Record albums and turntables have made a comeback in recent years, showing strong sales even as digital music technology has threatened the format. If you have a business that deals in vinyl or you are an audiophile that owns a large record collection, you may someday have to move your inventory. If that day comes, you need to plan and prepare well in advance since records can easily warp and break under certain conditions. Here are a few ways you can spin that plan into action.

Choose Transportation

You can make all the right preparations, but if your movers aren’t up to the task, your efforts will be wasted. Ideally, you should contract with a company that can provide both storage and transportation services for a cohesive approach. Such a company, for example, warehousing and distribution Benicia CA, should also be able to apply temperature-control to both facets of the move. A hot environment will cause records to melt; too cold and they can break.

Document the Collection

It is likely that you have cataloged your records so that you can easily access them. If not, you need to do so now for insurance reasons and as a checklist upon arrival.

Physically Prepare the Albums

Road vibrations can cause friction that scratches records’ delicate surfaces. You should remove the more valuable records from their paper sleeves and place them in thin, plastic ones, such as Mylar, a move that will preserve the records. Place them in strong boxes that will not crush or fold. Label the boxes and ask that they be loaded in the order that will make sense for your unpacking.

Records are particularly fragile items. Any form of mishandling will damage even a single album; you definitely need to protect the collection as a whole when moving it. By dropping the needle on a sound plan well in advance of a move, you can ensure your collection will arrive in noteworthy shape.