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  #16  
Old 09-02-2013, 02:36 PM
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Larry Pattis Larry Pattis is offline
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Originally Posted by AZLiberty View Post
You must live closer than I do to the nearest Fed-Ex hub. In Phoenix traffic that would be an almost 2-hour round trip.

Note: not saying this is a bad idea, but if you do so make certain you know where the hub is relative to where you live.

Yes, I live within 25 minutes (each way) of a FedEx station.

One more note:

Anyone that has done extensive shipping (I used to own a guitar store) has been burned by *all* of the carriers...it's choosing amongst the least evil.

I have had the USPS lose two guitars (both sent Priority Mail, 3-4 day delivery), one showed up after a week, and the other was a full 21 days from drop-off to delivery...and no one made any effort to try to find the guitar for me.
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  #17  
Old 09-02-2013, 02:47 PM
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Wow, a lot of you are making negative assumptions about the OP here. He simply asked about the least costly method to ship the guitar, and his mentioning the price of $9k would indicate he also wants the service to be reliable. Some of you are reacting as if he were sending it on a raft across the ocean.

USPS is definitely the cheapest route. If you look up any of the three main carriers in the U.S. (USPS, UPS, FedEx), you're going to find horror stories for every one with guitars. Nothing in life is a guarantee. For very expensive guitars, I prefer to overnight them to reduce handling time. And definitely purchase insurance.

Last edited by Guest 213; 09-02-2013 at 04:02 PM.
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  #18  
Old 09-02-2013, 02:57 PM
Redpick Redpick is offline
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Originally Posted by celticlofts View Post
I shipped two of my own guitars from Illinois to Dublin Ireland via USPS. And because i had the receipts that showed that the guitars were over a year old, I was exempt from import duties and taxes.
Wow, I didn't know about this exemption, if guitars are over a year old. Is this anything to do do with the guitars originally coming from Dublin or Eire laws?Not the case in the UK for imports (as far as I know).
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  #19  
Old 09-02-2013, 03:05 PM
sfden1 sfden1 is offline
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Originally Posted by GraceGuitars View Post
Wow, a lot of you are making some wild assumptions about the OP here. He simply asked about the least costly method to ship the guitar, and his mentioning the price of $9k would indicate he also wants the service to be reliable. Some of you are reacting as if he were sending it on a raft across the ocean.

USPS is definitely the cheapest route. If you look up any of the three main carriers in the U.S. (USPS, UPS, FedEx), you're going to find horror stories for every one with guitars. Nothing in life is a guarantee. For very expensive guitars, I prefer to overnight them to reduce handling time. And definitely purchase insurance.
No assumptions at all. The OP is either buying or selling a 9k guitar and wants to know the least costly way to ship it. I think most people responded to the effect that shipping cost would not be a priority.

The least costly method would be ground shipping via any of the major carriers. That does take several days though, involves a lot of handling, and in the case of USPS, there is no available on-line tracking.

USPS will be the least costly if your comparing the same shipping method among carriers (i.e. overnight).
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  #20  
Old 09-02-2013, 03:08 PM
kerrinsdad kerrinsdad is offline
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By reducing the size of the package you can save a lot of shipping $$
Try a chipper/shredder and mail it in a manila envelope. Should be very inexpensive
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  #21  
Old 09-02-2013, 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by sfden1 View Post
No assumptions at all. The OP is either buying or selling a 9k guitar and wants to know the least costly way to ship it. I think most people responded to the effect that shipping cost would not be a priority.

The least costly method would be ground shipping via any of the major carriers. That does take several days though, involves a lot of handling, and in the case of USPS, there is no available on-line tracking.

USPS will be the least costly if your comparing the same shipping method among carriers (i.e. overnight).
The OP clearly knows the value of the instrument and is looking for the cheapest way to reliably get it from point A to B. He didn't ask for people to give him a lecture about the value of his guitar (you didn't do this, but others did).
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  #22  
Old 09-02-2013, 06:13 PM
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Larry Pattis Larry Pattis is offline
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I agree w/Jon...sometimes this place is a bit weird.

The thread subject-header here is:

Quote:
What is least costly way to ship an expensive acoustic guitar?
This automatically means that the OP knows he/she has an expensive instrument...and MY assumption was that the OP wanted a safe method of shipping, that would not cost the most amount of money...nor spend money frivolously on extras that are not needed.

I use FedEx all the time.

I almost never ship overnight (the most costly...and you can spend even more on "priority" and "first" overnight), and occasionally I ship 2-day (saves some money, but still a bit pricey)...but *I* have found that the most-affordable ("least costly") way to safely ship an "expensive" guitar is with FedEx three-day air. Good tracking, minimal handling, and of course the requisite air-transit.

Another not-often-mentioned benefit of their three-day air service is that depending on locations, they often will deliver in 2, rather than 3 days...and you've only paid for the 3-day service.

So rather than lecture the OP about spending money to suit the value of the guitar, perhaps we could simply offer the request for comments that acknowledge the value, but respect the request to find the least-costly shipping method.

Anyway...I think *my* solution is *best*!!!

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  #23  
Old 09-02-2013, 06:58 PM
celticlofts celticlofts is offline
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Originally Posted by Redpick View Post
Wow, I didn't know about this exemption, if guitars are over a year old. Is this anything to do do with the guitars originally coming from Dublin or Eire laws?Not the case in the UK for imports (as far as I know).
I checked into it before i left Illinois and the Irish customs website stated that if the musical instrument is over a year old and I didn't sell it on for another 12 months i would be exempt from Import duties and taxes. You have to have the original purchase receipts with the instrument so they can verify that it over 12 months old. I didn't have any problems at all on the Irish end but i made sure I had everything in order just in case. I also printed off the information from their website just in case i ran into any problems. The guitars were purchased brand new in Illinois, they were two American Fender Standard Strats.
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  #24  
Old 09-02-2013, 08:05 PM
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Quote:
How & with who have you had best success..right now I only have Fed Ex...and no discounts.Thanks
1)I would open an account

2) and then box it yourself,
3) and go online and punch in all info, and print out the shipping form

no waiting in line at the fed ex place, you just drop it off, unless you want a receipt......

that relates to 3 discounts
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  #25  
Old 09-02-2013, 08:37 PM
samcatluth samcatluth is offline
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Default least expensive way to ship

I would add to the thread to try the least expensive overnight shipping. The less time in the hands of a shipper the better. Jeff B
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  #26  
Old 09-02-2013, 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted by dneal View Post
Where are you shipping from / to, and will the person be available to receive it (i.e.: don't want it sitting on a porch...)? What shipping speed are you wanting? Next day? 3 days? Doesn't matter?
NJ to Florida..temps are 95 down there we are humid & 85
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  #27  
Old 09-02-2013, 09:08 PM
RobertForman RobertForman is offline
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do you really want to know the least expensive way to ship a nine thousand dollar guitar?
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  #28  
Old 09-02-2013, 09:44 PM
Athana Athana is offline
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Thank you a lot of good info...much much appreciated.
Ill begin working on this tomorrow.
Im going to re-read this all and hopefully get it right.

An expensive item TO some one, is something I dont have a lot of experience with..its usually been the other way around.
I sent my unused Studer Revox Reel to Reel to a studio in Dublin,and figured $300 should be enough for shipping & charged that.But Fed Ex was the least and it was $552 which came out of what I was being paid..and when i added PayPal & Ebay fees I felt really Fiked.
My consolation was it went to the nicest people in a country I musically love.
Fact is its a $9k guitar($14k Retail) which Im selling for $6650 including shipping. And when that number begins going down it just doesn't quite feel worth it..(the guitar really is an heiroom)...and the buyer is the right guy to own it,nice person..but the weather is hot, and I don't want it sitting in a truck..

I live near Newark Airport,maybe I can take it to the main collection point of USPS or Fed Ex..and do 3 day it would be out of the sun & probably get there in 2 as one poster said.
Again thanks for the advice..except the shredder one : )

Last edited by Athana; 09-02-2013 at 10:43 PM.
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  #29  
Old 09-02-2013, 09:57 PM
RobertForman RobertForman is offline
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Shipping a guitar yourself, let me give you some advice: do not box it yourself, allow either FedEx or UPS to box it for you. why you may ask? good question, if you box and they break it, they will blame you, they will say you didn't box it properly. on the other hand, if they box it and they break it, they can't say that.
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  #30  
Old 09-02-2013, 10:15 PM
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Larry Pattis Larry Pattis is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertForman View Post
Shipping a guitar yourself, let me give you some advice: do not box it yourself, allow either FedEx or UPS to box it for you. why you may ask? good question, if you box and they break it, they will blame you, they will say you didn't box it properly. on the other hand, if they box it and they break it, they can't say that.


...or you could box it properly yourself, take a bunch of photos of the guitar and of the boxing process, and save yourself a bunch of money.

It's this kind of thing that can save, rather than frivolously spend money...
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