Shipping a Bass To Germany PLEASE HELP!!!

[bassicg]

Greetings all! I am in dire need of assistance here as I need to ship a bass to Germany. I've never did any International shipping and am totally green on the topic. I would so appreciate anything anyone could say or do to point me to in the right direction! Thank you all so much in advance!

 

[Gosho]

Hello! I have sent shipments from Europe to the USA, but not large and heavy ones like a bass guitar. In the tracking, I can see that when I send a package to the USA via the national postal service, it is handled by USPS once it arrives there. There is full tracking of the shipment,I have never had any issues. I recommend contacting USPS, since this is a bass guitar after all. Please note that since last summer, there have been changes in the policy of the US national postal service, currently, from my country I can only send correspondence via the national postal service.

 

[pepj]

The buyer will need to meet any Custom and tariffs etc. They will also need to pay shipping ..unless you've agreed to cover that.
So, as I understand it, the local receiver needs to meet any fees.
Whenever I've done this, UPS or Fedex etc will not release the bass in country until the designated fees are paid so as long as the buyers understands they are liable for the import costs...it should be easy.
Imposed tariffs are passed onto local importing buyers.

 

[steve_ss]

DHL, Fedex, UPS, USPS. Read their rules and terms for shipping. Document with pictures and video the bass, the packaging, the boxing, everything. Buy as much insurance as the shipper will offer. When you have to make a claim for damage / loss, they will deny the value of the bass and your claim. Use a good fitting hardshell case, some bubble wrap around that, then the cardboard shipping box. Some shipping stores have boxes that size and will help you pack it. Make sure the bass is secure in the case, maybe add an extra towel or cloth over the strings. There might be some type of tax, tariff, or duty to be paid by someone. Ask the shipper. Tracking the package might be a challenge between countries and customs delays should be expected. There is always a chance the box and case could be opened by a customs agent just doing their job. A lot of people ship a lot of stuff without a problem every day. I have shipped Christmas presents between USA and Germany many times. Sometimes things go through the system in just days. One year it took two months from here to Germany. The box arrived unopened, but some of the cookies had gone past their date. You should be fine. So what bass are you shipping? Something fun and exciting?? Sorry, I'm just curious.

 

[FightMilk]

Fill out customs declaration on whatever shipper you are using. You will need a commercial invoice on the box showing the declared amount of the sale so the buyer can pay import fees. If it is a business they usually want some sort of tax ID to prove identity. Other than that it’s pretty much like shipping anything else.

 

[jazzyitalian]

Least expensive international shipping options may be found here:

www.pirateship.com

They resell USPS and UPS services at deep discounts. The rest of it is as follows:

Buyer has to pay the import fees, duties or tariff before the item is released. The main customs fee in Germany is called Import VAT ( 19% or 7%). Additionally, the buyer may pay Customs Duty on goods over €150 and a handling fee (often ~€6) if a carrier clears the items. These fees apply to imports from non-EU countries such as the USA. The tax is charged based on the STATED VALUE in shipping form you fill out. The greater the value, the greater the Import VAT and Customs Duty.

Two years ago I sent a couple of sets of acoustic guitar strings to a good friend as a gift. I checked a box saying it was a gift. He paid nothing in Customs for it.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

Box it up like you normally would if shipping domestic making sure it is sufficiently protected. Once boxed up, get the measurements and then check out pirate ship as @jazzyitalian mentioned above. Some carriers limit package size. If you can, try sticking to USPS so your buyer doesn't get hammered by broker fees. When filing out the customs form, be mindful of the stated value. The value will impact both the buyer's custom fees and your insurance. So you can't write $500 on it and then try to file a $2,500 insurance claim. I've done this a few times, it isn't as daunting as it seems so long as your package dimensions work out.

 

[bassicg]

Thank you all for all the very useful information. Working hard trying to get this guy his bass. Some prices I've seen are pretty astronomical. Nevertheless, gonna keep stabbing at it to see what the best solution might boil down to. Thank you all again!

 

[Jeff Scott]

Thank you all for all the very useful information. Working hard trying to get this guy his bass. Some prices I've seen are pretty astronomical. Nevertheless, gonna keep stabbing at it to see what the best solution might boil down to. Thank you all again!

Is the neck (easily) removable? IF so, that will make the package, and therefore, the shipping cost lower.

 

[Thumpin6string]

Least expensive international shipping options may be found here:

www.pirateship.com

They resell USPS and UPS services at deep discounts. The rest of it is as follows:

Buyer has to pay the import fees, duties or tariff before the item is released. The main customs fee in Germany is called Import VAT ( 19% or 7%). Additionally, the buyer may pay Customs Duty on goods over €150 and a handling fee (often ~€6) if a carrier clears the items. These fees apply to imports from non-EU countries such as the USA. The tax is charged based on the STATED VALUE in shipping form you fill out. The greater the value, the greater the Import VAT and Customs Duty.

Two years ago I sent a couple of sets of acoustic guitar strings to a good friend as a gift. I checked a box saying it was a gift. He paid nothing in Customs for it.

^^^This^^^

 

[bherman]

Thank you all for all the very useful information. Working hard trying to get this guy his bass. Some prices I've seen are pretty astronomical. Nevertheless, gonna keep stabbing at it to see what the best solution might boil down to. Thank you all again!

I have done this before for smaller items, and it can get very expensive and you really need to follow the paperwork requirements exactly. If you are determined to look into this, I would seriously consider using FedEx, they include broker fees when you ship through them for priority services, and the paperwork portion of it is more streamlined. No matter which way you go, it will be many hundreds of dollars, plus all of the fees on the buyer's end. Here's a place to start if still interested:

How to Ship Internationally

Personally, I would be way of using UPS, since they often will come back at the shipper and bill you for brokerage fees. I believe that these fees might be included if you use their more expensive express services, but proceed carefully or you will face a stiff bill down the road.

 

[Ostie]

Consider removing the neck from the body if it is a bolt-on. This will do two things: It will reduce the size of the shipping box, making it cheaper to ship., and it will reduce the leverage on the neck, decreasing the chance of snapping it. Wrap each piece in bubble wrap.

 

[FenderP]

Consider removing the neck from the body if it is a bolt-on. This will do two things: It will reduce the size of the shipping box, making it cheaper to ship., and it will reduce the leverage on the neck, decreasing the chance of snapping it. Wrap each piece in bubble wrap.

Never do this without consent of the buyer. I know I would be beyond upset if I got one this way.

 

[FenderP]

Is the neck (easily) removable? IF so, that will make the package, and therefore, the shipping cost lower.

Again, never do this without consent.

 

[FenderP]

One additional thing: you should know if the wood is CITES friendly or not. It is on the seller to know that stuff.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Again, never do this without consent.

That goes without saying.

I sold one of my Zon Sonuses (Soni?) to a guy in Hong Kong. Given the shipping cost he was perfectly fine with my removing the neck to pack the bass into a smaller shippng box. I sent him clear instructions on reassembling the bass and I included all neccessary tools to do so.