Buyer reports guitar arrived damaged - Page 4

boombox · #46 02-15-2018, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shuksan

Yes, buy a hard shell to ship it if you want to be sure it arrives intact.

Shipping in gig bags? You were just lucky.

I bought one of the Alvarez Grateful Dead 50 guitars from MF, which had to be shipped from the US to the UK. I ordered a hard case to ship it in, but my shipment arrived in two parcels. I queried with MF, who said they had to do it like that as otherwise, the guitar would be deemed "open box". Unbelievably the contents of both boxes were in perfect condition. Similarly I sold a bouzouki to a guy in Italy, which I shipped via UPS in its vinyl case with no padding at all, just lots of bubble wrap and cardboard - no problems either. I think the OP was just unlucky with this one.

ThermiteTermite · #47 02-15-2018, 06:14 PM

I'll bite too.. Are you saying the buyer damaged it after he/she received it and is now trying to rip you off?

jrs146 · #48 02-15-2018, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theleman

Yeah I got the photos of the damage. He only supplied photos of damage in close up. So I asked for more photos for the whole guitar and then the box, and the box was fine. Box was as it was posted. Not even a scratch.

This made me wonder. How is the box intact, but the guitar inside is damaged?

I shipped a guitar in a hard shell case. Packaged as well as I possibly could. I’ve shipped a dozen guitars all the same way and this was the only one that ever had a problem. The box was totally fine but the next split at the nut. Most likely from being dropped. It goes to show an impact can damage the guitar without damaging the box.

PiousDevil · #49 02-15-2018, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theleman

I have bought a few new guitars from retailers, none of them have arrived in hardcase.

All of them have arrived in cardboard box, and they were fine.

The only guitar I’ve ordered from an online retailer that wasn’t shipped in a hard case arrived with the box looking perfect, but the back of the guitar crushed in like someone stepped on it. I woukd never ship an acoustic in anything but a hard case after that. Wouldn’t even feel great about that.

Theleman · #50 02-15-2018, 06:36 PM

No no, I am just trying to find out more about these things.

So, damage could happen even with shipping in hardcase.

Therefore hardcase is not total safe answer to possibility of guitar damage during transit either.

Shuksan · #51 02-15-2018, 06:42 PM

Shipping is never gong to be totally safe. UPS trucks have had their contents spewed all over the place after being hit by trains or semis. Nothing you can do about that except not ship your guitar. The idea is to minimize the risk as much as you can if you do choose to ship. Hard shell case, properly fit to the guitar, the guitar immobilized inside the case so it can't slide around, and proper packing material filling the space surrounding the case inside the cardboard box.

JohnnyD123 · #52 02-15-2018, 06:49 PM

Shipping in a soft case is ridiculous, unless you have a $200 guitar, take your chances! The box is 44” to 50” long and they will lay it flat and throw boxes on top of it, like a 40 lb small box of books. The guitar body will crack and the carton will spring back and look fine.

A guitar will NOT be damaged if you have a hard case and a proper carton. I recently bought a crossover here, from a fine seller, and he bought an inexpensive hard case just for shipping it!

You really did this to yourself. You can’t expect a carrier to special handle your overly fragile shipment. I always laugh when I see FRAGILE labels. Think the first scene of “Pet Detective!”

mcduffnw · #53 02-15-2018, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shuksan

Just as you are better off shipping a guitar in a hard shell case.

No...not necessarily...and by no means certainly...

My 10+ years experience shipping and receiving guitars says different. I've seen Geib style cases with fork lift tyne punctures in them...and the guitar inside them, and Hiscox cases that have cracked and split from blunt force impact trauma...along with the guitar inside them.

If anything...a good really heavy duty gig bag...like say...a Reunion Blues RB Continental, or the Taylor Deluxe Hard Gig Bag...which is what I use and love...can actually offer...in certain instances...better protection than a hard case, from shock damage, because they do have some "give" to them, and thus absorb the shock more, and transfer it less, to the guitar.

duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

Theleman · #54 02-15-2018, 06:58 PM

The guitar was in a heavy duty gig bag, and then strong cardboard box with lost of protective stuff in it. Not just a gig bag.

Caddy · #55 02-15-2018, 07:09 PM

I bought a new 12 string with HSC last summer. It shipped in the HSC. When it arrived the box was fine as was the HSC. But the guitar had a large amount of wood split and broken out on the edge of the top on the upper bout. All I can figure is that something heavy, but not sharp, must have dropped on it during shipping and that the box and the HSC could flex and return to normal, but not so much the wood of the guitar.

All was taken care of by the vendor just fine, they overnighted me a replacement which also was delivered on the weekend by UPS adding to their cost.

Must be the reason that Sweetwater says they never like to ship guitars in the HSC even if they are ordered together. They say that they experienced more damaged shipments that way rather than in the guitars original packaging which is specifically designed to protect from damage on long distance shipping.

Napman41 · #56 02-15-2018, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theleman

The guitar was in a heavy duty gig bag, and then strong cardboard box with lost of protective stuff in it. Not just a gig bag.

Evidently not enough protective stuff or a heavy enough gig bag. It’s a bummer. What are you offering to the buyer to make it right ?

Theleman · #57 02-16-2018, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caddy

I bought a new 12 string with HSC last summer. It shipped in the HSC. When it arrived the box was fine as was the HSC. But the guitar had a large amount of wood split and broken out on the edge of the top on the upper bout. All I can figure is that something heavy, but not sharp, must have dropped on it during shipping and that the box and the HSC could flex and return to normal, but not so much the wood of the guitar.

All was taken care of by the vendor just fine, they overnighted me a replacement which also was delivered on the weekend by UPS adding to their cost.

Must be the reason that Sweetwater says they never like to ship guitars in the HSC even if they are ordered together. They say that they experienced more damaged shipments that way rather than in the guitars original packaging which is specifically designed to protect from damage on long distance shipping.

Yes, HSC is not 100% insurance for safe courier transit. I have bought a few acoustic guitars from retailers from overseas and online suppliers. They all ship the guitars in cardboard boxes with protective material.

If there is problem with that packing, then I am sure that business would not be possible with popular demand of online buying with that type of packing and shipping.

I feel in most cases, it is really up to the courier how they handle the parcels. If they handle it rough, it will be damaged, be it in HSC or Cardboard Box.

I have a very old guitar arrived just before last Xmas with no protective material in thin breakfast cereal box type of cardboard box and in black plastic bin liner cover around it, arrived totally intact = no damage whatsoever. So it is really up to how they handle the parcels during transit, again in most cases.

Swamp Yankee · #58 02-16-2018, 06:56 AM

choice of packing material can make the difference between guitar survival and damage in shipping. If the guitar in its case is surrounded by stuff like styrofoam packin peanuts, the box can take quite a few shocks that will be absorbed by the peanuts. Packing a box tightly enough with material that won't compress well can actually make it less safe as it transmits the shock directly to the guitar.
Ultimately, it's still up to the shipper to protect the box in transit.

buddyhu · #59 02-16-2018, 10:12 AM

Martin ships guitars to dealers in the HSC. So even though it is still possible for a guitar in a hard case to be damaged (especially if it is dropped a couple or few feet), they take that route....and they ship a lot of guitars, and I imagine they have tracked damage and explored various options in regards to containers and cartons.

I've also herd that it is best to use packing material that does not compress (styrofoam peanuts or bubble wrap, rather than crumpled paper) as the guitar is in transit. Apparently the goal is to have something that will retain its shape AND that gives a little, rather than something that rigidly holds things in place, of that will give (once) but not retain shape after that.

KevWind · #60 02-16-2018, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theleman

No no, I am just trying to find out more about these things.

So, damage could happen even with shipping in hardcase.

Therefore hardcase is not total safe answer to possibility of guitar damage during transit either.

What's to "find out" There are no guarantees in life

It's all shades of grey from white to black

A hard case and box is off white, a soft case and box is battleship grey

Its 's a life lesson learn from it, or do not