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Shipping a bass

#21
I have 5 1/2 boxes right now and about 6 instruments. I try to keep them on hand because I a always buying and selling. Sometimes I dont part a bass up simply because it ends up taking more card board then shipping it whole. My boxes are precious as I dont have a guitar center, or a UPS store that sells boxes in my town. My precious :)
 
#22
I returned a Boulder Creek A/EBG in the tow original boxes w/wrapping, tags etc to the seller in Nov 2012. I understood its a oversize box but after doing a pretty precise shipping estimate on FedX and UPS online sites. I got a better price from UPS. I did not complete the shipping process online but rather went to the local UPS store.

Woah! Once I got there they quoted me a price of $78.00 when the online estimate came in at $44.00. I asked why was it so far off. The weight I used was correct @ 16.5lbs. The outter box actually had the dimensions printed on it, so I felt I did a pretty good job of doing the online estimate.

The manager said, " I wish they would just take that online site down. It's always incorrect." So I asked what if I would've completed the process online and came in with the ship lable. He stated they would've just charged me the new price as the lower online price would've been incorrect. So what's the point of the online site indeed if its that far off cost wise?

Still waiting to hear back from Ebay seller on my full refund. His Ebay ad said, they'd pay for return ship. When I called to ask for RMA, he stated he prolly put that return detail accidently. He stated they can't afford to pay return ship fees on such items. Well, I started to hold him to it but he said if I paid return fee and bass was in as new condition, he'd give me a full refund. I think if FedX online estimates are true, they would've been cheaper to use than UPS. But it was a Saturday afternoon and my 30 days ended that coming Monday. So I wanted it to show a label before that date.

Seller did pay shipping to me when I bought it so I relented. But I should have asked him to pay ship fee and then take it out of my refund instead. I imagine as a Ebay seller he has a shipping acct with some company and might have saved me some bucks instead of what I paid. Oh well. But I will call him til I hear about my full refund as bass went back as I got it in new condition. Oh and yeah to be OT, I have two bass ship boxes in my spare room. A Fender one and a Godin one. One is well packed with a bass in HSC prepared to ship. But both potential buyers seem to have backed out on me. :atoz: And I saw where ship fees expected to go up in 2013.
 
#23
One time, a guy shipped a rickenbacker to me. He shipped it without a box. Just the black Ric hard case with a shipping label stuck to the side. And it wasn't even locked! I opened it up, and there was no strings on the body, so the floating bridge was just rolling around. Surprisingly, the bass survived the entire trip unharmed. You could say i was just a little pissed.
 
#24
MaddAnthony_59 said:
I asked the Good People at Guitar Center about a box once. They went to the Dumpster, pulled it out and tried to charge me $15 for it! I left, came back half hour later and pulled probably the same box from the Dumpster!
Click to expand...

Really sorry to hear that, man. That's just a you-know-what employee trying to take advantage of you. Probably would've pocketed the money, too, as I can tell you there's no way to actually ring up a box in their inventory.
 
#25
I've had a number of used basses shipped to me. No problem. Much easier if you can ship it inside a case, even a cheap-o hard case or gigbag.

Also, be sure to ask the buyer first IF you are going to disassemble it for shipping. Some people are not as technically proficient as others.

And I always keep the shipping boxes from any instrument I've gotten "Just in case.."
 
#28
How would you all ship an acoustic bass without a case or gigbag? I have an Ibanez AEB5E, 32" scale I want to sell. With a caseless electric, I'd just bubble wrap the bejeezus out of it and fill a box with packing peanuts. It would be just fine. But an acoustic is basically a thin wooden box that'll easily get crushed. How should I pack it?
 
#29
3234718 said:
How would you all ship an acoustic bass without a case or gigbag? I have an Ibanez AEB5E, 32" scale I want to sell. With a caseless electric, I'd just bubble wrap the bejeezus out of it and fill a box with packing peanuts. It would be just fine. But an acoustic is basically a thin wooden box that'll easily get crushed. How should I pack it?
Click to expand...

I'd buy a cheap hardcase. Double boxing may be fine, but I'd balk on this if it's a high dollar acoustic.
 
#30
Here's a pic from another bass that was sent to me via FedEx. Just a label and packing tape.

IMG002142.jpg
 
#32
I just recently received a bass in its hard shell case with just a label on it and 5 wraps of duct tape! Thank god it was okay but the post office has been very good about handling stuff like that for me.
 

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