What's the difference between box condition and shipper condition?

A lot of trains come in two layers of packaging, and collectors value both:

• Box — the individual product box the model sits in (often the colorful, printed one).
• Shipper — the plain outer carton that the box (or several boxes) shipped in from the factory or dealer.

For each, you can record whether you have it and what condition it's in. The box uses the P-scale grade described in How does condition grading work?.

Why it matters

Having the original shipper — especially with intact labels — can make a set noticeably more desirable to serious collectors, since most shippers got tossed decades ago. Recording both gives a complete picture of originality.

If you don't have one or the other, just leave it unchecked.