Question
18 gallon rubbermaid container as a shipping container?
Has anyone ever done that?
The are kinda of soft sided.
What would be the best way to secure it from opening in route?
Answer
duct tape?
Answer
I think strapping tape would hold the lid on if you wrapped it around and around the entire tub top to bottom. And might mar the surface of the tub.
Depending what you are shipping in it, I'd expect the tub to look pretty bad when it arrived. And to be smashed flat sideways.
I don't think I'd use a tub to ship anything besides maybe a pile of pillows. And even then...
What were you thinking of shipping in it?
Answer
I have a bunch of the larger Fisher Price/Tykes trucks, boats, doll houses etc. One alone would take a 18" x 18" (or is it 12" x 12") Priority box. Some won't even fit in that. And a group of Cabbage Patch items.
I guess I could buy a large box at the post office.
I might just donate them to the Cancer Research second hand store.
It's such a pain to ship something large and bulky. I remember once someone here said they don't pick up anything to sell larger than a toaster.
The reason I mentioned the 18 gallon crates was I saw a few come through the airport.
Answer
You can't get boxes anywhere else? Have you asked your neighbors?
You might be able to brace the tub someway if you had enough styrofoam chunks...
Answer
I guess it doesn't sound like a good idea. It was just a thought.
You can't get boxes anywhere else? Have you asked your neighbors?
Answer
Fling yourself into a dumpster behind a book store or a Hallmark store, etc. and come out victorious with some great boxes
Answer
Put a couple of priority boxes together. I did that many times when I was selling.
Answer
We have people ship them all the time for our post office, some use duct tape, others sure strapping tape, one lady insured them all, sent 9 tubs out in one day, and we never saw an insurance claim, so they must have made it all right, other wise like others have said, for boxes, dollar general is another place for large free boxes when they get their weekly order in, liquor stores, or even the grocery stores are other good places for free boxes.
Answer
I see people using them all the time for shipping stuff in. The side of a box is no stronger than the side of a rubbermaid tub. I see no reason why it shouldn't ship safely, Just tape the heck around and around the tub to keep the lid secure. I think they would be a great shipping crate and if someone buys boxes, probably cheaper.
Jill