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Joined:
March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | I am shipping a guitar to a buyer and have heard people say good and bads about shippers but can't remember. Who is the best? Thanks in advance.
Steve |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i always ship usps or ups,never had any trouble yet..jason |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | who is the best? very subjective.
for domestic I generally use UPS for out of the country I use USPS global priority |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Both are good. If they are doing the packing you might want specify or supervise the methods.
USPS gets the job done if you can pack it small. USPS has been good to me so far. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i forget what the size limit for usps is but im right at the max every time i ship one..jason |
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Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | I'll be the contrary one - Go with FedEx. They're cheaper to use than UPS, handle your packages better, AND ship/deliver on Saturdays with home delivery. I've gotten & sent stuff with UPS that was completely or mostly destroyed several times, and switched our company's shipping to FedEx several years ago. Hundreds of shipments - not one problem, including several guitars. |
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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | it's more expensive, but i always try to ship overnight next day service..either ups or fedex.
less hands on your package, less time in their hands.
Ernie |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I have had unbelievably bad luck with UPS and avoid them whenever possible.
I always go with FedEx or USPS and (fingers crossed) have mostly been problem free. |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | I ship 100% by FedEx, both domestic and international. Their uniforms and trucks are SO much better looking than Big Brown. They all get it there, but FedEx gets it there in style.
Dave |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | I beleive it all comes down to, dare I say, luck. The last guitar I received was shipped USPS. It got here fast (two days priority mail) and I have a friend at the post office that holds it there for pickup, so it's not sitting on my front porch untill I get home from work. So I go to pick it up, and the clerk that retrieved it, dropped it while handing it over the counter! It wasn't damaged, but the moral of the story is: They all have humans working for them, and some don't care how your baby arrives. That being said, I prefer Fedex or USPS priority. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | I have shipped well over a thousand guitars, and have found good and bad with all of them. Priority Mail is a good service, but it is more expensive than ground shipping for both the service and the insurance. USPS is no better and no worse in handling insurance claims. How the item is packed is more important than the carrier, but UPS has gotten very difficult about honoring a claim. I have hear horror stories about Fedex, too, but I have used them for a couple of years and found them cheaper, as fast, and friendlier.
I'm with Alpep on international. I use USPS Global Express, and I average shipping at least one guitar overseas per week. None have been lost or damaged. |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 777
Location: East Wenatchee, WA | I have had both good and bad experience with both UPS and USPS. Damaged case with UPS (fortunately the solid body in side survived) and now a recently busted up W597 by USPS.
I guess none are perfect, but recommend whichever you use, that you take extreme care in making sure there is plenty of padding INSIDE of the hardshell case as well as outside. I feel what got to the 597 was a sharp drop on the bottom which may have resulted in the straplock being drivin into the body popping the top off. If I ship one again, bubble wrap or foam will go around the body of the guitar for shock absorption. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | There should be threads available via the Search function with lots of info on how to pack well. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487
| But Steve I have not sent the money yet??
grin grin..... |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | They're all about the same till you have a problem with one, then the other is better.
I think it's really cool that Dale is finally racing the truck. FedEx just has a rookie(true he might be rookie of the year but still a rookie)
GO, DALE GO. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 2791
Location: Atlanta, GA. | Another member (sorry, I don't remember who) posted this link a while back with tips on packing a guitar for shipping.
guitar packing tips |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | I don't ship many guitars, but I do a lot of shipping (our UPS bill is about $10k a month these days).
We never saw a nickles worth of difference between FedEx Ground and UPS in terms of handling, package condition on arrival, etc. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i frown on the use of packing peanuts..they are aweful to work with,usualy arive crushed and useless and get all over everything, i use the air pillow type packing material and newsprint,soda boxes or anything else ive got on hand..jason |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Jason,
I hate them also, however save them for the next shipment I make since I can't put them in the recycle bin. Poor Norseman, he's got a few in the box :p |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i mostly use up my attic full of pnuts when shipping cases or other less valued items..i must say im starting to get pissed at usps tho. i sold 3 cases last week(2 to ofc brothers) i was delivered safely one is M.I.A. if worse comes to worse ill have to give a refund and eat the loss..jason |
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Best shipping method for guitars