S&H Process
Our Shipping Process
At Hemispheres, we package our games way beyond what most do. We use over $50 just in materials for each game that is sent out. For starters, the game is broken down and put on a heavy-duty pallet on top of cardboard so it will not scratch the back of the game. It is then wrapped in a thick layer of shrink wrap. After that, it is wrapped with thick cardboard and shrink-wrapped again. Then 2 more layers of thick cardboard and shrink wrap for a 3rd time. It is then banded to the skid with 2 to 4 bands. As you see in the picture to left these games will arrive safer than a brand new in the box game! Upon your request, we will also transport brand new games over to a 40 by 48 pallet. This will up your freight charge a little bit, but not by much. This way, your new pinball machine is sitting on a larger skid that has room around it. Manufacturers ship new pinballs on a 31 X 31 pallet so they can get three-wide in a semi. This is literally the same dimensions as the Box so this is why new pinball games are so susceptible to damage! If you do ship a brand new pinball through us and it is not on a larger palette, we put a tip and tell on the unit. This device shows that if at any time during transit your item has fallen over, you will know! When the carrier sees a tip and tell, you are guaranteed your game will be handled carefully. Once they see these tip and tells, they tend to strap items in the truck and handle the freight much more carefully.
Every single game we ship is fully insured by a third-party insurance policy. Please read the article below as this is really, really important if you're shipping a game with any carrier.
If you would like a shipping quote please fill out this form.
Contact us or Call! (630) 792-8910
Custom Palletizing
We can even ship pallet size large items like Puck bowling machines and ensure they arrive safely! This game was banded with 10 bands to make sure it did not get damaged. It was also blocked in so it could not move in transit. This game arrived in perfect condition.
If you would like a shipping quote please fill out this form.
Contact us or Call! (630) 792-8910
Every game is fully insured!
EVERY SINGLE GAME WE SHIP NEW OR USED IS FULLY INSURED BY A 3RD PARTY INSURANCE POLICY! Why is this important? Because arcade games go on LTL (Less Than Truckload) semi-truck carriers when traveling long distances. They can't go on a UPS or FED EX truck. (Well they can, but that is also LTL just a different division than your local driver in the small trucks) So what all this means is when freight goes LTL, it is put into a freight class category. That category is covered based on the commodity. Most EVERY SINGLE freight carrier ONLY covers $1500.00 on coin-operated pinball machines and arcade games. NEW OR USED no matter what you paid for it! This includes the specialized "White Glove" carriers. Our 3rd party policy only adds $30 to your quote if your game does not come with free shipping and is absolutely included with our free shipping service! We have used this policy multiple times. Although damage is rare, it happens. If it does happen, we handle every single aspect of this process AND we also pay the deductible for you! The second part of this equation is the actual carrier. There are some great carriers and not-so-great carriers out there. We have used them all over the past 25 years. The not-so-great may be cheaper, but they have extremely high claims for damaged freight. Years ago as a company we made the decision to stay away from them. They are just not worth the savings. It's minimal in retrospect of what these games can cost, not to mention replacing a pristine and fully restored original game or even a brand new game that is no longer in production! We will ONLY use an above-average-rated carrier to transport your game. The old saying "you get what you pay for" can not be stressed enough in LTL shipping. For the cost of this high-end equipment, don't skimp on the shipping! Trust us on this one, we have learned the hard way. Some of these carriers are paid by the skid. You can stamp, write and scream DO NOT STACK all over the freight and paperwork but guess what they will do? Stack on top of it to get more pallets on the truck. We have had it happen. Last, EVERY GAME gets a tip and tell affixed to the shipment. This assures you and us that the freight, at any time during transit, has remained upright and has not fallen over. This is also a huge sign for the carriers to handle with care. Once they see a tip and tell, they tend to understand that they are being monitored and that the freight IS in fact fragile!
If you would like a shipping quote please fill out this form.
Contact us or Call! (630) 792-8910
USA & International S&H
If you would like a shipping quote please fill out this form.
Contact us or Call! (630) 792-8910