Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Shipping a Guitar

9 views
Skip to first unread message

Unknown

unread,
May 23, 2012, 11:31:33 AM5/23/12
to
I would like to ship an inexpensive guitar from New Jersey to California. I went to the
UPS Store and was told that they wanted $40.00 to pack it and $80.00 to ship it. This
is clearly cost prohibitive. Is there a cost effective way to do this?

Thanks.
EJ IN NJ

gonjah

unread,
May 23, 2012, 11:38:47 AM5/23/12
to
You might try Greyhound PackagExpress. I remember I had to send a drum
set from NM to NE and it was the cheapest. That was years and years ago
though.

Rufus

unread,
May 23, 2012, 3:30:57 PM5/23/12
to
I've shipped a few guitars from Chicago to CA, and what I did was to go
to a Guitar Center and ask of one of the boxes that similar guitars (or
in my case, the same guitar) come shipped in...they usually just throw
those away. They were more than happy to give me a few. That saved me
some on packing.

They'll want you to bring it in unsealed, and can fill any voids with
popcorn or other packing if you'd like. Otherwise, yeah - shipping a
guitar ain't really "cheap", and if you like it I also suggest you
insure it - I got a brand new leather case for my double neck for my
attention.

--
- Rufus

Jim

unread,
May 23, 2012, 4:13:36 PM5/23/12
to
You can insure it, but I've heard that some shippers have an automatic
"you didn't pack it properly" response! Drop shipping at the UPS store
solves that, but costs more than it's worth.

Tony Done

unread,
May 23, 2012, 4:36:46 PM5/23/12
to


"Jim" wrote in message news:5lg5ui....@isomedia.com...
***************

I support that in relation to doing ones own packing, also Gonjah's points
about scrounging up a box from a music store, and using a bus freight
service, especially if there is a direct service suitable for the start and
destination, ie drop off, pick up.

Tony D

esha...@yahoo.com

unread,
May 23, 2012, 3:53:41 PM5/23/12
to
Just send money - California has guitar stores... ed

gonjah

unread,
May 23, 2012, 4:50:33 PM5/23/12
to
-- X-No-Archive: Yes
Rufus came up with the box idea. I remembered using the bus. ;)

I think I did get a box from GC one time to send a guitar. There used to
be a GC a few blocks from my house.

Craig 'Lumpy' Lemke

unread,
May 23, 2012, 4:50:46 PM5/23/12
to
Bigguy wrote:
> I would like to ship an inexpensive guitar from New Jersey to
> California..

How inexpensive is the guitar?
If you're going there for vacation or some other temporary
stay, it's sometimes cheaper to simply buy a guitar at the
destination. Then give it to a school when you're finished
for a tax deduction. Or give it to a friend or a total
stranger or whatever.

Typically UPS and FedEx does not cover damage to mus instruments.
When I was shipping mine, the only insurance that covered any kind
of replacement was my separate musical instrument insurance. That's
more like homeowner's insurance but for instruments. Covers mine
wherever they go, covers yours if you come over for a lesson/repair.

If it's a <$300 it's probably not worth shipping.


Lump

Tony Done

unread,
May 23, 2012, 5:08:17 PM5/23/12
to


"gonjah" wrote in message
news:_P-dnb34hvoH0CDS...@posted.toastnet...
***************

I used to ship seed for yield trials on the Greyhound (then MacCafferty's)
bus service to obscure drop off points in the Queensland back blocks. We had
to be careful not to exceed the 20 kg limit per parcel, though they would
sometimes allow a tiny bit over if other boxes weren't overweight.

I've also scrounged shipping boxes from my mate's music store, which always
has a big supply.

FWIW, bubble wrap is better than poly peanuts, because the bubble burst or
deform rather than transmit pressure to the interior of the package.

Tony D

Rufus

unread,
May 23, 2012, 8:30:38 PM5/23/12
to
...that's another argument for using a manufacturer's box/container, and
for not sealing it before you drop it off with UPS. I let them inspect
and tape up...so it was all on them.

Then what *they did* was to jimmy the locks on my OEM case and ruin the
clasps after I left. I received it in CA, saw that, and raised hell
with UPS - I had to talk to an adjuster, whom wanted an estimate for a
new case...at which point I talked to Gibson and they told me they had
some new-old stock EDS 1275 harness leather anniversary cases on hand
(which are also appropriate for my double neck), and they could give me
one for $300.

Which UPS then got to pick up the tab for...took a couple weeks, but in
all went smoothly on both Gibson and UPSs parts. The guitar(s) arrived
just fine - I also shipped a Tele, without a hitch.

--
- Rufus

Rufus

unread,
May 23, 2012, 8:31:38 PM5/23/12
to
There's no way I'd ship a guitar by bus...I mean, have you been around a
bus station lately?..

--
- Rufus

Rufus

unread,
May 23, 2012, 8:34:17 PM5/23/12
to
I got a $300 adjustment from UPS on one of my cases (which they
willfully jimmied) but I specified the amount of coverage when I insured
it. You just have to be careful to choose the right amount.

--
- Rufus

Rufus

unread,
May 23, 2012, 8:37:11 PM5/23/12
to
I shipped mine in the case, as they would have come from the factory.
Peanuts/bubble wrap between the case and the box. That worked out just
fine...until some one of the crew got curious and jimmied the case open.

The insurance made it good, though.

--
- Rufus

Tony Done

unread,
May 24, 2012, 3:43:21 PM5/24/12
to


"Rufus" wrote in message news:CI2dnWCZIb73HCDS...@mchsi.com...
****************

Even here in (slightly) civilised Oz, I would be there for drop and pick up
of anything valuable, though I have never heard of any problem with bus
freight. - Except it ending up in the wrong place.

Tony D

gonjah

unread,
May 24, 2012, 3:49:57 PM5/24/12
to
-- X-No-Archive: Yes
Is a bus worse than this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3nb0NBvFsg

;)

J. Clarke

unread,
May 25, 2012, 6:45:29 PM5/25/12
to
In article <00d9abcd-c971-4164...@googlegroups.com>,
esha...@yahoo.com says...
Parcel post should be under 30 bucks. How cheap you can pack it depends
on what you've got on hand and how creative you are. If you don't have
any packing materials at all and don't know where to scrounge them, by
the time you've driven around buying boxes and whatnot at today's gas
prices you'll probably have spent most of the 40 bucks the UPS store
wants to pack it.

gonjah

unread,
May 25, 2012, 9:39:51 PM5/25/12
to

-- X-No-Archive: Yes
I doubt that last part. Small bubble wrap is about $7 a roll last I
checked. Then just buy a box at Homedepot $1.50 and cut it down to size.
If you don't already have packing tape I can't imagine it running over
$2.00.

There is a Homedepot about 4.2 miles from my house. 8 miles round trip
would be about 8/30 * 4.00 or about $1.00 in gas.

10.5 + 8.25% sales tax = 11.36

Total: $12.36

Of course, you'd have tape and bubble wrap left over too. Use that to
factor in if there isn't a hardware store near.

jtees4

unread,
Jun 27, 2012, 9:53:28 AM6/27/12
to
Pack it yourself. Ship via FedEx. Don't buy insurance (self insure).
Will cost maybe $20, and that's a high number.
********************

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=789610
0 new messages