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Shipping bass guitars

#21
One more thing regarding pirate ship…

I’m impressed with their customer service.
I had a billing issue with one of my shipments which was pretty much my fault. I used the wrong payment method (credit card) that was declined at the time I purchased the label.
I called and immediately got a human on the phone who told me that the label was still valid and I was safe to ship.
They simply debited my account and I went in the next day and payed my bill.
They even sent a follow up email to confirm that everything worked out.

another thing that they will do is support you through the claims process if your shipment gets lost or damaged.
Not all of the shipping label sellers will do that. They will just tell you to deal with ups/fed ex on your own.
 
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#22
scottfeldstein said:
Does it really cost nearly $100 to ship a bass guitar across the USA? Did I do well on boxes and is my packing strategy sound? Any tips/advice welcome!
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I sold equipment over the years and I've used eBay and I have switched to reverb on some things but it's been a couple of years since I've really sold anything and I found it's just as convenient to go to UPS. They'll take care of the packing the boxes everything and it used to be 75 bucks I'm sure it's more now.
 
#24
TK4261 said:
I go through pirateship.com They use UPS but saves me a ton of $$...Give them a try :thumbsup:
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^^^ THIS !!!! ^^^
I have an Ebay store and get an awesome discount. Pirateship.com gives the EXACT same discount. Only thing is they don't ship via FedEx, my FAVORITE shipper..... but that's ok. USPS and UPS do a good job, provided you pack it properly.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go into one of the big 3 and ship your package out for the retail pricing, unless you feel like throwing your money away. Stoooooopid, if you ask me.
 
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#26
  • Use lots of bubblewrap around the bass inside the case, so it can't move around.
  • Use at least 4-5 layers of bubblewrap and/or layers of packing foam at each end between the case and the box.
  • Use bubblewrap around the case so that it can't move inside the box.
In short, package it for a 5-foot drop.

Nearly every bass I receive, the 1-2 layers of bubblewap at the end of the box is blown out (popped) from impact. 2 recent $$$ basses received have had damaged tuning pegs from moving around inside their case during shipment.

Tl;dr: very few people take the time and materials to package a bass well.
 
#30
scottfeldstein said:
Really? I could see maybe if it was in a hard case. But do you think I could hand them a bass in a gig bag and trust that they'll pack it right?
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They'll pack it right in front of you if you want, but I live in a type of Mayberry. If you're living in a big metro area I can't really tell you what's going to happen...

And... if you go to a Dollar Tree and get about $5 worth of pool noodles you can pack those around anything and use plastic wrap to keep it all together and put that in a box... and that method has elicited kudos on my rating feedback.

But... after driving around town getting bubble wrap pool noodles plastic wrap, whatever boxes... maybe begging a few boxes of a local guitar store for a donation of $10 etc... all that rigmarole, it's easier for me to go to UPS and have them take care of it and I imagine it's probably not too much different in price if you consider that "time is money."
 
#31
I would remember to place a packing slip inside with the bass. So I "used to" forget that all the time and thought it was pointless. UNTIL they misplaced one I was shipping coast to coast. Yeah, they found it and the packing slip wouldn't have made a bit of difference. But I would've felt a whole lot better for the two days it was lost.
 
#34
I never ship a bass without a hard shell case.. never. You have no idea what indignity might befall the package in handling and shipping. Also, is there a chance the package could get wet? I suppose the tolerance for risk goes up as the value of bass being shipped goes down. My basses are all boutique, so nothing worth less than $3000, however if you are talking a $500 Ibanez, perhaps you throw caution?
 
#35
$100 per bass is your grand dad's shipping cost, your grand kids won't understand none of this.
I was popping guitar necks off long before I did any basses for shipping, for safety sake if sans a case, but if the Gods of Mean have their say it won't matter how well anything is packed.
contrary, Epiphone dbl boxed my Explorer and had nary smudge on the box. it's a crapshoot.
 

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