GAK selling bass shipping boxes!

[scrumpymike]

My local independent store (well, nearest - it's 15 miles away) were happy to give me a nice box recently, no questions asked. Only things I've ever bought from them are a £150 bass and a few bits and pieces. Mind you, it could have been the most expensive box I've ever bought - had a play on a mint used Stingray they had in and loved it! Too big and heavy for me nowadays but what a sound - I was seriously tempted. Perhaps there's a moral in this story for GAK Brighton!

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1476431181' post='3154152']
I'm happy to faff about cutting cardboard to pack a bass. It's not hard. The last cardboard I got, I lifted out of a skip at the back of Mothercare. I didn't ask, but I'd be amazed if they got upset.

IMHO the more prized contribution to packing a bass is the bubble-wrap. I get loads with the stuff my company ships out to me, but where do others get it from? Or do you always sell a bass with a case? Otherwise, what-else do you do to protect the bass inside the cardboard?

(I too should get some work done too now )
[/quote]

I buy mine off eBay. You can get a roll 100m x 1.5m for just over £30. Not a brilliant price if you only have one bass to ship, but excellent value if you send lots of things that need it.

[jezzaboy]

The box wouldn`t be sent back to Fender or whoever. The amount of money it would cost in transport, manpower etc would not be viable when the box cost pennies to make.

Or a fiver according to GAK!!

I think some social media slagging off is in order on this occasion unless the money goes to Nordoff Robbins or similar charity.

[Funky Dunky]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1476375130' post='3153797']
I doubt they get paid for cardboard boxes. It's more likely that they pay to have it taken away.
[/quote]

Picked up a shipping box from a local shop yesterday, offered the owner a few quid but I got it for nowt, he said "we have to pay to have cardboard taken away"

[philw]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1476431181' post='3154152']
IMHO the more prized contribution to packing a bass is the bubble-wrap. I get loads with the stuff my company ships out to me, but where do others get it from? Or do you always sell a bass with a case? Otherwise, what-else do you do to protect the bass inside the cardboard?

(I too should get some work done too now )
[/quote]

Bubble-wrap can usually be bought at storage companies (like Big Yellow). Last resort though 'cause it's not cheap.

[karlfer]

I bought a roll from B & Q a couple of years back.
http://www.diy.com/departments/04008590-cs-bio-bubblewrap-500mm-x-100m-roll/1120598_BQ.prd

Still not quite finished it, despite best efforts

[Funky Dunky]

I got 5m of bubble wrap for £3 at Tesco. It's for shipping a neck though, not a full bass. The rest of the packing is newspaper. There's a great thread in the Marketplace on packing your bass for shipping, came in handy when I punted my Sterling back to Thomann to get the preamp mended under warranty.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Funky Dunky

[BigRedX]

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1476446493' post='3154383']
I bought a roll from B & Q a couple of years back.
[url="http://www.diy.com/departments/04008590-cs-bio-bubblewrap-500mm-x-100m-roll/1120598_BQ.prd"]http://www.diy.com/d.../1120598_BQ.prd[/url]

Still not quite finished it, despite best efforts
[/quote]

That's expensive - I'd be wanting a 1m wide roll for that price.

[Grangur]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1476450216' post='3154431']
That's expensive - I'd be wanting a 1m wide roll for that price.
[/quote]

£20 for 30M ?

http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/catalog/catalogSku.do?id=T100&cm_mmc=Google-_-pla_gen_google-shopping_packing-and-mailing-_-packing-and-mailing-_-T100&s2m_channel=544&_%24ja=tsid:34770|cid:242833697|agid:16600084217|tid:pla-91709944697|crid:55356844337|nw:g|rnd:3695745357732024944|dvc:c|adp:1o4&gclid=CjwKEAjwhILABRDwo8mlqt6ug38SJACNSq_kG_WdLLkfKavZu5M1AhJwmSF81EYN4JFH4yujtD8b3hoCqEvw_wcB

[karlfer]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1476450216' post='3154431']
That's expensive - I'd be wanting a 1m wide roll for that price.
[/quote]

Everyone's a critic

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1476450539' post='3154436']
£20 for 30M ?

[url="http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/catalog/catalogSku.do?id=T100&cm_mmc=Google-_-pla_gen_google-shopping_packing-and-mailing-_-packing-and-mailing-_-T100&s2m_channel=544&_%24ja=tsid:34770|cid:242833697|agid:16600084217|tid:pla-91709944697|crid:55356844337|nw:g|rnd:3695745357732024944|dvc:c|adp:1o4&gclid=CjwKEAjwhILABRDwo8mlqt6ug38SJACNSq_kG_WdLLkfKavZu5M1AhJwmSF81EYN4JFH4yujtD8b3hoCqEvw_wcB"]http://www.viking-di...D8b3hoCqEvw_wcB[/url]
[/quote]

[url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bubblewrap-Small-LARGE-Bubble-300mm-500mm-750mm-1000mm-1500mm-10m-100m-FREE-P-P-/222020264781?var=&hash=item33b170634d:m:m0P2TGdRSEYaDjFbLhAB9iA]1m wide x 100m long for just over £20 including delivery[/url]

[Grangur]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1476451115' post='3154439']
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bubblewrap-Small-LARGE-Bubble-300mm-500mm-750mm-1000mm-1500mm-10m-100m-FREE-P-P-/222020264781?var=&hash=item33b170634d:m:m0P2TGdRSEYaDjFbLhAB9iA"]1m wide x 100m long for just over £20 including delivery[/url]
[/quote]
Fine, if you don't live in a pokey 2 bed flat.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1476450976' post='3154438']
Everyone's a critic
[/quote]

[Grangur]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bubblewrap-Small-LARGE-Bubble-300mm-500mm-750mm-1000mm-1500mm-10m-100m-FREE-P-P-/222020264781?var=&hash=item33b170634d:m:m0P2TGdRSEYaDjFbLhAB9iA

Same link as BRX - Big bubbles, 750mm wide - lots of choice on length, but 20M is £6.89 (Until the price goes up because it's made from oil and the pound is falling.... etc, etc)

[M@23]

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1476438871' post='3154277']
The box wouldn`t be sent back to Fender or whoever. The amount of money it would cost in transport, manpower etc would not be viable when the box cost pennies to make.

Or a fiver according to GAK!!

I think some social media slagging off is in order on this occasion unless the money goes to Nordoff Robbins or similar charity.
[/quote]

I agree. It'd be a false economy to send them back to anywhere outside the UK, surely.

I'd call them out on it too. It's only a fiver, but pretty shameful if it's going in someone's pocket - which is only a wild guess of course.

My local Co-op/Sainsbury or family run music shop have always given them without question.

Edited October 14, 2016 by M@23

[Monkey Steve]

my day job is in "environmental services" and it may not be complete bullsh#t that GAK do get paid for waste cardboard.

If they are generating skiploads of the stuff (and they might be) then they may have enough to interest someone in buying it from them - there is a market for recyclable materials (otherwise nobody would actually recycle any of it) albeit not a very profitable one. There's no way they'd get a fiver for a single box - it's more like £70-80 per ton.

If they don't do this then as per other posters, it will be commercial waste and they have to pay either the Council or another authorised commercial waste contractor to take it away.

Although...are we sure it's shop policy rather than the salesman seeing the opportunity to get the cost of a pint out of an unsuspecting punter?

[scrumpymike]

"Although...are we sure it's shop policy rather than the salesman seeing the opportunity to get the cost of a pint out of an unsuspecting punter?"

I'm guessing you've hit the nail on the head there.

[ezbass]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1476465203' post='3154637']
"Although...are we sure it's shop policy rather than the salesman seeing the opportunity to get the cost of a pint out of an unsuspecting punter?"

I'm guessing you've hit the nail on the head there.
[/quote]Sounds very likely and given that this is the Internet and anyone can read it, someone at GAK might be sweating a bit right now. If I was a GAK boss and discovered someone was not putting something through the books (illegal of course) and then reading about it on a public forum, I'd be furious.

[bigsmokebass]

I see.... next time I order from GAK and don't get my box, I'll be sure to get my £5 discount

[yorks5stringer]

I've loads of bass boxes, anyone in South Somerset who wants one just PM me. No, I'm not posting them!

N.B. Noticed £1 shops selling bubble wrap now but only the small stuff.

Edited October 19, 2016 by yorks5stringer