Shipping a bass ~

A tried and true method is to use a gig bag, lots of bubble wrap and a good corrugated carton.

Some frequent shippers say the bag protects better than a hard shell case. I buy inexpensive OK quality bags just for shipping if a bass doesn't already have a bag or a case.

With lots of places now selling online and shipping out more than they used to, it's getting harder to find decent shipping cartons for free or cheap. Resist the temptation to pack a bass in a carton that looks and feels like it has been used once too often. For a high end bass, just buy a new carton.

The shipping service you use makes a difference. UPS is easier to deal with, but FedEx Ground takes better care of the goods. At least in my experience. UPS is so much better organized and integrated than FedEx Ground, but the parcel volume is so much higher at UPS that more bad things happen to goods in transit.

Don't mark the carton with warning labels (Fragile, Baby on Board, etc.), because that seems to inspire the primates that populate the terminal docks to add extra abuse to the parcel.

 

Keep any box a bass was shipped to you in! It's costly to buy one from UPS or Fedex. If you can get throw aways from music stores, that's good too! Always use a gig bag. If you're shipping with a HSC, those boxes are very expensive (I know!)! Use plenty of bubble wrap. Make 2 labels. One for on the box and one for inside in case the outer label comes off! Seal the package as if you are wrapping a mummy! Write Fragile and Handle with Care everywhere! Whatever carrier you decide to use, INSURE, INSURE, INSURE! Always choose direct signature! Form an account with whatever carrier you choose. They seem to take care of account holders a little better than someone bringing in a pkg. off the street. I prepare my packaging and labels at home and just drop off!

This is just my experience. I have had zero problems with any package (musical and non musical) I've ever shipped using Fedex Ground!

 

Please ship the bass in a case inside a cardboard box. Don't take any chances.

 

Packing peanuts are the devil.. use bubble rap I FU.... hate it when I open a box and foam nuts go flying. Always down tune the bass before shipping. Try your local bike shop for boxes they should have something for free that will fit a bass.

 

If it doesn't have a hard case, I use the "box-within-a box". Plenty of bubble wrap. I also put the foam pipe protectors around the vulnerable parts of the bass (neck, headstock, bottom strap button) before bubble wrapping it. If you can get one of those triangular boxes from the cheap-o starter bass packages (Ibanez; Squier; etc.), they work very well as your "inner" box. And make sure your inner box can't move around inside the outer box. If there's room in there, stuff it with more bubble wrap or newspaper to keep it from moving around.

 

+1 on bubble wrap. I like box in box but remember it adds weight and more weight adds to shipping costs. I don't see the need for an extra box unless the bass has no gig bag or HSC. If you wrap and box efficiently (w/gigbag/HSC), one box is all that is needed, IME of course.

I did receive a bass once in a cool box in a box that had the bass tie-wrapped down by the neck. Of course it was shipped with no gigbag or HSC.

 

Yep, double-box. Greyhound Package Express (GPX) is pretty good at moving equipment around without mucking it up.