Anyone had experience shipping instruments around Australia?
I have made a guitar for a mate in WA but can't get away from work to visit him and drop it off. I just want it to get there in one piece, not looking for express service or anything.
Cheers
Dom
Shipping Instruments
Shipping Instruments
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woodrat
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Re: Shipping Instruments
Hello Dominic, This is a question that I have asked myself although I have never "posted" an instrument, always delivered or had it picked up. But when I received my Dell computer from the carrier it was a company called Cope Sensitive Freight. They deal with fragile stuff and if Dell use a service like this for computers then I suppose they would be good for delicate instruments in hard cases. I haven't investigated this option as I haven't had the need yet. Maybe an option for you.Dominic wrote:Anyone had experience shipping instruments around Australia?
I have made a guitar for a mate in WA but can't get away from work to visit him and drop it off. I just want it to get there in one piece, not looking for express service or anything.
Cheers
Dom
Regards
John
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hilo_kawika
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Hi Dom,
Well, you haven't really given much in the way of details as to whether it's the shipping company or the packing part so I'll try to give you a little of both from my experience.
Packing. Of course a decent case is a good beginning. And when you put the guitar in the case, the neck rest must be of such a height that the entire back of the guitar is touching the case. If only the upper part of the neck and the lower part of the body are supported in the case, and the case is dropped then you're asking for a separation of neck and body at the heel. I'm also a firm believer in having the instrument be slightly loose in the case so that direct shocks to the case aren't transmitted to the instrument. And the strings should be slacked before shipping the instrument. For packing material around the case, we always found that empty egg cartons worked really well. We always had a good supply simply because family and friends knew we needed them and saved them for us. LIGHTLY crumpled newspaper or craftpaper around the case also works well. You don't want the packing material to be too tightly packed, again for the reasons of shock transmission to the instrument. We shipped nearly four hundred instruments using this system and never once had a packing issue.
Shipping. We always used the Post Office for shipping our instruments (mostly ukuleles of course) and you might see what their Priority Mail (slower than Express but much faster than surface) charges are and what oversize package rates are. Another option might be whatever your version of FEDEX/UPS might be in Oz. Since you now know how to pack the guitar for shipping, having someone else truck it to your mate might be a good option. There's also the option of local air freight delivery services. Is someone at your work place going in that direction? Offer to pay the excess baggage for having him take the guitar with him.
I hope that some of these suggestions work for you.
aloha,
Dave Hurd
http://www.ukuleles.com
Well, you haven't really given much in the way of details as to whether it's the shipping company or the packing part so I'll try to give you a little of both from my experience.
Packing. Of course a decent case is a good beginning. And when you put the guitar in the case, the neck rest must be of such a height that the entire back of the guitar is touching the case. If only the upper part of the neck and the lower part of the body are supported in the case, and the case is dropped then you're asking for a separation of neck and body at the heel. I'm also a firm believer in having the instrument be slightly loose in the case so that direct shocks to the case aren't transmitted to the instrument. And the strings should be slacked before shipping the instrument. For packing material around the case, we always found that empty egg cartons worked really well. We always had a good supply simply because family and friends knew we needed them and saved them for us. LIGHTLY crumpled newspaper or craftpaper around the case also works well. You don't want the packing material to be too tightly packed, again for the reasons of shock transmission to the instrument. We shipped nearly four hundred instruments using this system and never once had a packing issue.
Shipping. We always used the Post Office for shipping our instruments (mostly ukuleles of course) and you might see what their Priority Mail (slower than Express but much faster than surface) charges are and what oversize package rates are. Another option might be whatever your version of FEDEX/UPS might be in Oz. Since you now know how to pack the guitar for shipping, having someone else truck it to your mate might be a good option. There's also the option of local air freight delivery services. Is someone at your work place going in that direction? Offer to pay the excess baggage for having him take the guitar with him.
I hope that some of these suggestions work for you.
aloha,
Dave Hurd
http://www.ukuleles.com
How to become a millionaire? Start with $2 million and become a luthier...
Hi Dom
I've sent a few with Australian Air Express (http://www.aae.com.au/) never had a problem yet and only one was in a hard case, the others were in cardboard guitar boxes. I had my little sister send my old flamenco up from Melbourne with them a few weeks ago. She wrapped it in bubble wrap and stuck it in a cardboard guitar box she get from her local music shop. It only costs about $20 (cheaper than posting it) and was here a couple of days later.
Cheers
James
I've sent a few with Australian Air Express (http://www.aae.com.au/) never had a problem yet and only one was in a hard case, the others were in cardboard guitar boxes. I had my little sister send my old flamenco up from Melbourne with them a few weeks ago. She wrapped it in bubble wrap and stuck it in a cardboard guitar box she get from her local music shop. It only costs about $20 (cheaper than posting it) and was here a couple of days later.
Cheers
James
Thanks guys, I'll give your suggestions a go. And Dave, thanks for the packing tips. I'll be careful since its gotta get a long way across the desert.
Martin, I tried those guys once before and the guitar was delivered with the neck busted off and curious burn marks on the top. Not sure either of them had had much experience with guitars before. But thanks for the advice.
Cheers
Dom
Martin, I tried those guys once before and the guitar was delivered with the neck busted off and curious burn marks on the top. Not sure either of them had had much experience with guitars before. But thanks for the advice.
Cheers
Dom
You can bomb the world to pieces,
but you can't bomb the world to peace!
but you can't bomb the world to peace!
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