UPS and Fedex pricing traders out?

[ewalling]

Like some others here, I do quite a bit of trading. I have around seven or eight guitars at any one time, but most get traded at one point or another when I feel like trying something new.

Some online dealers offer good prices for used gear, with a relatively slim profit margin for themselves. You may know one; I do and have been using them for some years. However, one recent trade gave me pause. I sent them my guitar and received the new (to me) guitar in return. On this occasion, it did not pass the mustard, and I sent it back for another. The problem? Shipping costs. Without insurance, the first guitar I sent was well over $100, while the second hit $125. These prices seem to be quite a bit higher than before.

It is causing me to re-think where to trade. Those of us in the US always have Guitar Center as the easiest option; the issue is that GC offers relatively low prices for used gear. However, if shipping a guitar is going to add $125 to the overall cost, is the better deal from the online store really worth it? On top of the shipping cost, of course, there's also the hassle of packaging the darned thing and dropping it off.

So, I may grit my teeth and smile at the GC store assistant as he pronounces
cruel financial judgement on my prize piece! Has anyone else had a similar feeling as mine in this brave new inflationary world?

[Draft Guitar]

Yep, the last guitar I shipped cost me $260 insured at well under the value of the guitar. I'm going to be done with that soon.

Unfortunately for me, the closest guitar store to me is nearly a 2 hour drive each way.

[zcregle1]

Yes this is definitely been a trend I have noticed. Even selling on Reverb or eBay with their discounts, the cheapest I've paid for an insured guitar shipped ground was $100.

I wonder if it is shipping rates going up in general due to the cost of gas going up or just market adjustment

[Goat Mick]

I agree completely. I sold a guitar on this forum last year and it cost $75 to ship it to the new owner. It was an inexpensive guitar and that $75 really took the justification to sell out of the deal. Shipping has now gone up $50-$100 higher than it was for that transaction so I'm having a difficult time motivating myself to sell anything right now. I do have a guitar I'd like to move, but shipping is keeping me from moving forward with listing it.

[Mr. Jelly]

I'm as close to done trading as I can get, I think. The shipping is way too high. Between paying the tax and shipping along with increased charges added to inflation, forgetaboutit.

[davenumber2]

I use shippo.com and the last few I've shipped have been under $50.

[Pura Vida]

I've sold all of my guitars locally, but if I were to ship, I would look for a discount shipping site like Dave mentions above me. My guitars are insured and cover shipping, and UPS/FedEx insurance isn't exactly reliable, if there's a real issue.

[gibsonfan]

Fuel surcharges are the culprit. I ship FedEx on my personal account and it is def less expensive than just walking in the door of a FedEx store off the street and paying the going rate. But even those preferred rates have increased due to fuel costs. I never use the shippers insurance either as I have a Heritage account that covers all my instruments in transit. Yes, prices have gone up (on everything) but you can still save a little if you know what you're doing.

[blindboyjimi]

Hmm, I’ve bought and sold about 5 guitars this year and about 8 last year. For the amount gasoline/diesel has gone up, I don’t think shipping is outrageous at all. I’m in California all the way southwest, 50 miles from Mexico. I ship to the East coast all the time. Get yourself Heritage insurance which is real insurance that actually pays out not denies every claim. Also, get yourself an account at FedEx or UPS. If you print the label at home it’s much less expensive. Don’t forget stores like the UPS store and Postal Annex add a big percentage to the cost.

I figure, if I buy well, it’ll cost about $250 to try a fantastic guitar out for 3-6 months. Some end up in my collection, some get moved on for the price of a round of golf or two.

[Osage]

Originally Posted by blindboyjimi

Hmm, I’ve bought and sold about 5 guitars this year and about 8 last year. For the amount gasoline/diesel has gone up, I don’t think shipping is outrageous at all. I’m in California all the way southwest, 50 miles from Mexico. I ship to the East coast all the time. Get yourself Heritage insurance which is real insurance that actually pays out not denies every claim. Also, get yourself an account at FedEx or UPS. If you print the label at home it’s much less expensive. Don’t forget stores like the UPS store and Postal Annex add a big percentage to the cost.

Totally agree. I ship a lot with USPS and some with UPS and Fedex and print my postage at home. Even with the new pricing, it's under $100 to get it from the east to the west coast and much cheaper going shorter distances.

[Br1ck]

The job of a business is to get the most profit from their goods and services as they can. As long as their capacity is being used, prices will be high. I don't think it's a good thing if shippers all of a sudden were running trucks with 20% of their capacity unused. If a business, think ocean shippers, are making record profits, and they are, it just means a lot competition for container space. Fuel producers are doing great too.

Like everything else, costs filter down to the individual, and there is a point it becomes too much of a burden and you decide not to participate. I hope it does not become the norm. A lot of people make a lot of money, until of course, they don't.

[AZLiberty]

Last time I shipped a guitar was two years ago. Cost $120 ground from Phoenix to Oregon.
And that was with a FedEx account and printing the shipper at home.

UPS vs FedEx was about 37 cents difference ($0.37)

Large companies get massive shipping discounts, which is why MF or GC can sell a guitar case for $99 and include free shipping, but if I wanted to ship that same box myself it would cost $120.

Thus, I am done shipping. The cost and hassle is not worth it for anything under $2k. I'd rather sell it locally even if I am selling into a smaller market.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by davenumber2

I use shippo.com and the last few I've shipped have been under $50.

I use Shippo as well. Their UPS prices are about 60% of standard UPS retail.

[rllink]

I'm in the market for a used guitar right now and as a buyer the shipping cost is a factor. Most of the ones I'm looking at on Reverb and other sites are either free shipping or have a shipping cost listed with the guitar. Any that say x number of dollars plus shipping and insurance, I just move on.

[PatrickMadsen]

The most reasonable shipping so far for me has been
Shipbikes.com. Print the label at home and just drop off at nearest FedEx store.