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Best postage company in uk to uk


J66Bass

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Depends on size and weight (and value of course) but I`ve had pretty good service from Parcel2go.com, using either UPS or MyHermes. One thing I would say though is if the item is a musical instrument do not use Parcelforce - their terms & conditions list musical instruments as prohibited items, so although you can pay for extra insurance, there is no payout should the item get lost or damaged.

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It's impossible to say because it all depends on the particular driver working for the company - often through an agency. The safest and best way is to hire a man with a van for the job in hand but that's not always feasible.

The only thing you can do is make sure you pay for insurance. 

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3 minutes ago, ped said:

It's impossible to say because it all depends on the particular driver working for the company - often through an agency. The safest and best way is to hire a man with a van for the job in hand but that's not always feasible.

The only thing you can do is make sure you pay for insurance. 

Yes, but do read the exclusions in the T&C, as many have found they've paid for insurance which does not apply to the carriage of musical instruments. I also seem to recall one courier would  insure a bass if lost but not if it was damaged in transit.

Edited by yorks5stringer
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The most important is the packing and the way it's perfectly done : bomb proof isn't exaggerated. The courier is, hélas, to often a lottery, so put all the chances on your side with the best made package, the address typed and not written, a phone number clearly visible and the same paper inside the box. Think about the usual weather and make it "rainproof" as much as possible. Try to ship on Monday to avoid a long weekend in the overheated or underheated (depending the season) warehouses.

The shorter it's in the courier hands, the better it is.

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He has a bass for sale and want me to arrange the courier or postage from his to mine ,thanks he live in Manchester I lm in London , I never done this thing before if I sale I arrange the delivery or when I buy , the seller like me to arrange the postage ?im a bit confused thanks 

Edited by J66Bass
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19 minutes ago, J66Bass said:

He has a bass for sale and want me to arrange the courier or postage from his to mine ,thanks he live in Manchester I lm in London , I never done this thing before if I sale I arrange the delivery or when I buy , the seller like me to arrange the postage ?im a bit confused thanks 

It can't really work like that, if I understand you right. He's sending it, regardless who pays, so a courier can't be booked unless they have the dimensions & weight of the package - which is info he will have. They will also probably require an address/phone no. for each end before they'll even quote.

And yes - never use Parcelfarce, and avoid MyHerpes if at all possible.

I've heard some horror stories about UPS, but have used them several times myself with no issues. I don't think any of them are immune to disaster, unfortunately.

Edited by Bassassin
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Direct Courier Solutions offer specific Musical Instrument shipping and I have had in writing on more than one occasion that they insure for both loss and damage. I believe they may use third party shippers, but on one occasion I do know that it was a well known company that did the collection.

Worth looking in to further? 

 

 

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Just to add to the confusion - I’ve used Parcelforce, DPD, UPS, DHL within the UK and internationally and (touch wood) never had a problem. I always pack things super carefully, so I know even if they get dropped or something, they items are very unlikely to get damaged.

And then again, I have received acoustic guitars in a flimsy cardboard box or wrapped in stretch without any damage. So, you never know.

And it’s always better for the seller to arrange the courier. It’s just much easier.

Good luck!

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If it's in a hard case I think Parcel Force will insure it, I recently sent a guitar via them and looked into it, DPD seem better than average, good tracking and they tell you when it's going to arrive on the day, but they've all got horror stories, depends on the driver

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There used to be something in the smallprint with Royal Mail/Parcelforce that they would only insure musical instruments up to a max of £200, not sure if that is still the case or not. I've used them with no issues though.

edit - Hellzero beat me to it.

Edited by KevB
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I had this issue when looking into buying a bass at the beginning of this year. The only courier to offer significant insurance on a musical instrument was UPS - a) enchanced cover tops out at £1K and b) a guitar/bass must be in a hard case. None of the other big couriers advertise musical instrument insurance - DHL, Parcelsh*te, TNT, FedEx, MyHerpes or even CityLink when they were still in business.

In the end I got on the train - got a cheap 1st class weekend ticket for only £30 more than the UPS quote, and as I was the courier I had reasonable trust that the bass would be OK. The only downside was hat it took the whole day to get there and back!

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It may be easier to get a cheap day return by rail and have him meet you at the station. You will lose a day, but a) you will get to see if the bass is what they said it was and b) also be able to  get it home safely.

 

Whoops, just seen the post above. Same idea.

Edited by Bobthedog
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1 hour ago, ambient said:

Just catch a train.

I'm currently working out a deal with someone for a guitar I'm selling - him being in Brighton & me just outside Edinburgh would involve a 21+ hour return journey costing £162!

Think it's going to be £35 with UPS & fingers crossed... :lol:

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thank you all, that was great help . i did contact the seller and use the wording of some you explain to me and with no hesitation he agreed to organise the postage with proof of insure  postage .thanks again for all you help

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