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Shipping

Ten Four One

Ten Four One

Dec 5, 2006
1,483
190
#1
I have a couple of basses I'd like to sell on eBay, but I only have gig bags. I tried craigslist but haven't gotten much response (though I haven't included pictures yet), and I just want to stick up an auction & get it over with.

How do I best handle shipping, I've _never_ had good experiences shipping basses - either I've had the shipping place pack & ship it themselves and it worked out to be very expensive because it was an oversized package and UPS required 4" of padding for insurance and the auction winner accused me of padding the shipping bill or I had to send it with a hardshell.

So how do you guys do it?
 
#2
I have sold a few of my old basses on Ebay, and bought some as well. I always did my own packing when I shipped it, just to make sure it was done right. The bass was wrapped several times in bubble wrap, even if it was going in a hard case. If no case, then it went into a sturdy box, which was about the same size as the bass. I usually filled any extra space with those styrofome peanuts, then taped everything up nice and tight. UPS and FedEx among others are brutal with packages and I think if its marked fragile they try harder to damage it. I usually get a good idea of the wieght before hand, and get a general shipping price and let any potential bidder know before they decide to bid or buy it. If they dont agree with the shipping price, then they dont have to bid.
It never hurts to take a pic before you ship it, in case the new owner accuses you of not packing properly.
 
#4
Most corrugated cardboard boxes are plenty sturdy. My Turser Beatle bass came in a cardboard box and no case and it was fine. Come to think of it, so did my Jazz. Just cover it in bubble wrap and put bubble wrap around it to keep it from sliding around.

As for the guy accusing you of padding the shipping bill, what I've done is to get a shipping estimate from your local UPS or FedEX store. Then add $20 to the total, and include it in your auction description.
 
#6
i would say two corrugated cardboard boxes, and inside have the bass in a gigbag, and then wrap the gigbag in bubble wrap. avoid using packing peanuts or other loose materials, because the bass might end up at either end of the box during transit instead of staying put right in the middle.
 
#7
Go to a music store and bludge some old/surplus cardboard boxes that instruments were delivered in. Then pack sturdily.
Another option for BO's is to ship neck off which makes for a smaller easier to ship package and less risk of damage to the neck. Done this several times successfully from the US to here (Australia) and they've all setup well and easily with only a few minutes work. Some buyers may not like this option, but it may be worth considering if they're OK with it. I assume a bass shipped O/S will need a full setup on arrival anyway so this isn't an issue for me.
 
#10
Sorry guys if I'm off topic but I was wondering do you setup the bass prior to packing? Setup here means something like loosen the strings, reliefs the trussrod, etc. because if the bass will be travelling on a plane (especially to other countries) then the pressure, humidity, etc. will be different during the flight. This phenomena can induce the timber to warp right?
 
#11
metallutca said:
Sorry guys if I'm off topic but I was wondering do you setup the bass prior to packing? Setup here means something like loosen the strings, reliefs the trussrod, etc. because if the bass will be travelling on a plane (especially to other countries) then the pressure, humidity, etc. will be different during the flight. This phenomena can induce the timber to warp right?
Click to expand...
Don't do that. Also that is NOT what a setup is, in fact what you desribed is practically the antithesis to a setup.

Click here for more information.
 
#12
I'd never get the full money back on a hardshell case, especially if it was just the "included" item I shipped it in.

Thanks a ton for the Uline link.

I may go to the music store & ask if I can grab a few of their boxes, I have a very good relationship with them ever since I picked up that vintage Hofner that they have lying around...
 
#13
When I ship I may loosen the strings slightly, but not enough to relieve all tension on the neck. The truss rod is set up to counteract the pull of the strings. If you fully loosen the strings the truss rod can raise hell with your neck. From my understanding the proper way is to tune it to pitch, pack it well and ship.
 

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