Chewie

On 11/06/2020 at 08:14, lownote12 said:

I have the fretless P bass, one of just three go to basses I've had in the 40+ I've owned. £199 new is crazy value for money: IMHO they considerably exceed Squier for quality, and the Entwhistle pups are excellent. One of their main dealers is the Bass Gallery in London, one of the UK's most respected top end bass shops and luthiers, which must say something. 

I played one of these in a local music shop and man, it was so nice to play.....   it was fun too.

I’m thinking about starting my fretless journey with the red version of this......

https://thebassgallery.com/products/revelation-rpb-65-fretless

Wow!  What a stunning instrument.

I’m surprised this is still here.

GLWTS Lawrie.

Love this ad.......

GLWTS.....

13 hours ago, Old Man Riva said:

This is a really helpful thread - thanks Chewie! - and the replies are giving me more confidence to consider couriers.

I’ve currently got a bass for sale on the site where I have referenced I’m not looking at using a courier, but I completely understand that this will limit any interest.

Has anyone used DPD at all (in UK or Europe)? Also, in terms of payment, is it as simple as giving someone UK bank account details and they transfer the funds - or is that a big no-no?! 

No worries Riva,

Our European brothers and sisters need us.

10 hours ago, Old Man Riva said:

Thanks all, advice and info really appreciated, and really helpful.

I think if I agree what I’m after in £s then that feels the most straightforward way of doing things, certainly from a seller point of view.

Seems that if I use a courier that covers the whole journey (relating to an overseas journey) and offers insurance then it may not be such a bad way of doing things.

If I’m honest I don’t know why I’m so reluctant to do it. In recent years I’ve purchased two basses through the site from overseas sellers (one in Denmark and the other in Czech Republic) and both have been hassle-free and straightforward experiences - obviously helped that the sellers were excellent!!

That’s the crux of it, I think.  The seller has to be willing and capable.  You’re praying that they’re excellent.  The onus is on them completely.  They have to source the box, package it, wait for the courier et cetera.... Insure it correctly...... it’s time, expense and effort..... exchange rates, language barriers (to a certain extent).....
 

Im the seller/vendor in this instance & there is an element of trepidation to it.

6 hours ago, chris_b said:

Don't skimp on the packaging. Insure as much as you like but the insurance won't cover the disappointment and hassle of a bass turning up damaged.

Use a hard case, not a gig bag. Keep the bass tuned in concert. That maintains the neck in balance with the truss rod. Make sure the bass doesn't move in the case. I then get a bicycle box from the local bike shop. IME they are glad to get rid of them. The Bike box is usually bigger than the bass case so I pack the spaces on all sides with expanded polystyrene. Make sure the case isn't able to move. You can get sheets of expanded polystyrene from DIY stores and they're not expensive.  Bikes are bigger than basses so you'll have to trim the box to size and I gaffer tape all joins and edges.

I've not had an issue with couriering a bass yet or had to deal with an insurance company. Something I'd rather not have to experience.

Thank you for this buddy.

What's the best way for me to get paid, in your opinion?

Kr

5 hours ago, Piers_Williamson said:

I recently sent my first bass to Europe to a fantastic buyer in Barcelona.  I followed a number of the tips here (UPS were brilliant), Transferwise....if you enter your bank details with transferwise (which you may or may not want to do!) the buyer just needs your e-mail address.  I was advised to ask for payment before agreeing to dispatch the bass.  That means the buyer has got to be confident in the seller.  Hopefully the basschat site gives some visibility as to the quality of the seller, but in the case of my recent sale, we reinforced the trust with a couple of video calls .

The most frustrating thing was getting hold of  a bike box.  My local Halfords is usually happy to get rid of bike boxes, but not during Covid....Computer says no😠   However, you can buy bike boxes for next day delivery on't internet.  It did cost me £16, but they are a really good resource to build a bomb package with

A video call/FaceTime is a great idea.

Thank you

On 06/06/2020 at 14:46, Acebassmusic said:

I usually ask the sender to transfer in GBP. This usually saves you the cost of changing currency (% of total trasnsfer) and any potential losses due to currency fluctuations.

Thank you for this.

How do you prefer to receive the money?

This chap wants to do PayPal but surely I’ll get charged?

Awesome combo.

Shall we swap my black one for your safari one?

4 hours ago, Piers_Williamson said:

I recently sent my first bass to Europe to a fantastic buyer in Barcelona.  I followed a number of the tips here (UPS were brilliant), Transferwise....if you enter your bank details with transferwise (which you may or may not want to do!) the buyer just needs your e-mail address.  I was advised to ask for payment before agreeing to dispatch the bass.  That means the buyer has got to be confident in the seller.  Hopefully the basschat site gives some visibility as to the quality of the seller, but in the case of my recent sale, we reinforced the trust with a couple of video calls .

The most frustrating thing was getting hold of  a bike box.  My local Halfords is usually happy to get rid of bike boxes, but not during Covid....Computer says no😠   However, you can buy bike boxes for next day delivery on't internet.  It did cost me £16, but they are a really good resource to build a bomb package with

Thank you.  I have a bike box.  Great idea,

Thank you.

5 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

A word of caution (personal experience); if you use a courier that doesn't do the whole job (same company collects as delivers), you could find that one part of the system will blame another if there is damage and or loss... you'd think that a claim would be against whoever you booked with but it isn't always as straightforward!  It is just a slim chance but I now ensure it is point to point delivery.

Does the bass you are selling have a bolt on neck?  If so it is going to reduce risk if sent detached, added to which delivery costs will drop.  

As has been pointed out, Parcelforce don't insure instruments; that includes if you pay extra for enhanced cover!

Thanks for this.

It’s a french geezer, buying the bass.  He wants to organise it and use UPS.

I want to use Transferwise.com & he preferred PayPal.  

I’m thinking about stick my ‘78 Antigua on Reverb.

Has anyone done this without being a business?

Is it cool?

When I go through the process it wants a shop name?

Thank you in advance.

Kr

1 hour ago, ambient said:

I recently sold an instrument to a guy in France. I used Eurosender, it cost €52, that was fully insured, tracked and took just two days to arrive.

I used a massively over-size box, figuring there’d be crush space. The whole package was 140x70x20cm. I made sure to pack all around the actual flight case with bubble wrap, and packing paper that I’d saved from Amazon parcels.

Print off a copy of the label plus both adresses; yours and the recipient’s, place that inside the case. Stick at least two on the outside of the package.

As far as being paid, try and avoid PayPal, their exchange rate is terrible, we used TransferWise.

Thank you Ambient,

Transferwise is the go.

17 minutes ago, police squad said:

keep the size of the box as short as possible because it will be cheaper to send

I used Eurosender because BC gets a discount BASSCHAT10 is the code IIRC

Also, I always write the delivery name and address ON THE BOX, just in case the label comes off. I also write where it's come from too

Thank you Police Squad.
That’s good info about Eurosender. 

I need to get a box first.
Have you ever used transferwise.com?

Hello guys and gals,

I’m selling a bass to a guy in France.

What do I need to remember?

I need the money to go to my English account, I know that.  I think I need a particular transaction?  Any pearls of wisdom, much appreciated.

Kr

I had one of these and man, it was light & it played real nice.

GLWTS.

I wouldn’t withdraw it......

Ive had things on here for donkeys years before now.....!

I’m surprised this is still available.....

1 minute ago, ClassicVibes said:

Weight?

I wouldn’t wait long......!

I’ve got the original foam from under the pickups here too.

Just in case anyone was wondering....!

I need a lie down......!

16 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Aren't Lovely and Antigua an antinomy... 

Mmmmmm.........

18 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Hi chewie,  yeah I have been on and off, I’ve looked at quite a few but they turned out not to be 100% original or way overpriced 🙂

I’ve seen a lovely Antigua on here......!

🙂

22 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Yeah, I’m looking 😄

Anything from 1969 -1972 I think......

You still looking for an Olympic white jazz, Reggae...?

11 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

Actually, the whole issue of provenance does come into this. Hardcases don't carry serial numbers, and there are very few websites devoted to recording and analysing the tiny changes over time between various versions of any given case.

In other words, if you pay £945 for a "57 - 59 Precision case", how do you know that it wasn't made in 1984?

I'm not casting any aspersions here, and I'm certainly not suggesting that there's anything misleading or fraudulent about those eBay listings ... but how do you prove the date of an empty hardcase?

Amen to that.......

Somebody came to look at my ‘72 P & asked me how did I know the case was original.

I was stumped...... 

Punching him crossed my mind for a nanosecond, mind.....!!!