Attention Sellers - Battery packaging needs to be addressed

Commercial Sellers' Spot
1

Dealers and Sellers please take note and please reconsider how you ship Li-ion Batteries. Your methods need to be Consistent and Safe. The biggest reason why there is so much of an issue with shipping Li-ion batteries is due to poor packaging. Too many times, you treat batteries just like any other item and that is incorrect.

This goes for ALL batteries, but especially Li-ion. The batteries should NEVER be able to touch each other at the poles, (ends). The best method of shipping would be to wrap each battery separate, in bubble wrap, or to place them in a container so that they cannot move at all. Here are a couple of photos.

Here are some ideas for packaging. Just suggestions, but you will get the idea.

I am just using plain bubble wrap. 12x12 sheets and I cut the sheet to 6x12. I have simple poly bags and I used colored tape, just so you can see the tape.

Take one bagged battery and fold the bubble wrap over it and tape it down.

Place the next bagged battery against the first one and then roll the first one over this one, so both are covered and tape it down.

Fold the other end up and tape it.

Just add more tape to seal the ends.

Here's another way.

Put the batteries in individual bags, onto the bubble wrap and tape all of them together and to the wrap.

Fold the ends of the wrap over and tape.

Fold the other ends over and tape it all together.

It makes a good, strong package.

Or, just use the hard plastic battery holder that all of you carry and make sure to tape them closed and bubble wrap them.

All I am asking is to be safe when shipping batteries to us and take responsibility for your packaging methods. Yes, it might be a few cents more, but I know without a doubt, that packaging like this will only cost you a cent or two, per package.

Just do it.

Thanks

Dings and dents.
2

I’m not a fan of the tightly taped packaging. Most american sellers I’ve bought from (all 5 of them) include boxes where all the batteries are in one direction and they don’t have room to flip around.

3

Most of the overseas sellers will never use boxes. Plastic and tape is it, but they can improve to make it safe. Batteries wrapped correctly will not shift and hit each other during shipment.

4

your batteries were damaged in transit?

so sorry.

heres 217 tmart points.

:stuck_out_tongue:

5

FastTech pack them in plastic battery containers, at least those I purchased in pairs (2 x Sony VTC5 and 4 x LGHE2). BG just seal them in thin plastic bags (4 x Panasonic 3400s). Havent purchased batteries from other Chinese sellers.

Illumn put my lithium primaries (10 of) sealed into a sandwich bag that had been resealed with one of those resealers to make the 2 sections each with 5 batteries together. My 16340s and 14500 li ions came in little white boxes which contained 2 of each branded box for the individual cells. The light that came with batts included, a 4 sevens, those batteries were just slipped in series in the packaging at the factory. This was all placed into a mailer box and some bubble wrap used to take up most of the air space in the box.

But I agree, BG at least could learn something from this thread. Im not sure they needed diagrams to show them how to suck an egg, but it was funny to watch anyway. Thanks for the laugh.

6

Kudos OL, excellent pics for safe shipping. I’ll toss in my 2 cents worth. What I use for storage, transport etc. are plastic penny tubes. I’ve found them at craft supply stores for about $0.30 each. I add a bit of packing in the end & cap and the cell is totally sealed from contact. I also tape the end when traveling. I’ve gone through airport screenings w/o a delay, though one TSA screener did like my SolarForce L2Ts.

BTW, you can get Nickle & Dime tubes that would fit 16340 and 14500 cells.

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I have not shipped any batteries to any one but I do have the two 18650 battery hard plastic boxes running out of my ears from batteries shipped to me by American sources along with 16340/CR123 boxes and AA containers I bought on Amazon or Battery Junction. Orbtronic has and uses for shipping four battery capacity 14500 hard boxes that are long enough to hold their protected 14500 batteries but I have not been able to find them elsewhere and they never answered my email as to whether they were available separately to purchase. AA cases are all too short for 14500 protected batteries.

I suspect that most airline incidents involving lithium ion batteries are due to poor packaging and to add another level of safety it would be nice if the packaged batteries were also placed in liquid proof heavy gauge plastic zip lock bags for a final layer of protection against liquid leaks from other cargo or mail getting to them.

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http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2011/05/30/another-reminder-not-to-leave-lithium-batteries-in-your-checked-luggage/

9

I applaud the effort.

I wonder though if all that tape increases the chance that the recipient might damage a cell while trying to get it out of the packaging.

Of course, as risks go, someone ordering good batteries nicking a cell in a well taped packet with a utility knife seems much less likely than poorly packed being damaged and/or lost during shipment.

10

I hope the idiots at Banggood are reading this

11

From now on,
I’m only buying from sellers that include plastic boxes and pack cells properly in the plastic battery boxes.

12

I like that FT uses the plastic cases but after seeing cells damaged by water on their forums I would prefer each cell individually bagged (and then maybe put into the case). DX also shipped cells in plastic cases, but as FT just put the case in the padded envelope.

BG do a pretty good job of wrapping. Here are some Sanyo cells I got. Each cell in its own bag and then wrapped with bubble wrap and tape:

I don’t think they should be packed too tightly, since the cells might get damaged trying to cut them out! I use EMT shears instead of a knife.

13

Thanks your great idea! We will consider and try our best to improve the battery packaging to be safe :beer: :beer: :beer:

14

Great way to pack battery!