Shipping: tips and tricks?

[cliff_the_stiff]

Go to Reverb and look at their step by step process. It works great.
The reverb package kit including the air packs is great and easy.
Double check your endpin clearance. End pins are typically a wedge, impacts on the bottom of the box could cause the pin to push too far and cause radiating side cracks from the pin.
Ask me how I learned about that…
Martin told me to pull the endpin before shipping. I do this now, and request that it’s done with any guitars I ship or buy and have shipped.

[redir]

I ship tuned to pitch too.

Never heard of this pirate ship thing before. It's gotten real expensive and the last box I took to USPS they said it was too big to ship. I was like huh?

[CodyToonz]

Over the years I have had several new Taylor guitars shipped to me in the factory box. The guitar is supported at each end by a molded plastic holder. No peanuts. No bubble wrap. No additional support for the headstock or the neck. Tuned to pitch. They've all arrived fine, just like I'm sure they do at the Taylor dealers. I save the box and if I sell it I ship it in the original box and they arrive fine. A guitar in a case is pretty tough. I've heard tales of guitars being damaged because there is too much packing and the shocks can't be absorbed.

[davenumber2]

Originally Posted by CodyToonz

Over the years I have had several new Taylor guitars shipped to me in the factory box. The guitar is supported at each end by a molded plastic holder. No peanuts. No bubble wrap. No additional support for the headstock or the neck. Tuned to pitch. They've all arrived fine, just like I'm sure they do at the Taylor dealers. I save the box and if I sell it I ship it in the original box and they arrive fine. A guitar in a case is pretty tough. I've heard tales of guitars being damaged because there is too much packing and the shocks can't be absorbed.

I would almost rather ship without a case but double boxed with padding all around the guitar so it can't move.

I use shippo.com and it's way cheaper than through UPS. I just returned a guitar to GC in Kansas City (yes, it was only 2 hours away but still), no case and it was $32. I've shipped several over the last couple months and they were all under $65. It probably helps that I'm in the middle of the US. No coast to coast either way for me.

[rule18]

Glad I saw this thread, I think I need to look at PirateShip and Shippo as I'm likely about to sell another one and I'm tired of the major carriers' pricing.

[Guitars44me]

How I pack and ship a guitar... tips I hope you find helpful!

Always put shipping info INSIDE as well as outside the box. I use the postal receipt. I put a copy inside the guitar case as well.

ALWAYS Save your receipt and TRACKING INFO. Send pics of both to the recipient and the cloud ASAP
Always ship insured and signature required. (I use Heritage )
Take pics the day of the shipment and save to the cloud.

Have GUITAR AND CASE at about 50% humidity, with a well blotted, slightly damp (not wet) sponge in a well fork-perforated ziplock in the soundhole. Unless humidity is HIGH.

Tune down to C. Some tension is good. Full tension is dangerous.

Inside the case:
SERIOUSLY PAD HEADSTOCK above and below, strings, and any case space. Backpacking foam, egg cartons, wadded newspaper, or folded shipping bubble envelope chunks work well. This is the best whiplash protection!!! Paper towels can avoid finish damage...

Secure a rag or paper towels between fretboard and strings in case of bumpy travel.

Put a piece of painters masking tape over the bridge pins. Once in a blue moon one will unseat during travel. We do NOT want it floating around the case and gouging the guitar.

Be sure to Pad WELL inside case by the End Pin. It can save the day in a vertical drop.
Fill all case space with crumpled paper, etc.

Remove battery if it has one for the PUP.

Bag case in garbage bags in case of wet conditions.

Proper shipping carton or close fitting cartons, with extra layer or two or three of cardboard inside. Pad well and secure the case in the box!

Put some foam under and over the ends of the case.

If you use peanuts bag them or they can shift and cause case exposure.

When I was gigging all over Alaska I realized triple close fitting cardboard boxes worked as well as an anvil case and weighed WAY LESS too. Price is right !

Fill all space between the boxes and the case with crushed paper etc.

I Ship FULLY insured on my Heritage account, and PRAY.
Fortunately, the proverbial ounce of protection is worth the pound of cure!

I prefer USPS PRIORITY MAIL. I pay for a couple hundred dollars of insurance so they have skin in the game, but the instruments do not appear very valuable. Camouflage is good...

FedEx, will not insure an axe older than 20 years for above $1000. Read the fine print and do NOT believe anyone who tells you different!

ALWAYS keep your Pics and description just in case.

And always ship signature required. And FULLY INSURED

Hopefully these tips will help you, and your guitar too

Stay vigilant and well and have FUN!

Paul


PS. I have now used Pirate Ship and it worked fine.

Good luck and happy shipping (if needed)

Paul

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[AZLiberty]

Shipping de-tuned is controversial, both Jean Larrivee and Bob Taylor say it's safer to ship tuned up. I'm inclined to listen to Jean. He says this is to prevent the neck whipping if it is dropped.

Note that all US manufacturers ship their guitars to the shop fully tuned up.

If the Guitar has a tapered end pin, it should be removed prior to shipping. The guitar should be tight in the case. Some crumpled up (clean) paper can help fill the voids around the headstock and neck. (don't use newsprint, that can stain)

The case should be in a guitar box, with the proper cardboard end pieces to hold the guitar case rigid in the box. You should not add anything else, no bubble wrap, peanuts or anything like that. The box inserts are designed to center the case in the box, and provide crush depth. Note: if you get a Taylor box, they have plastic end pieces instead of cardboard.

Expect to pay about $120 to ship a guitar, unless you can use a reasonably large business account.

[gwandsh]

Not that this forum is borg-like, but the accumulated experience and wisdom is daunting!
Many thanks for all the incredible tips and insights. I think my take-away is that a local sale for "regular" guitars is worth dropping the price a bit. Shipping is enough of a pain and cost that unless the model is worth big bucks, it might not be practical.
But again, the info here is pretty amazing. Many thanks.

[Mayfair]

Originally Posted by gwandsh

I am selling a couple of moderately priced guitars soon, and wondered if offering any shipping was practical. Let's say a guitar with street value around $1000.
I see threads on shipping costs, which is a bit scary. Aside from that, having not ever shipped one before, would like to know "protocols".
For a guitar with OHSC, what prep is required? Guitar in case, downtuned, any extra padding? OHSC inside a guitar box, with extra padding?
Suggestions on safe shippers with lower costs? "From" location would be WA state, if that matters.
Thanks

I recently purchased some of the shipping boxes from Stewmac and they worked great! I've shipped many guitars over the years (among other gear) and aside from making sure it's protected, I've also learned the key is to keep it from moving around in the box. I've noticed when you purchase a new instrument, it never (at least, never in my experience) is stuffed with junk. They usually have a head/bottom cap to keep them in place - this is assuming they're in a hard case.

Here are the Stewmac ones I used recently: Acoustic Guitar Shipping System.

[Robin, Wales]

Something that I don't think has been mentioned yet? Make life as easy as possible for the courier.

Go and pick up your guitar case now and carry it around the room, but without touching the handle. Now imagine that guitar and case in a big box without a handle. Is it any surprise that guitars get dropped during shipping!!!

Put a single 20kg+ load handle at the balance point of your thick triwall box and the box, case and guitar inside it stands a much better chance of getting to where you want it to go in one piece.

I have used this system for around 800 guitars. I have watched couriers pick up, carry and load the boxes naturally and therefore carefully.

Make life easier for them and your consignment will be better looked after.

[pablojones]

I bought an acoustic guitar from Japan and received it in two days to California and it was just packed in the hard case with some bubble wrap covering the hard case. Some stickers saying fragile, this end up and that's it. I initially was concerned as no box?? But of course the guitar was in perfect shape and the seller is a regular seller and sells many guitars a month and always ship this way.

I would ship that way but I don't because the receiver may get mad about it and leave a bad review.

Some of these methods for shipping are overkill. This better to be safe than sorry, is just paranoia, tradition, and spending more money than you need . You just need to support the headstock and bottom so it has cusion and doesn't move side to side (like what Taylor does). You don't need to fill the sides.

Those kits from stewmac sum it up.

Or the most simple method is just saw it up into smaller pieces and ship it in a shopping bag. Be sure to include some free glue with it tho [emoji1787]

[Shuksan]

Originally Posted by pablojones

I bought an acoustic guitar from Japan and received it in two days to California and it was just packed in the hard case with some bubble wrap covering the hard case. Some stickers saying fragile, this end up and that's it. I initially was concerned as no box?? But of course the guitar was in perfect shape and the seller is a regular seller and sells many guitars a month and always ship this way.

I would ship that way but I don't because the receiver may get mad about it and leave a bad review.

Some of these methods for shipping are overkill. This better to be safe than sorry, is just paranoia, tradition, and spending more money than you need . You just need to support the headstock and bottom so it has cusion and doesn't move side to side (like what Taylor does). You don't need to fill the sides.

I too have received an electric guitar shipped in a hardshell case wrapped in nothing more than bubble wrap on the outside of the case. It was shipped from the UK to the west coast of the US and made it fine. The fact that it made it without damage is due in part to simple dumb luck. I have never and will never ship an electric guitar that way. Or any other stringed instrument. For some vintage electric guitars, the case itself has a lot of value in addition to the value of the guitar in the case. For example, some Ibanez electric guitar cases from the late 70s are valuable in their own right and any damage caused by shipping would be a big problem.

If you want to take risks shipping an instrument you own, you can certainly do that. But if you sell one of your instruments and are shipping it to the new owner, you are shipping an instrument that belongs to someone else. In that case, taking a better safe than sorry approach isn't paranoia, tradition, or spending more money than you need. It's being responsible and meeting your obligation as the seller to do everything you can to ensure the instrument makes it to its new owner undamaged. At least, that's how I view my responsibility as a seller.

I agree that those StewMac shipping systems with the air bags look pretty good and if you use those, you wouldn't need to fill the empty space in the shipping box.