Just got a new bike, and when I was assembling it I noticed that the front fork blades had way too small a spacing to accommodate the front wheel....the wheel is on in the picture (it's a used bike), and I was able to get the wheel on after I cold-set the fork a little wider. I probably moved it about 5 mm? Not really sure but it fits on now. It's definitely a steel fork but I was just wondering is there any chance that the fork was damaged in shipping to the point where I should buy a new one? It looks fine and it's steel, but just wanted to hear the opinions of others.

At the very least have a bike shop check the blades for both spacing and alignment. They can also tell you if the damage is superficial or serious. Can you contact the seller with a claim for a refund or cost adjustment? Apparently the bike wasn't packed properly for shipment. There is a good reason new bikes are shipped with a rigid spacer between the fork dropouts.

Did the fork have a spacer between the dropouts? (Often a piece of wood with 2 bolts. The wood is fitted between the dropouts like a hub and the bolts tightened like axle nuts.) If not, poor packaging. That something has to be substituted for the hub to prevent the fork blades being crushed together in shipping has been common knowledge forever.

That is on the shipper. As the receiver, it is your job to document the distance between the dropouts to ensure that this crushing did not occur. (Most road forks are spaced 100mm dropout inside to dropout inside.) Too bad you coldset the fork. Your evidence of poor packaging is now gone. Next time you'll know. (If this is a traditional, not super lightweight steel fork, 5mm of correction isn't a big deal. I would take it to a pro to see if the blades are now symmetric about the steerer tube, both in side offset and fore and aft rake (or do the homework on how to do this accurately yourself).

Ben

Im on this side

It could also be that the fork was damaged before it was put in the box -- that'd be my guess, unless the box was obviously damaged. I've shipped and received a lot of bikes. If it happened in transit, nothing inside the box bent your fork; the force came from outside, and the box is your key witness.

On a side note, those plastic things that get shoved into the fork ends are a waste of material and effort. If something is crushing the box hard enough that that little piece of reinforcement comes into play, that shipment is an insurance claim.

The box was noticeably damaged.There were several hand sized holes in the box. They also lost the front quick release skewer....I'll talk to them about it in the claim and hopefully fedex will cover it with the insurance i purchased.

I really doubt that the fork was damaged before being put in. In the photo the wheel is on the bike and when I had the fork the front wheel was impossible to put into the front fork.

Does anyone think that there is a chance that the fork is damaged beyond safety? I'm honestly not concerned with it as long as it's safe to ride. I'm going to take it into my local bike shop and ask them to look at it.

They should cover whatever amount for which the package was insured, but I'd be interested to hear how it goes. Good luck!

Both UPS and FedEx will deny your claim unless the bike was "properly packed." Their interpretation of "properly packed" includes 3 inches of padding between the bike and the box.
I have seen more than one frame where the damage to the box indicates that those wooden or plastic spacers have indeed protected the frame from much worse damage. I have also seen some sadly crushed forks, rear triangles and dropouts when those spacers were not used. ...Yes, I've shipped and unpacked a large number of bikes and frames.
Brent

None of that makes sense to me.

For starters, every major manufacturer I know ships their bikes with less than 3" of padding surrounding the bike.

Second, as for the spacers, what difference does it make if the chainstays and seatstays are all scarred up, bent or cracked, but the dropouts have maintained their 130mm spacing?

Thirdly, take a carbon fork. Imagine there is a force strong enough to crush it. Now say there's a spacer holding the fork ends 100 mm apart. Think it's going to come out ok because it's got a plastic thing pressed into the fork ends? Once a force large enough to deform a frame or fork acts on the box and its contents, the product inside is ruined, and it's the shipper's responsibility if it was in transit.

Lastly, it takes half a minute of Googling to find many stories of people who had bikes damaged in shipping. They sought advice from the internet. Many warned them: buddy, you're screwed. But instead, FedEx, or whatever carrier, covered the insured amount. Here are two quick examples:

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/S...ved!_P4554989/

https://www.******.com/r/cycling/com...damage_claims/

Those very same manufacturers all ship their bikes with dropout spacers.
A good spacer will brace one fork or dropout against the other, thus nearly doubling the amount of force that is required to deform it. Scratches and dings can be avoided with proper padding. (pipe insulation, bubble wrap, etc) I agree that if the force is great enough to bend or crack tubing that the dropout spacer will not help. I'm sure this has happened but I have yet to see it.

See my answer above re: stays. Again the force has to be considerably greater to deform two frame members than to deform one.

I have been fortunate to have only had to make a claim once. The claim was denied. I did not think the bike was worth enough for me to pursue it beyond the first denial. A foolish move on my part, perhaps, given the cases you cite. I'm glad to be wrong and wish the OP the best possible resolution.
Brent

The fork was not packed with a spacer...I don't remember if it was padded but they should at least cover me I think? I insured the bike for $100

I would take it to our local frame builder if I could not ride it around the block w/o hands.