Trusted Couriers?

[SwamiRob]

Hey guys, I'm wanting to get an electric piano (a proper electromagnetic one) that I bought for my girlfriend couriered, but I'm a bit worried about it getting looked after on the way here. It's a Hohner Pianet T, and it's fairly compact and when it's all closed up is pretty much it's own hardcase, but it obviously can't get chucked about otherwise it'll get battered. I know it's probably not gonna go through airline baggage treatment, but I just want to know if anyone knows which are the best places to use that seem to take a decent amount of care with semi fragile gear? DHL and Yodel (who lost a badass bridge of mine a couple of years back which is a bit off putting) are the only reasonable quotes I've seen so far both being about 20 quid. It's 20kg and a meter wide so there's a few carriers I've seen that it's too big for.

Cheers for the help!

This is what it looks like by the way:

Edited December 26, 2017 by SwamiRob

[bassace]

Have you tried UPS? I rate them highly. But don’t touch Hermes with a bargepole.

[kodiakblair]

Plenty bubblewrap,and plenty cardboard. Best if you give it 3 layers of cardboard. For couriers use a broker like Interparcel,for an item that size Parcelforce 24 or next day will cost £12. Insurance is about 2 or 3%. Couriers work on bands up to certain weight/size limits, over 25Kg is a problem as is over 1.5M wide.

 

Had 2 basses delivered by Parcelforce last week in a gigbag with no problems,I'll admit to nerves on that one as I couldn't insure them. Unless guitars are in hard cases Parcelforce accept no liability,evevn then the case needs cardboard wrap.Since it's down to the driver any courier can be hit or miss but I've shipped or received 50+ basses in the last few years with no troubles.Sent one to Ghana,only took 6 days 

 

Get yourself a quote here

https://uk.interparcel.com/

[Lozz196]

I`ve always had good service with UPS, booked via Interparcel. As others have said, bubble-wrap, then cardboard. Sometimes it`s worth spending that bit extra for reliability and although UPS are that tad more expensive, certainly for basses and amps I choose them. For smaller not so fragile items I`ll go for the cheaper options though.

[T-Bay]

Just Google Yodel and look at the reviews. Would I chance Yodel? Well put it this way, I was looking at buying something for the father in law for a tenner and didn’t purely because the online shop used Yodel.

[Maude]

Post it up on Shiply, private 'man with a van' type courier. Insured , unlike most large companies even though they take your money, doesn't go through handling depots so far less chance of damage. A man will collect it, carefully put it in his van and take it where you need. 

I've used a couple and they've always been fairly priced and excellent service. 

Example, £30 to bring a bicycle from Bognor Regis down to Cornwall.  

Edited December 26, 2017 by Maude

[TheGreek]

More expensive than the quotes you'll get on Interparcel but the driver collects and delivers the same day.

https://www.anyvan.com/instant-prices/furniture/listing-items

My local drivers for UPS/ Parcelforce and Hermes are all great but I don't trust the bastards who touch my parcels before it gets to them...

[tauzero]

Another vote for Interparcel/UPS from me. You will find horror stories about any courier (including UPS) but I've found them reliable and non-damaging, plus they insure musical instruments.

[ambient]

I wouldn’t risk couriering it, 20kg is heavy.

[Happy Jack]

Trusted courier = contradiction in terms.

Sorry.

[kodiakblair]

26 minutes ago, ambient said:

I wouldn’t risk couriering it, 20kg is heavy.

25Kg is deemed a safe weight for 1 person to handle that's why they halved the weight of cement bags. The bags are now so small folks would butt heads if trying a 2 man lift.

Building trade is covered by Equality laws, just like farming and catering everybody dropped to the max weight. Potatoes and flour sacks are 25Kg too. 

[Dad3353]

S'not just the weight lifted by an operator, though; a heavy object falling even from a small height will damage itself by its own weight alone. These Hohners are delicate; I had one (the 'upright', furniture version...) and even while 'resting' at my parent's home, went out of tune progressively. They can be tuned, but it's notoriously difficult to do so. Great care, more than an average parcel service, would be recompensed many times over in musicality, once at its final destination. Can it really not be taken on the back seat of your car (or anyone's car going that way...).

Just sayin'; 'twould be a shame to get it there only for it to be unplayable.

[kodiakblair]

If fear of it falling is the issue and not the handling weight,though if you read the OP's post handling weight was the concern, then you're right nothing short of moving it himself will safeguard against that.

[Paul S]

Where is it located and where is the destination?  It is not beyond the realms of possibility that a tag team of Basschatters can transport it - its been done before.

[SwamiRob]

Thanks for the detailed input guys, the option of a day trip to Cambridge has crossed my mind, 6 hours of driving is a bit off putting, but I don't think I really want anyone's hands on this thing really now.

I like the idea of the man with a van type websites, however as much as I like to use smaller businesses I'm not sure I'd trust the liability of someone I'd only dealt with in the Internet, regardless of the reviews they have (which I always worry about the legitimacy of). If it was something sturdy and not really worth theiving then I'd definitely go for it.

Also the guy I've bought it off has stipulated that it was a collection only, so gonna be unlikely to convince them into the pain in the derrière of a load of packing and sourcing the stuff to pack it in the first place.

[Oopsdabassist]

Well I'm Cambridge...ish...where is it going from?

[SwamiRob]

CB1, pretty central by the looks!

[fleabag]

I think Couriers and Parcel deliveries would be a candidate for a sticky, as these threads are many.  Good and bad should be named

[Oopsdabassist]

5 hours ago, SwamiRob said:

CB1, pretty central by the looks!

And where is it going to?

[SwamiRob]

West Yorkshire, near Leeds and Bradford, bit of a journey!

[kodiakblair]

3 minutes ago, SwamiRob said:

West Yorkshire, near Leeds and Bradford, bit of a journey!

Not Batley ???   

[SwamiRob]

Not Batley but that'd be pretty much between Leeds and Bradford! I guess it's inbetween there and Skipton if anyone's heard of that, it's a little town called Ilkley if anyone's heard of that either?

Edited December 28, 2017 by SwamiRob

[chris_b]

I've used DHL in the past for amps. I put my padded box inside one of their boxes and they were fine, but, because of the size restrictions of the others, I've always used Interparcel for basses. They have always been good for me.

With couriers you have to assume the worst is going to happen and take precautions. To be on the safe side, my OCD kicks in and I always put the case inside a big cardboard bicycle box lined with polystyrene.

I once got a bass delivered only in a flimsy gig bag. I don't understand how anyone can risk couriering a bass with that little packaging and protection.

[Steve Browning]

1 hour ago, SwamiRob said:

Not Batley but that'd be pretty much between Leeds and Bradford! I guess it's inbetween there and Skipton if anyone's heard of that, it's a little town called Ilkley if anyone's heard of that either?

On the Moor, by any chance?

[SwamiRob]

Haha, yeah that's the one