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shipping a bass
- Thread starter Nv_D_SlapnPop
- Start date
I have used UPS, FedEx, and USPS.
USPS is the cheapest and I've never had a problem with them. But, their tracking info leaves something to be desired.
Actually, I have never had a problem with any of them. But, others have posted on here that UPS has bought more basses than anybody (i.e. they lose or damage more).
I have almost always shipped basses inside a hardshell case, inside a cardboard box.
I have shipped USPS for as low as $22 or so.
Mostly, I have used FedEx ground and even shipping FL to CA usually only runs around $30 - 35.
Recently, I setup a personal account with FedEx and I measure and weigh the box at home, then go online and use my FedEx account to generate and pay for a shipping label. Print it out and take the package with the label to the nearest FedEx/Kinko's Copy Center and drop it off.
Doing it using my personal FedEx account has been the cheapest of anything except USPS.
At the other end of the spectrum, I had a buddy of mine in Chicago buy a bass for me and ship it to me. He took it, in the hardshell case, to a UPS Store and paid them to box it up and ship it to me (insured for $500). That ended up costing me $80! The UPS Store is a total rip-off for packaging. AND, they charge WAY more for insurance than it costs if you do your own mailing label online, for UPS.
USPS is the cheapest and I've never had a problem with them. But, their tracking info leaves something to be desired.
Actually, I have never had a problem with any of them. But, others have posted on here that UPS has bought more basses than anybody (i.e. they lose or damage more).
I have almost always shipped basses inside a hardshell case, inside a cardboard box.
I have shipped USPS for as low as $22 or so.
Mostly, I have used FedEx ground and even shipping FL to CA usually only runs around $30 - 35.
Recently, I setup a personal account with FedEx and I measure and weigh the box at home, then go online and use my FedEx account to generate and pay for a shipping label. Print it out and take the package with the label to the nearest FedEx/Kinko's Copy Center and drop it off.
Doing it using my personal FedEx account has been the cheapest of anything except USPS.
At the other end of the spectrum, I had a buddy of mine in Chicago buy a bass for me and ship it to me. He took it, in the hardshell case, to a UPS Store and paid them to box it up and ship it to me (insured for $500). That ended up costing me $80! The UPS Store is a total rip-off for packaging. AND, they charge WAY more for insurance than it costs if you do your own mailing label online, for UPS.
$30-50 CONUS. Any shipper is prone to mistakes but I've had good experience with USPS lately, worst with UPS. Make sure to include packaging in cost if you don't have stuff laying around. If I get something in a good box with bubbles I usually save it.
I received a bass in a hardshell case that was in a box. The shipper took time to rap tuners in bubble wrap and put bubble wrap elsewhere in the case to make sure the bass didn't move in the case. He also wrapped the case in bubble wrap. Excellent. I saved the materials.
I also received one in a gigbag with some newspaper and bubble wrap shoved inside. No Styrofoam or anything to strengthen the cardboard box. The box was crushed, the bass damaged and 2 months of sorting it out. I assume the shipper was trying save a little because shipping was included in price. He got his money and I eventually got mine back but a pretty bass was wasted.
Moral: Don't skimp on packaging and factor in the cost.
I received a bass in a hardshell case that was in a box. The shipper took time to rap tuners in bubble wrap and put bubble wrap elsewhere in the case to make sure the bass didn't move in the case. He also wrapped the case in bubble wrap. Excellent. I saved the materials.
I also received one in a gigbag with some newspaper and bubble wrap shoved inside. No Styrofoam or anything to strengthen the cardboard box. The box was crushed, the bass damaged and 2 months of sorting it out. I assume the shipper was trying save a little because shipping was included in price. He got his money and I eventually got mine back but a pretty bass was wasted.
Moral: Don't skimp on packaging and factor in the cost.
Whatever you do make sure the total measuremnts,girth,length,width,and height to not add up to be over 108inch. Last time I did they added a 50 dollar oversize fee.
UPS gives you options: such as confirm delivery; meaning someone needs to sign for the bass, Tracking; giving updates on the where the bass is. They have insurance up to 2,499.00 if something happens to the bass.
My local UPS store has always treated me right. They do a good job packing and use good boxes.
My local UPS store has always treated me right. They do a good job packing and use good boxes.
Yep. I just shipped a bass this week using UPS. I zipped it up in its heavy duty gig bag, and then the UPS store packed it for me and insured it. A bit expensive, yes, but a little extra shipping cost on my end is worth it for my fellow bass player on the receiving end.
In store UPS has some kind of "retail" markup so you will generally pay $20 more unless you do as a previous poster mentioned and do everything including paying online and just drop it off at the store to have it shipped.
Unfortunately not all of us have room to store boxes and such. Anytime I want to ship a bass I have to go to UPS and buy one of the guitar boxes for $20. I package it myself and then it costs between $30-$50 to ship depending on how far it's going.
Unfortunately not all of us have room to store boxes and such. Anytime I want to ship a bass I have to go to UPS and buy one of the guitar boxes for $20. I package it myself and then it costs between $30-$50 to ship depending on how far it's going.
When I need to ship a bass the first place I go is to my local music store to get a bass box for free. Paying $20 for a guitar box at UPS seems like a total rip off, maybe I'm just cheap.
I tried to do that at GC with the last bass I shipped but they didn't have anything big enough to fit my bass inside the gig bag, plus the UPS box is double padded. Last time I shipped a bass it probably would have survived a nuclear holocaust.
Speaking of how to pack the bass, I have developed these methods that I use:
- bubble wrap or something around the headstock. I received a bass that was mint when it was shipped and had the finish rubbed off the tip of the headstock in shipping from rubbing against the inside of the hardshell case. I believe, anyway, and not worth chancing.
- Loosen the strings to take the tension off the headstock. Tension on the headstock plus a dropped box that lands the wrong way could equal a snapped off headstock. This does mean, though, that the bass will probably need a setup, or a least a few days of settling in after it's received, before the action is right. Being "in shipping" for a few days with no string tension allows the neck to relax. It is advisable to let the recipient know about this ahead of time so they don't take it out of the box and get upset that the neck is not straight or the action is jacked up.
- Pack something soft (foam rubber, bubble wrap, microfiber towels, etc) in the hardshell case, around the body (if there's any gaps in there), to keep the body from moving around during shipping.
- Put some thin bubble wrap or a cloth between the strings and the fretboard, so the loose strings (because you loosened string tension, right?) don't grind on the frets during shipping.
- bubble wrap or something around the headstock. I received a bass that was mint when it was shipped and had the finish rubbed off the tip of the headstock in shipping from rubbing against the inside of the hardshell case. I believe, anyway, and not worth chancing.
- Loosen the strings to take the tension off the headstock. Tension on the headstock plus a dropped box that lands the wrong way could equal a snapped off headstock. This does mean, though, that the bass will probably need a setup, or a least a few days of settling in after it's received, before the action is right. Being "in shipping" for a few days with no string tension allows the neck to relax. It is advisable to let the recipient know about this ahead of time so they don't take it out of the box and get upset that the neck is not straight or the action is jacked up.
- Pack something soft (foam rubber, bubble wrap, microfiber towels, etc) in the hardshell case, around the body (if there's any gaps in there), to keep the body from moving around during shipping.
- Put some thin bubble wrap or a cloth between the strings and the fretboard, so the loose strings (because you loosened string tension, right?) don't grind on the frets during shipping.
