Returnable shipping cartridge and rack

A method of shipping and receiving a plurality of cartridges, each having a frame and a pin, each pin having a first portion having a larger cross-sectional dimension than a second portion of the pin such that a shoulder is defined therebetween, and each frame having a cavity with an upper section and a lower, smaller section, the method comprising:

• inserting the pin in a first orientation into an upper opening in each frame so that the first portion of the pin is positioned in the upper section of the cavity within the frame, above the lower, smaller section of the cavity and the shoulder is spaced above an upper surface of the frame having the upper opening;
• placing an item onto each cartridge;
• stacking the cartridges such that the pin of one cartridge is inserted into a lower opening of a cartridge above and positioned in the lower, smaller section of the cavity within the frame of the cartridge above such that the cartridge above is supported by the shoulder of the pin;
• and
• moving the cartridges to a different location.

A material-supporting cartridge and rack system comprising:

• a cartridge including:
• a frame adapted to support an item, the frame including a periphery having an upper surface including an opening and a lower surface opposite the upper surface;
• and
• a pin removably positioned in the opening in a first orientation with a first end of the pin positioned in the frame and a second end of the pin positioned a first height above the lower surface, the pin being dimensioned to be removed and inserted into the opening in a second orientation with the second end of the pin positioned in the frame and the first end of the pin positioned a second height above the lower surface, the first height being greater than the second height;
• and
• a rack defining multiple stacked rows having a vertical spacing between adjacent rows, wherein the vertical spacing is greater than the second height and less than the first height.