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Shocked by UPS shipping charge
- Thread starter Chrisk-K
- Start date
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
- 12,122
- 16,794
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- have been on nationally released albums, charting on the Billboard 200
Depending on location, the cost of shipping a bass via FedEx in a 53x19x7 box is approx. $21 - $62
devnulljp
Supporting Member
Everytime I have tried to ship a bass at a USPS center, they either refuse due to length (of the bass, before boxing) or tell me to take the neck off and ship it dismantled. Which I would never do.
I have shipped two or three basses via UPS, in gig bags. they boxed it for me. Each time was over $70
I have shipped two or three basses via UPS, in gig bags. they boxed it for me. Each time was over $70
Well I have a bass winging it's way to me (PA) from Pheonix, AZ now... via UPS overnight.
Lets see how bad it can be damaged in < 24 hours
bets?
Tracking number officially became live at 5:41pm Est.
For perspective:
Cost would have been: $178.66... Way cheaper than a pair of round trip tickets (Adult $555.96 x 2, need one for me, one for bass, unless I want to trust the "throwers") and wasting a day of my life.
Edit:
Box arrived by 10am, completely undamaged! Didn't leave PHX till 8:16pm, so roughly 12 hours total transit, almost completely cross-country.
Lets see how bad it can be damaged in < 24 hours
bets?Tracking number officially became live at 5:41pm Est.
For perspective:
Cost would have been: $178.66... Way cheaper than a pair of round trip tickets (Adult $555.96 x 2, need one for me, one for bass, unless I want to trust the "throwers") and wasting a day of my life.
Edit:
Box arrived by 10am, completely undamaged! Didn't leave PHX till 8:16pm, so roughly 12 hours total transit, almost completely cross-country.
Last edited:
Paid $180 total with box, shipping, and insurance for UPS just a few months ago to go from MI to Cali. Told buyer $50 for shipping thinking that should cover it. I have no idea why it cost that much, but I was in a hurry to get it out and just wanted it done and over with.
I suspect the case must have bumped it to a bigger box than they have on hand or something, so that plus the extra dimensional cost must have done me in.
I suspect the case must have bumped it to a bigger box than they have on hand or something, so that plus the extra dimensional cost must have done me in.
You can have a Sherpa pack one and deliver it to the top of Mt. Everest for less..
I just contacted UPS to ship a bass from Canada to the US and they told me that they will not insure it unless it is a new bass.
When I expressed my disbelief - the Rep said she has worked there for 20 years and she knows this is a fact: they will not insure Used Goods. She said you may be able to get insurance from the UPS store but definitely not from them directly.
Anyone else have this experience?
Any advice?
When I expressed my disbelief - the Rep said she has worked there for 20 years and she knows this is a fact: they will not insure Used Goods. She said you may be able to get insurance from the UPS store but definitely not from them directly.
Anyone else have this experience?
Any advice?
I don't believe that to be true. Many good shiped are used. You really need to use the post office to go across the border. Both UPS and FedEx have very high brokerage fees.
What UPS probably meant was they will not insure items of extraordinary value. Think vintage or antiquities. They are not going to insure a 1957 P bass for $10000, but they most likely would insure your 99 P bass for $800. Read the shipping agreement fine print, usually on the back of the original air bill, or in all that print no one reads when you check the box saying you agree to the terms and conditions.
Although I cannot answer with complete accuracy, most likely all freight carriers have exceptions as to what they will insure in terms of items of extraordinary value. Think jewelry, antiques, collectables, etc.
If you want to ship your $50,000 Les Paul, or your grandpa's old $10K pocket watch, you better insure it through your local agent.
Although I cannot answer with complete accuracy, most likely all freight carriers have exceptions as to what they will insure in terms of items of extraordinary value. Think jewelry, antiques, collectables, etc.
If you want to ship your $50,000 Les Paul, or your grandpa's old $10K pocket watch, you better insure it through your local agent.
I'll call back and try again - but her answer was very definitive: the UPS Call Centre will not sell insurance on Used Goods period. The local stores might - but they are all franchises so you have to speak with them directly. Doesn't seem right to me either
I worked in 3PL (third-party logistics) for twenty years, and our contracts used FedEx, UPS, DHL, and USPS. Most of them do a good job most of the time, so the differences largely become what happens when things go wrong. UPS is absolutely, hands-down the most useless and least responsible one. One of our contracts pulled out of UPS because Useless Parcel System totally refused to take responsibility for any problems. Boxes with tire tracks on them had claims denied because or "insufficient packaging" daily. They would claim delivery because a driver scanned the delivery even though they never stopped at the address. Local manager personally promised to hand-deliver a package that was mis-routed (and re-routed incorrectly three times) and it still went on the regular truck and was mis-delivered a fourth time.
My current company does a lot of USPS and FedEx shipping, I won't use UPS at all. Most of our USPS is Priority Mail Express International (confusing name, they have "Priority Mail" and "Priority Mail Express"). Express adds a service guarantee that simple Priority doesn't have. It works well most of the time, but it is a problem on the few occasions when it doesn't work right. But it's been pretty rare and the tracking is OK- it only updates once a day it seems, but as long as the package is scanned at each transition it's pretty accurate. Once it gets out of USPS' hand, like when it gets to an International Service Center (the ISC in Chicago is really common for our stuff) then it's in Custom's hands and USPS can't do much at all. And US Customs is almost impossible with which to work.
Dimensions are key, because there's only so much room in the truck/plane. Lots of loads cube out (get too big to physically fit) way before they weigh out (get too heavy for the vehicle) and that's what costs money. Shipping an electric bass requires a pretty good sized box to do it safely and reliably, and that's what you're paying for. How to save money and still do it right? Get a box made for shipping an electric bass- it's made to shipping standards and while oversize, it's not too big to ship normally. Pack it right to avoid damage. Set up an online account with your shipper and use it to print labels. If your choice for drop-off is a UPS store, arrange for the carrier to pick it up. Ship to business addresses rather than residential (Fed Ex's online shipping app checks that and lets you know). Residential is more expensive because it's slower- the drivers are stopping more frequently and delivering fewer packages per stop. And don't use UPS.
My current company does a lot of USPS and FedEx shipping, I won't use UPS at all. Most of our USPS is Priority Mail Express International (confusing name, they have "Priority Mail" and "Priority Mail Express"). Express adds a service guarantee that simple Priority doesn't have. It works well most of the time, but it is a problem on the few occasions when it doesn't work right. But it's been pretty rare and the tracking is OK- it only updates once a day it seems, but as long as the package is scanned at each transition it's pretty accurate. Once it gets out of USPS' hand, like when it gets to an International Service Center (the ISC in Chicago is really common for our stuff) then it's in Custom's hands and USPS can't do much at all. And US Customs is almost impossible with which to work.
Dimensions are key, because there's only so much room in the truck/plane. Lots of loads cube out (get too big to physically fit) way before they weigh out (get too heavy for the vehicle) and that's what costs money. Shipping an electric bass requires a pretty good sized box to do it safely and reliably, and that's what you're paying for. How to save money and still do it right? Get a box made for shipping an electric bass- it's made to shipping standards and while oversize, it's not too big to ship normally. Pack it right to avoid damage. Set up an online account with your shipper and use it to print labels. If your choice for drop-off is a UPS store, arrange for the carrier to pick it up. Ship to business addresses rather than residential (Fed Ex's online shipping app checks that and lets you know). Residential is more expensive because it's slower- the drivers are stopping more frequently and delivering fewer packages per stop. And don't use UPS.
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