WRAPPING GAMES FOR SHIPMENT
A QUICK GUIDE

In my time collecting, I have heard horror stories.  I have seen games in trucks getting damaged and parts falling out, needlessly destroying the game in question and other nearby games.  If you are going to ship a game (as the seller) you should consider it a responsibility to wrap and protect your games properly regardless of the protection a shipper provides.  Do not rely on a shippers wrapping as your protection, instead use it as a fail-safe.  Always assume, for the protection of your game and the happiness of your buyer, that no protection is being provided except that which you give.  Arcade games are too rare to risk loosing one of them to damage because they can never be replaced again.

With that in mind, the following is a suggestion of how to wrap your game for shipment for you new bees.  I welcome comments from other collectors to help refine this.  So please feel free to send over your ideas.

DISCLAIMER:  The following are suggestions provided to help you.  They are not official wrapping instructions so please use your own common sense and seek out second opinions.  The web master of this web site will not accept responsibility for any damage to your game or shipment resulting from the use of the following.  By using the following suggestions you absolve the author, the web master and web site of any and all damage, liability, etc.

Upright arcade games: (read the above disclaimer before using the suggestions below)

The interior:

There are basically two ways to ship an upright arcade game:  standing and lying on the back.  The preferred way is standing as this is the naturally state of the arcade game (naturally), but shippers will routinely put them on the back to conserve room or if their vehicle is too low headed.  So plan right off the bat for both eventualities.

As such the inside of any game should be fully secure.  If a monitor is loose or parts of the interior are not fully secure then a game should not be shipped, otherwise a piece may snap off during vibration and destroy other parts causing a chain reaction.  In the worst horror stories even monitors themselves have been known to slide out of their chassis and break up inside a game.  Yes, it has and does happen.  Inspect your game, make sure everything is strong and tighten anything that can be.  If a game cannot be fully secured it should not be shipped.

If your game includes parts that are not locked down and may move, such as a coin box, misc parts, manuals, keys, etc, then they should be secured down in some manner so they do not move into the rest of the machine and cause damage.

Secure the power cord inside of the game.  Do not let it hanging out the rear or wrap it to the back of the game.  It can be torn off easily as the game is moved or if the game is set on its back.  Secure the cord easily with a tie so that it will not get in the way of any of the other interior components.

The exterior:

If your game is shipped without locks on the back or in the coin door, then these areas need to be fully secured.  The coin door should be taped, wrapped or strapped in some manner so it will not swing open and the rear door (or doors) should be secured.  Most people do this with a carefully placed screw or two in the rear.  Doors can swing open while shipping, a process which can cause damage to other games, your game and could hurt the shipper if they come off unexpectedly.

Wrapping:

All games should be wrapped prior to shipping.  There are several ways to do this.  The most common way is to use a combination of shrink wrap and cardboard (thicker the better of course).  Shrink wrap can be bought at your local stationary or box store, else regular plastic wrap from the supermarket can suffice (noting that food wrap will have to be used in quantity because it is not as durable).  If you do use food wrap then make sure its of a kind that does not damage the paint of your machine, or put a layer of the mentioned stationary store shrink wrap before using any food wrap.

Do an initial wrapping of the game, top to bottom.  Keep going round and pulling tight.  A few layers wont do.  Keep going round until the layers are ridiculously thick.  Remember, anything could fall into your game and tear a thin layer with ease.

Next comes a cardboard layer.  Take heavy cardboard and cover as much as the game as possible with special emphasis on side art, other art, the monitor and control panel.  Attach or strap it onto the wrapping layer with as good packing tape or strapping as you can.

If your game has corners then these are the most likely to be damaged.  Place and secure some sort of padding, such as foam around the corners of the game, because normally cardboard will not protect the corners.  This padding will create extra spacing around your game so that it will stay away from other games, walls, etc.  You may optionally want to put padding in front of the screen if your cardboard does not fully protect it; however, don't put any pressure on the monitor glass or it could burst.

Do not place cardboard on a game without doing the first wrapping layer.  The cardboard may scratch your side art!!!

Now, to make sure the cardboard and padding stay put, do a second full wrapping of the machine.  Once again pull tight and create another thick layer.

Last, make a list of the parts that come with your game, where the keys are and type them up.  Along with this include the PICKUP AND DELIVERY ADDRESS.  Secure this in a visible section of the game to avoid your game getting lost in shipment.

Palletting:

Some shippers require palletting of your game which means to literally place it on a wood pallet for easy lifting by heavy equipment.  For information on how to do this we suggest checking out the illustrated pallet page from D&B Shipping.

Pictures:

If possible take a picture before and after this wrapping process so that you have a record of what condition the game left in.

Pinball games: (read the above disclaimer before using the suggestions below)

There are basically two ways to ship a pinball arcade game:  standing on the legs or fully broken down (which means the legs are taken off and the headboard is brought down).  It is suggested that all pinball games be shipped fully broken down.  It does take time and requires manpower, but its really the only safe way to go.  As such we will discuss the broken down method exclusively below.

The interior:

All loose parts of a pinball game should be secured or removed from a machine.  For instance, don't ship a game with a loose coin box, manual, leveler, misc parts, and especially pinballs floating around the game.  We suggest taking all pinballs out of the game.  Otherwise they can fall into the back of the game and cause serious damage.  As such the inside of any game should be fully secure.  Inspect the playfield.  Make sure everything is properly tightened and secure so it wont pop out and damage the game due to vibration in shipment.

Secure the power cord inside of the game.  Do not let it hanging out the rear or wrap it to the back of the game.  It can be torn off easily as the game is moved or if the game is set on its back.  Secure the cord easily with a tie so that it will not get in the way of any of the other interior components.

Up on the horses:

Being careful to have enough manpower, carefully lift your game onto some very strong saw-horses.  Make sure your horses are safe and rated for your pinball's weight class.  We suggest you put padding on the top of the horses if they do not have padding to avoid damaging the sides that come into contact with it.

In most cases it is preferable to rest the "sides" of the bottom of the pin on the horses instead of the particle board underneath.  This is because some games are not made with strong particle board underneath and they can collapse under their own weight, especially if they are old.

Leave the legs on for now just for safety sake.

The backboard:

You may want to wait until the first wrapping (below) before lowering the backboard.  Carefully lower and backboard.  Place some padding on the "sides" in the front so that it does not damage the playfield glass underneath.  However (and this is important), be careful not to put padding on areas where they could put pressure on the backglass itself or the playfield glass itself.  This could snap either glass.  Also, be careful not to bend the backboard hinge.  Putting padding toward the rear can bend and snap off the backboard once the backboard is fully strapped down.

Now strap down the backboard securely!!!!!!  This does not mean tape.  This does not mean rope.  This means heavy, secure strapping.  There should be no chance of the backboard flying up.  Some shippers will put or move a pinball VERTICAL and if your backboard is not properly strapped it can pop up and be destroyed.

While your strapping the backboard, be careful to put padding (such as cardboard OVER foam) on the corners of the strapping so the pressure of the straps do not damage the game underneath.

The exterior:

If your game is shipped without locks on the coin door, then this area needs to be fully secured.  The coin door should be taped, wrapped or strapped in some manner so it will not swing open.  Doors can swing open while shipping, a process which can cause damage to other games, your game and could hurt the shipper if they come off unexpectedly.

Wrapping:

All games should be wrapped prior to shipping.  There are several ways to do this.  The most common way is to use a combination of shrink wrap and cardboard (thicker the better of course).  Shrink wrap can be bought at your local stationary or box store, else regular plastic wrap from the supermarket can suffice (noting that food wrap will have to be used in quantity because it is not as durable).  If you do use food wrap then make sure its of a kind that does not damage the paint of your machine, or put a layer of the mentioned stationary store shrink wrap before using any food wrap.

Do an initial wrapping of the game, top to bottom.  Keep going round and pulling tight.  A few layers wont do.  Keep going round until the layers are ridiculously thick.  Remember, anything could fall into your game and tear a thin layer with ease.

Next comes a cardboard layer.  Take heavy cardboard and cover as much as the game as possible with special emphasis on side art, other art, the backboard and of course all glass.  Attach or strap it onto the wrapping layer with as good packing tape or strapping as you can.

You'll probably need to remove the legs and leg bolts at this time to complete the wrapping.  Once again be sure your horses or holder is strong enough to support your game.

If your game has corners then these are the most likely to be damaged.  Place and secure some sort of padding, such as foam around the corners of the game, because normally cardboard will not protect the corners.  This padding will create extra spacing around your game so that it will stay away from other games, walls, etc.

Do not place cardboard on a game without doing the first wrapping layer.  The cardboard may scratch your side art!!!

Now, to make sure the cardboard and padding stay put, do a second full wrapping of the machine.  Once again pull tight and create another thick layer.

Last, make a list of the parts that come with your game, where the keys are and type them up.  Along with this include the PICKUP AND DELIVERY ADDRESS.  Secure this in a visible section of the game to avoid your game getting lost in shipment.

Legs and Parts:

We suggest that you wrap and package your legs, bolts, keys, balls and other such parts seperately instead of wrapping it directly on or to the game.  These parts can move around and damage the game or be lost.  Make sure to label all parts and state the parts included on the list you typed up.

Boxing:

If possible, box your pinball game using a pinball box or a modified refrigerator box.  You can usually get these for free, if your lucky, at the local frig store.

Palletting:

Some shippers require palletting of your game which means to literally place it on a wood pallet for easy lifting by heavy equipment.  For information on how to do this we suggest checking out the illustrated pallet page from D&B Shipping.

Pictures:

If possible take a picture before and after this wrapping process so that you have a record of what condition the game left in.

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GOOD LUCK -- [SUGGESTIONS]