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  #1  
Old 11-23-2020, 10:10 AM
derekbertman derekbertman is offline
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Default Don't Use UPS to ship your Guitar!

I would strongly advise against using UPS to ship guitars.
I know a lot of you have not had any issues with them but my last 2 shipping experiences has ended with a broken neck and a completely lost guitar.
Over the summer I shipped a D28 Authentic to a buyer and it arrived with the neck cracked. The buyer shipped the guitar back to me and the box was beat all to hell with a sizable crack in the neck. I had foolishly dropped the guitar off at a UPS store instead of having a driver pick it up or drop it at a shipping center so I was out a couple thousand dollars as they would not refund me the full insurance. You live and learn and won't ever make that mistake again.
I recently had a D18 Authentic Aged shipped to me and UPS completely lost the guitar. It was supposed to arrive for pickup on the Friday the13th. I always have guitars held at the local shipping center because the UPS drivers here do not take signatures or even verify anyone is even home and will just drop it off. The last scan was done at 5:00 A.M. on Saturday morning the 14th at the airport here in Atlanta by a machine scanner. There hasnt been any movement since and UPS is currently calling it a lost package. I have a feeling that one of the workers there made off with it because I have a hard time believing a package that size goes missing.
If a Martin D18 Authentic Aged comes up for sale with the serial number #2266337 please let me know!
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Old 11-23-2020, 10:16 AM
6L6 6L6 is offline
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Sure sorry to hear about this.

I had a similar experience years ago with UPS and vowed to never ship a guitar again.

Ever since that miserable experience I've bought and sold on my LOCAL CL site. Never had another problem and I only deal in cash. It might take a little longer to sell something, but not always.
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Old 11-23-2020, 10:24 AM
nightchef nightchef is offline
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Small sample size, but my experience with FedEx has been uniformly excellent, while I've had enough bad experiences with UPS to swear them off for life. I think there is a real, non-trivial difference between the two companies in their commitment to quality service.
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Old 11-23-2020, 10:30 AM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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The shipping company you choose does not matter. They are all equally capable of losing a package or damaging a package. UPS is not significantly better or worse than FedEx or USPS or anyone else. Whenever we ship anything, we are taking a calculated risk.
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Old 11-23-2020, 10:50 AM
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UncleJesse UncleJesse is offline
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This is yet another advertisement on why you should carry third-party insurance on an instrument instead of relying on the shipper's so-called "insurance" (which it is not).

Certainly, that doesn't help a lost instrument but getting a check in a few days with no fight makes it a lot easier to swallow and move on with.
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:00 AM
H165 H165 is offline
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I have experienced three "lost" UPS shipments. I kept after them, and all three turned up in the (very) long run. I hope yours does too.

Last edited by H165; 11-25-2020 at 03:50 PM.
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:18 AM
Shuksan Shuksan is offline
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I'm sorry to hear about your experiences, but one or two bad experiences do not make a valid across-the-board case against UPS (or FedEx or USPS). I have received something like a total of 70 guitars and mandolins and have shipped about 50 of the same through UPS with zero problems.

As mentioned in another post above, "stuff" can happen with any shipper so it's not specific to UPS.
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:25 AM
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Rev Roy Rev Roy is offline
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So sorry that’s happened to you! Major bummer. I’ve shipped and/or received more than a dozen guitars via UPS over the years. Never a problem. I don’t rely on any carriers “insurance.’’ Like many others, I have a policy with Heritage. For $250 a year it covers shipping and pretty much anything else bad that can happen to your guitars. No more sleepless nights when a guitar is in transit.
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:29 AM
Rosewood99 Rosewood99 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
The shipping company you choose does not matter. They are all equally capable of losing a package or damaging a package. UPS is not significantly better or worse than FedEx or USPS or anyone else. Whenever we ship anything, we are taking a calculated risk.
What he said. I’ve heard bad experiences with every major shipping company.
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:54 AM
derekbertman derekbertman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paulzoom View Post
What he said. I’ve heard bad experiences with every major shipping company.
I am sure all shipping companies have their issues. I am mainly blowing off steam since these are back to back issues and I have always had ancillary issues with UPS here in Atlanta (Leaving packages in the rain, not getting signatures, leaving packages when noone is home which has resulted in them being stolen).
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:58 AM
Mostsmarterest Mostsmarterest is offline
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I used to build package handling systems for UPS and FedEx.

They're all the same fully automated systems with the hand loading and unloading only taking place at very ends of delivery/pickup. That said, I'd still take UPS over FedEx, since the guitar shops typically seem to have a better relationship with the drivers than FedEx.
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Old 11-23-2020, 12:06 PM
archerscreek archerscreek is offline
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I don’t think I would ship a valuable instrument with anyone right now. I’ve thought about selling off a few and am leaning towards charging or adding $150 to the cost for making a personal delivery within a day’s drive.
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Old 11-23-2020, 03:27 PM
JERZEY JERZEY is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
The shipping company you choose does not matter. They are all equally capable of losing a package or damaging a package. UPS is not significantly better or worse than FedEx or USPS or anyone else. Whenever we ship anything, we are taking a calculated risk.
Fedex is the absolute winner in statistical success by miles. Not even close. Its what they do and why everyone tries to copy them. They lead the industry without contest.
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Old 11-23-2020, 03:40 PM
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dnf777 dnf777 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JERZEY View Post
Fedex is the absolute winner in statistical success by miles. Not even close. Its what they do and why everyone tries to copy them. They lead the industry without contest.
All depends on the people along a specific route. Only issue Ive had was a local fedex driver dropping a guitar off (after requesting a depot hold, as i was out of town for two days) in the snow, with no signature. He was subsequently fired after his truck broke loose on a hill and crossed several lawns before a tree kindly stopped it.

My local UPS managers will call me and ask if they should hold guitar boxes, and when I pick them up, they are always waiting in the heated office area, not on the loading dock. For that, i always request UPS when offered a choice.
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Old 11-23-2020, 03:46 PM
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blindboyjimi blindboyjimi is offline
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Sorry for your bad luck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jim1960 View Post
The shipping company you choose does not matter. They are all equally capable of losing a package or damaging a package. UPS is not significantly better or worse than FedEx or USPS or anyone else. Whenever we ship anything, we are taking a calculated risk.
Totally agree. I’ve shipped at least 60-80 guitars and have had problems with all 3. But I’ve shipped my 1930s Martins via FedEx ground across the country now about 10 round trips with no issues.

Read up on how to pack a guitar. Always use a new box or maybe use it a second time. Most neck breaks occur because the neck is not fully supported, especially up at the headstock. Remove the end pin and pack every loose area inside the case and box with something flexible yet strong so it can survive multiple drops. Taylor, Martin, and Gibson probably ship 1000 guitars a day. The “failure” rate is quite low. I also put a copy of the the shipping slip in the case (if the case gets separated from the box), under the top flap (if the label gets torn off and someone opens the box) and on the top of the guitar box (not the sides where it could get torn off) and I also put packing tape over the entire label so it cannot get torn off.
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