

[hemantwaghe]

GATI is your only choice as they ship by rail... Otherwise your gear will enjoy a bumpy ride over all pot-holes across India ESP on the way to Assam.

who says rail is better? AFAIK many electronic companies do not trust rail At all?
Internal handling in rail ( Truck - Loading in train , Train changing _ Unloading ) is pathetic and can suarly damage your material. at least that was the reason given to me..

 

[KonfuSed]

Just wanted to put an update. Used Gati to ship the Music system to my home. Total charge was 2750Rs. It came via Gati Surface. Delivery estimate was 6Nov and I got it on 5th itself. Packing was done with the original packing that came with the system. Damage to system: None. Just one of the thermocol piece was broken a bit. Almost perfect shipping. Two thumbs up to Gati. BTW, as it was an old system there was no insurance that could be done. BTW, Gati uses there own vehicle for shipping and from Bangalore to Jorhat it was a triple hop, i.e. freighter change at Kolkata and than at Guwahati.


I brought the TV along with me via flight. Charges were 100Rs per kg on Spicejet. So paid 1400Rs for airfreight. They've put lots of Fragile stickers and took the TV through a different check-in channel. From Airport to my home via my uncle's Bolero in upright position but kept in portrait mode instead of normal landscape mode due to space crunch. It easily bore the brunt of that 400km trip (good roads mostly but there were few km of road construction going on and a few potholes). I was driving as I normally drive i.e. fast but cautious.

 

[shredder]

Just wanted to put an update. Used Gati to ship the Music system to my home. Total charge was 2750Rs. It came via Gati Surface. Delivery estimate was 6Nov and I got it on 5th itself. Packing was done with the original packing that came with the system. Damage to system: None. Just one of the thermocol piece was broken a bit. Almost perfect shipping. Two thumbs up to Gati. BTW, as it was an old system there was no insurance that could be done. BTW, Gati uses there own vehicle for shipping and from Bangalore to Jorhat it was a triple hop, i.e. freighter change at Kolkata and than at Guwahati.


I brought the TV along with me via flight. Charges were 100Rs per kg on Spicejet. So paid 1400Rs for airfreight. They've put lots of Fragile stickers and took the TV through a different check-in channel. From Airport to my home via my uncle's Bolero in upright position but kept in portrait mode instead of normal landscape mode due to space crunch. It easily bore the brunt of that 400km trip (good roads mostly but there were few km of road construction going on and a few potholes). I was driving as I normally drive i.e. fast but cautious.

Did you get a plasma or LCD TV? I am also planning to take a plasma TV along with me via air. I have, in the past, successfully:clapping: transported LCD TV but am a bit apprehensive about plasma since it is supposed to be more delicate, and is supposed to be always kept upright, etc.
If you transported a plasma please let me know the precautions you took in packing (did you leave it in the company packing as is, or did you improvise and stuff pillows, bubble wrap, etc??). Also, did you give any special instructions at check-in or did they do it all on their own?

 

[KonfuSed]

^^ Well, I got cold feet about the Plasma as you said it's bit delicate and as initially my plan was to ship via Gati. Taking it in-flight was the last minute change. So went for an LCD instead. I left the original packaging as it it but added two sheets of Styrofoam in the front and the back. And also did a bubble wrap of the TV before putting in the Styrofoam sheet. But I think that was not necessary. I added them cause I initially planned to ship it via Gati. I actually should've taken courage and get a plasma itself. One of friend have recently shipped their Plasma(Pana 42X10D) via air to Pune from BAngalore. And absolutely no issue at all. Had I initially planned for taking it through Air with me then I would've get the Plasma only.