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'Has Shipping Cost Gotten That Outrageous'

#64
Shipping prices are insane. Inflation has run the cost of everything through the roof.

But apart from this, if you have ever tried to make a claim against the insurance you buy through a shipping carrier, you will know that they will never, ever, EVER pay a damage claim. They always reject them and claim the packaging was inadequate.

I had a claim rejected by UPS when the item was packed in the same thing it came from the manufacturer in and had never been opened.

I had UPS reject a claim on a package that the UPS store itself had packed.

Stories abound about this, but other than a completely lost package, know that you have a better chance of checkmating Garry Kasparov than getting UPS to pay out on something they damaged.

This is one reason why I won't sell anything of high value online anymore.
 
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#65
Yep. Outrageous is an understatement. I used to be an avid buyer/seller/trader but shipping costs have put an end to that. Not just music gear, but other things as well. It's all local for me these days, unless it's something that's small enough to ship affordably.
 
#68
I work in logistics, and shipping rates are the highest they've every been. Even with my employer's discount with certain carriers, it's insane some of the quotes that I've been getting.

I recently sold 2 basses, one shipped to Utah, the other to Maryland. Rates came out a bit higher than I estimated, and I had to eat some of it. Oh well.
 
#69
Danger McLovin said:
@RichSnyder
The bass that I have purchased is a neck thru neck,
So removing the neck is not possible.
Plus I have had made a custom hardcase to fit the bass. So the shipping would have to include the hardcase with the bass inside of it.
Click to expand...

Your best bet is to contact the builder for shipping. DHL is out because of dimensions. It's going to be expensive.
 
#70
I almost always use FedEX for shipping and I priced out a shipment of a 25 Uline bass box, from Maryland to Nashville, TN was $85 and from Maryland to LA was $135. That's not much higher than I've bee paying for a long time.
 
#73
About 7 years ago, it was closer to $20 than $30 to ship a bass. You guys are saying it's now over $100 and some say $200??? Just wow. I don't mean "shipping and handling"- what someone charges, but the ACTUAL shipping cost? That's just mind-blowing. I've ordered 3 guitars in the past few years, one Strat, one Ovation and one Jazz Bass, but I bought them new, and the seller paid shipping so I'm out of the loop.
 
#77
COYS said:
Shipping prices are insane. Inflation has run the cost of everything through the roof.

But apart from this, if you have ever tried to make a claim against the insurance you buy through a shipping carrier, you will know that they will never, ever, EVER pay a damage claim. They always reject them and claim the packaging was inadequate.

I had a claim rejected by UPS when the item was packed in the same thing it came from the manufacturer in and had never been opened.

I had UPS reject a claim on a package that the UPS store itself had packed.

Stories abound about this, but other than a completely lost package, know that you have a better chance of checkmating Garry Kasparov than getting UPS to pay out on something they damaged.

This is one reason why I won't sell anything of high value online anymore.
Click to expand...

It took me a long time to realize this as well. The last bass I shipped went out in a box with a crush rating on it. I asked the girl at UPS what it means for insurance claims. She said unless you have a box with spec listed on it with at least a rating of I think 250 (lbs supported before collapse) then insurance will only cover loss. My standard bass box was 100. So my takeaway was only double corrugated meets spec and it has to have the rating on the box. Otherwise, damage claims denied. Internal packing specs are a whole other ?
 
#80
COYS said:
Shipping prices are insane. Inflation has run the cost of everything through the roof.

But apart from this, if you have ever tried to make a claim against the insurance you buy through a shipping carrier, you will know that they will never, ever, EVER pay a damage claim. They always reject them and claim the packaging was inadequate.

I had a claim rejected by UPS when the item was packed in the same thing it came from the manufacturer in and had never been opened.

I had UPS reject a claim on a package that the UPS store itself had packed.

Stories abound about this, but other than a completely lost package, know that you have a better chance of checkmating Garry Kasparov than getting UPS to pay out on something they damaged.

This is one reason why I won't sell anything of high value online anymore.
Click to expand...


I knew a guy who owned a UPS store. It's not part of UPS. It's a private franchise. They pay for the right to call it a "UPS" store. But they're basically selling packing materials and some other doodads in the store, as well as getting a little bit from each shipment dropped off there. Some have PO boxes as well.

So, in that case, UPS wasn't rejecting "their own" packaging. They were rejecting 3rd party packaging that happened to share the same name.

I'm not saying they were "right". I'm just saying they weren't rejecting their own packaging standards.
 

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