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Shipping bass or guitar to USA


carlitos71
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Hi fellow lowenders, I’ve sold (pending) the baritone guitar I’m advertising here to a Texan. 
 

I’ve never shipped an instrument abroad and feel aprehensive… I’m sure this has been covered before so wod appreciate any links to previous discussions and any updates,

 

Thanks in advance 

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I sold a bass once to someone in the US. They arranged a courier (UPS) to collect, and all i had to do was package it up prior to collection. In fact, i didn't even do that myself, but that's another story.

One benefit is that they do all the paperwork/customs declarations, and it may well be cheaper for them to book it from the US paying in dollars etc. Was about 15 years ago though so times may have changed :D

 

p.s. that's a bass I should not have sold. Wal Mk 3 5 string fretless.😐

Edited by Gwilym
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There was a guy who sold some rare fancy bass to US not so long ago.  He did the hands off shipping with DHL like Gwilym did. It came unstuck at the US end still required multiple phone calls to various outposts but all resolved. Much less stressful that way for sure than being the one in the hot seat.

 

Bonus points for being an excellent scam artist filter. Just be sure to be paid direct by bank transfer and be aware your bank will be taking a fee off your end.

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Also be aware that US customs are a lot more strict when it comes to CITES. Despite the fact that for musical instruments CITES should only apply to the top tier woods like Brazilian Rosewood, it will help greatly should there be a problem if you know exactly what woods have been used in the construction of your bass. Also CITES covers more than just wood as someone who sold a bass with real Mother of Pearl inlays recently discovered.

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If importing and exporting outside the UK it’s recommended to detail wood species where possible. I had an instrument from a European music shop briefly stuck in UK customs last year. UPS rang me to ask me what woods made up the bass, presumably checking for Dalbergia Nigra (Brazilian Rosewood).

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Basically there is no economic packing method that can ensure a duckwit can't break it throwing it out the back of the truck. Crating it makes it too heavy, cardboard yields.

 

Best to have the buyer use one of the carriers that offers packaging.

 

You can make a 'pretty safe' box by strategically cutting up a car windscreen shipping box and recombining the pieces. It's getting  a bit late for doing a how to but I could have a go tomorrow if you're interested.

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The best way to package a guitar or bass for sipping is first to put it in its hard case.

 

If you don't have a hard case for it, then get one. Wrap the hard case completely in several layers of bubble wrap.

 

Then put this in a box made from a cut down bicycle box. Most bicycle shops are only too glad to off load boxes onto members of the public as it usually saves them having to pay to dispose of them. A typical bicycle box is made of much thicker and tougher cardboard than the typical guitar shipping box. Make sure that the bubble wrapped case fits securely inside the outer box. The only thing to watch is that the shipping price is often dictate by the length of the parcel so check with your courier before making this outer box too massive. 

 

Unfortunately when it comes to courier services you will find horror stories about all of them. Each one is only as good as the weakest link in the chain from your house to your customer's. What has worked well for me so far (and I have sent guitars and basses all over the world) is to use a service that is the same company at both ends of the delivery chain such as UPS or FedEx. 

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9 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

There was a guy who sold some rare fancy bass to US not so long ago.  He did the hands off shipping with DHL like Gwilym did. It came unstuck at the US end still required multiple phone calls to various outposts but all resolved. Much less stressful that way for sure than being the one in the hot seat.


That may be me you are referring to.

Here is the thread….

 

 

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7 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

The best way to package a guitar or bass for sipping is first to put it in its hard case.

 

If you don't have a hard case for it, then get one. Wrap the hard case completely in several layers of bubble wrap.

 

Then put this in a box made from a cut down bicycle box. Most bicycle shops are only too glad to off load boxes onto members of the public as it usually saves them having to pay to dispose of them. A typical bicycle box is made of much thicker and tougher cardboard than the typical guitar shipping box. Make sure that the bubble wrapped case fits securely inside the outer box. The only thing to watch is that the shipping price is often dictate by the length of the parcel so check with your courier before making this outer box too massive. 

 

Unfortunately when it comes to courier services you will find horror stories about all of them. Each one is only as good as the weakest link in the chain from your house to your customer's. What has worked well for me so far (and I have sent guitars and basses all over the world) is to use a service that is the same company at both ends of the delivery chain such as UPS or FedEx. 


Excellent advice, but could I add that unless the case you have for the instrument is perfectly moulded for the instrument in question, you should make every effort to pack around it inside the case as well to reduce any movement. I have received a few basses that have not had this done and the case and/or the bass have been damaged as a result.

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Even if you’re using a hard case, unless it’s one shaped to fit the bass perfectly, wrap the neck at least in bubble wrap. Some people suggest taking the neck off, but that may be ott or just not possible. A customs declaration has to be detailed, so the courier may not know enough.

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