Exporting a guitar, safest option.

[rocket]

I believe there are some in here that are experienced in sending instruments overseas,
I have a customer visting here for a short stay and is thinking about purchasing one of my instruments to take home,. I believe airline baggage handlers are quite ruthless with passengers check in luggage and am worried no matter how well the instrument is packed it may still suffer damage.
Is an international courier a better option, or is their cargo just as likely to suffer from careless treatment??
Cheers,,
Rod.

[Phil Mailloux]

I've taken instruments on flights before but just small trips, not overseas. I usually put the bass (in my case) in a decent quality ABS case with a bit of extra foam or bubble wrap inside the case and I wrap the case in several layers of bubble wrap with a tiny opening for the case handle to carry it and stick the luggage coupon on it

[tim mullin]

I believe there are some in here that are experienced in sending instruments overseas,
I have a customer visting here for a short stay and is thinking about purchasing one of my instruments to take home,. I believe airline baggage handlers are quite ruthless with passengers check in luggage and am worried no matter how well the instrument is packed it may still suffer damage.
Is an international courier a better option, or is their cargo just as likely to suffer from careless treatment??
Cheers,,
Rod.

From NZ, I've yet to find a cost-effective courier or post option. Guitars are long enough that they trigger oversize package rules, and that makes overseas shipping stupid expensive. Shorter instruments area much easier and cheaper. I'd love if some one could point me to a courier that doesn't cost a fortune. Remember also that your customer will have to deal with import fees and taxes when he takes delivery in his home country.

I have moved several instruments as checked airline baggage through several countries. Your customer will have his duty-free limit, should he declare the purchase, but I've never had any questions from customs about whether an instrument was purchased overseas. I pack the instrument well, with string tension released, in a hard-shell guitar case and pack that inside the original box for the case, using personal clothing and bubble pack to keep it from bouncing around. The airline can supply fluorescent "fragile" stickers, but will usually make you sign a release of liability over the ISTA minimum. Airlines will handle it as oversize baggage and won't put it on a baggage belt, so you collect it like a golf bag or skis.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend your customer take the guitar with him. Cheaper, convenient, and low risk if you pack well.

[Phil Mailloux]

^ all true, I once shipped a bass to the US, $350

[P Bill]

Will he invest in a road case? A commercial case for one of my basses is around $425, wheels one end, handles both ends and a handle on top. I can make one for a little over $200. I get the extrusions and hardware from an elect. supplier in Bris. whose name escapes me atm.

[Phil Mailloux]

^ www.cliff.com.au

[jeffhigh]

Just get him to take out his own insurance rather than relying on the airline.
Then nothing will happen.

[Allen]

Every time I've tried to get a price from a courier on a guitar, they tell me it is so cost prohibitive that they are embarrassed to quote me. Some have and they are right. I nearly died when DHL told me it would be $3,000 to ship a 000 guitar about a year ago.

I've always ended up using the post office.

Given the choice I'd ship with an airline as carry on baggage if possible, or as general luggage as a last resort. The amount he's going to save over the courier can be put to a good flight case or appropriate packaging.

[Dominic]

I've travelled twice OS with a guitar in baggage not in overhead. Hard shell case made of fibre glass not abs. Once to Washington in the US and once to Warsaw in Poland So 2 pretty long flights with serveral domestic changes to link up with other planes. Its the domestic legs I had trouble with but that was only having most of the locks that keep the case closed pop open as it came down the shoot to the baggage carolsel and the case had deep scratches on it. But no damage what so ever to the guitar. Qantus were pretty good and the guitars and surfboards went on top of the luggage.
I'd be more worried about wood and shell used.
Dom

[nnickusa]

When I moved back down here 9 years ago(jeez, already?), I brought one acoustic in a freedom case. Good quality case. It wnet from NYC to London, London to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Colombo Sri Lanka, Colombo to kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Sydney, Sydney to Perth, Perth to Gold Coast via Melbourne.

Not a mark on it, and the case was still looking new on arrival in the Northern Rivers....

Plenty of horror stories about guitars and airlines, tho.....

[christian]

I've sent guitars all over the world using just using NZ post. Air economy 7 days door to door for $NZ135.50 insured.
The guitar is in a SKB hardshell case. bubble wrapped and in a box. Touch wood havn't had any probs yet. Have a chat with AU post and see what they can do for you.
Couriers are horrendously overpriced for essentially the same service!!!

Most international airlines will let you take the guitar onboard with you, just make sure they dont have another big bag as carry on, most guitars will fit easily in the overhead lockers. I recently flew to NYC with a OM guitar and had no problem at all. I've travelled loads with a guitar and the only problems I have encountered are with small Domestic airlines.

Best of luck !!

Christian.

[kiwigeo]

I've sent guitars all over the world using just using NZ post. Air economy 7 days door to door for $NZ135.50 insured.
The guitar is in a SKB hardshell case. bubble wrapped and in a box. Touch wood havn't had any probs yet. Have a chat with AU post and see what they can do for you.
Couriers are horrendously overpriced for essentially the same service!!!

Most international airlines will let you take the guitar onboard with you, just make sure they dont have another big bag as carry on, most guitars will fit easily in the overhead lockers. I recently flew to NYC with a OM guitar and had no problem at all. I've travelled loads with a guitar and the only problems I have encountered are with small Domestic airlines.

Best of luck !!

Christian.

Qantas check in gate staff are so slack you could trundle a double bass on board one of their planes and nobody would bat an eyelid until one of the cabin staff notice you trying to jam your DB into an overhead locker.

[tim mullin]

I've sent guitars all over the world using just using NZ post. Air economy 7 days door to door for $NZ135.50 insured.

You got me wondering how you've managed this, Christian. The NZ Post maximum dimension is 1.05m, and all of my guitars in cases exceed this length. They also have a maximum length + girth of 2 m, which is also smaller than my case shipping boxes. When I phoned up the air cargo folks at NZ Post, they told me the maximum dimension thing is to comply with airline container limitations.
http://www.nzpost.co.nz/home/sending-in ... tional-air

But, he also said if my local NZ Post office accepted the parcel as a regular parcel, then it would probably find its way on a plane regardless of size "limitation". So, if you're getting your guitars accepted by you local NZ Post counter at the regular rate, I wouldn't draw their attention to the published "rules".

[kiwigeo]

The weather is just one of many reasons to live on The Bay of Islands

[christian]

@ Tim, I cornered NZ post by using there online help. The customer service person kept quoting me the 135.50 and said that the guitar was fine and it could still be sent as a air economy parcel. So I got it in writing and a clarification from NZ post.
maybe I have just been lucky. but If I were you I would go online and try it too.

@ Martin, The Bay of Islands is the best !!!!

Christian.

I've sent guitars all over the world using just using NZ post. Air economy 7 days door to door for $NZ135.50 insured.

You got me wondering how you've managed this, Christian. The NZ Post maximum dimension is 1.05m, and all of my guitars in cases exceed this length. They also have a maximum length + girth of 2 m, which is also smaller than my case shipping boxes. When I phoned up the air cargo folks at NZ Post, they told me the maximum dimension thing is to comply with airline container limitations.
http://www.nzpost.co.nz/home/sending-in ... tional-air

But, he also said if my local NZ Post office accepted the parcel as a regular parcel, then it would probably find its way on a plane regardless of size "limitation". So, if you're getting your guitars accepted by you local NZ Post counter at the regular rate, I wouldn't draw their attention to the published "rules".

[Nick Payne]

I was amazed recently when I purchased an SKB classical guitar case from Amazon - a big heavy rectangular thing that weighs over 10kg - and they only charged me $45 to ship it from the US via DHL. Shows the power of being a volume purchaser of someone's product. I reckon if I wanted to ship it in the other direction with DHL, I could probably add a zero on the end to get the price that they'd charge me.

[rocket]

Thanks very much for all your help there people, some good advice and also some good ideas, it's up to the customer in the end but i think the extra bubble wrap around the hardshell case and checked in might be the go, i'll keep yooz posted.
Cheers,,

Rod.

[needsmorecowbel]

I got a Quote of $200-300 (5 months back) with DHL to send a leccy from Melb From Adelaide Same Day...So overseas is getting into very very expensive territory even with a 3-10 day timeframe. DHL is great but only if your export volume is as large as your company...

[Bob Connor]

A few years ago I had a couple of guitar cases made in the States and they quoted me $120 each to ship them to Oz. When it got to the pointy end of the transaction the price had increased to $850 to send them via Fedex. (and that was with factory discount)

So I put the $850 towards an air fare and picked the buggers up meself. Whilst in the US, Bob Cefalu from RC Tonewoods organised one of them to be sent via USPS at accost of $85 and I bought the other one back as hand luggage.

The best part of this was that I got to spend time with Bob and Steve Roberson from Colonial Tonewoods, picking through their extensive stashes of Spruce and picking the tops that I liked the sound of. The resonance and tap tone of what I got my mitts on was so much better than I had received when buying cold from the internet sites.

I know it may not be practical or affordable to take a guitar to the States but if you can, it'll certainly be worthwhile. There's a reason why blokes like Ervin Somogyi spends a lot of time at Allied and other vendors picking the woods that they reckon will suit their style of building.

I don't place that much store in selecting back and side woods but tops are a different story.

Food for thought anyway.

Here's a pic of Loofier's heaven

[kiwigeo]

Mmmmm......

[peter.coombe]

I have been shipping mandolins to the USA and Europe for around 18 years. Have always used DHL, with one exception (never again). The last shipment was about $600 fully insured, so $3000 for a guitar does not sound right to me. You can check for yourself on the DHL web page, there is an application that will give you an estimated cost if you input the addresses, the post codes, the size of the package and the weights. The cost depends on the volumetric weight and the destination, so the cost of a guitar will be determined by the dimensions of the package. I send mandolins domestically via Aussie Post, but they have a maximum parcel length of 1.05m which is fine for mandolins, but not for most guitars. The local post office always measures my packages, so I can't get away with anything bigger. I had to send a guitar to Sydney earlier this year and that had to go via DHL. There is no other choice here in Bega, the other couriers won't insure a guitar.

If you are sending to the USA and your instrument has any shell inlay, or is worth more than $2000, then you will have to send via a courier and arrange for the appropriate documentation and USA import permit with your customer. It does not matter how much shell inlay it is, you must do this to be legal. Illegal and you are risking confiscation. The reason you need to use a courier is because the item needs to be "formally" declared to USA Customs. The postal system does not support formal declarations.

If your customer can take it with him on the aircraft, that is by far the easiest method. Get a decent case. I have used Presto cases many times in aircraft with no problems.

Peter

[rocket]

Thanks Peter, very helpful. It's going to England, any foibles to contend with there?.
Rod.

[kiwigeo]

Thanks Peter, very helpful. It's going to England, any foibles to contend with there?.
Rod.

They like warm beer