Be Aware when Shipping your guitars.

[Jeffery Mercer]

The I’m not sure if this should go under this Particular Heading but I think it SHOULD!
as well as a few other places, in order to make people AWARE!
Please Read!... “Don’t” I say again “DONT” COUNT ON GETTING RE-IMBURSED IF SOMETHING HAPPENS WHILE YOUR ITEM IS IN ROUTE TO ITS BUYER,

The Truth is this...any guitar being shipped by any of the Big 3-4 shippers, UPS, DHL, USPS, FED X, all have conveyer belts that all packages are put on to go from one department or place to another, these conveyers have at least a 3’ to 4’ drop off that these packages fall off of...I was made aware of this after personally asking these people who actually work at these Stores, also the further a package of ANY SIZE has to go, whether its from New York to Pa. or Maine to California, the more conveyors they will encounter...so be aware! It is what it is my friends...and even though we take every precaution even purchasing Insurance, it does not negate the probability that your precious guitars, banjos, pedal steels, mandolins, ALL WILL TAKE A RIDE ON A CONVEYOR, (or Conveyors) AND ALL WILL EXPERIENCE A DROP-OFF AT THE END! Also in closing, these shippers are all run by “HUMAN BEINGS” who sometimes have good and bad days...and don’t count on the big name shippers to pay off an Insurance claim...it just don’t always work in our favor...more often than not, IT DOES NOT!
Be aware!
Respectfully Yours,
(Forum Member)
Jeffery S Mercer
Mentor, Ohio

[James Sission]

Oh boy, I'm going subscribe to this thread. Shipping threads are very rare around here and generally don't solicit many conflicting experiences.

[Ricky Davis]

I was made aware of this after personally asking these people who actually work at these Stores it’s a fact

That does NOT make is a "Fact" when someone "TELLS" you this info. For YOU to claim a Fact; you have to at least of, Seen it yourself and prove what you've seen with a picture of what you saw....and NOT by just saying it.
So coming from someone (yes ME!!) that has been shipping REstored Pedal Steel Guitars all over the world for 25 years and that is at least 100 of them; I'll say this: "Pack it in the case so NOTHING moves at all. Then pack the case in a box; making sure NOTHING moves when it lands on Concrete from 10 feet in the air" PERIOD!!! and yes out of the EVERY SINGLE steel guitar I have shipped; there have been ZERO damage in any way. .....and i have had; every company shippers; handlers; store workers; warehouse workers; Loaders; drivers....all "personally tell me" so many different things and about the same questions...and I just now laugh when stuff comes out of someones mouth....NOT A FACT!!!!!
Ricky

[Jeffery Mercer]

JGAHU

[Gary Watkins]

Where do you purchase "insurance" from UPS? I have never been offered "insurance". I usually pay for the "declared value". If they offer insurance, i need to check into it.

[Jeffery Mercer]

Though it’s not a fact that UPS always offers insurance, the UPS Store in Mentor Oh. seem to always ask if you would like to purchase insurance...usually with UPS you get a minimum of $100 coverage whether you want it or not, or...you can add more on, it’s generally a good idea to insure expensive items or items of great value...I don’t always insure everything.
Hope this helps!
Happy Holidays!

[Thornton Lewis]

I have only shipped one steel. I followed the suggestions in the sticky at the top of this board and they worked very well per the buyer. I used USPS. It does take some time and $10-15 of materials, but a stitch in time...

[James Sission]

Where do you purchase "insurance" from UPS? I have never been offered "insurance". I usually pay for the "declared value". If they offer insurance, i need to check into it.

Link to UPS site.

There's a bunch of youtube videos shot by media as well as employees of these carriers if you want to see the system for yourself.

[D. Scheindlin]

I know that your post is well-intentioned, but the idea that the conveyors have a 3-4 foot drop-off has zero basis in fact. These massive corporations don’t build unnecessary liability into their operations, for the simple reason that it costs them money. That’s not to say that packages don’t face some rough handling along the way, largely from careless workers, but packages don’t get to the end of a conveyer and just drop 3-4 feet. It’s not the way it works.

I’ve never had to make a claim for damage, but I would imagine that it is difficult to get reimbursement, for the same reason - they want to hang on to as much money as possible. You can minimize the difficulty (and the risk of damage) by packing everything properly—there are stickies on this forum on that topic.

It’s prudent to be aware that there are risks and package things up in a way that minimizes risk. But it’s also good to question your info sources and not spread baseless information.

[Jon Schimek]

I worked as a truck loader at a a major ground shipping facility at odd hours to help pay my way through college (20 years ago). There are a couple spots for a substantial drop 1) unload semi onto conveyer, likely a slide or minor toss for a heavy pedal steel, but if somehow that box was packed into the semi higher than expected, 4 feet would not surprise me. 2) We looked for our delivery area and pulled from the conveyer parcels for our truck. For a pedal steel I would absolutely had slid it off not realizing how heavy it was and had it drop... approximately 3-4 Feet to the Steel loading platform. 3) If you miss a box for your truck OR if you were unable to pull the package of because of weight, it goes to the end of the conveyer.. where it dropped several feet, though not strait to concrete, to one of those canvas rollers which could fail. 4) Could fall off the shelf of the truck (3-4 feet)

In my experience shipping steels, I didn't assume I could achieve 10' protection, but I certainly assumed 6' was possible and bit my nails the whole transit. I expect everyone touching this parcel will be absolutely pissed off when they see what they have to deliver and they will curse and shove it around.... There are lots of points for hard falls and although permanent employees seem pretty careful I don't think any of the loaders were.

[Lee Holliday]

Pack it to death, I save lots of packaging to the dismay of the wife, bike shops are useful resources of heavy duty boxes, you have to cut them to size to fit a guitar or smaller for a steel but they are thicker cardboard. So all that upcycled bubble wrap & Polystyrene etc has cone the job on many an occasion, around Europe and to the far East with no complaints.

What you cannot factor in though is misdirection & lost parcels, I had a near mis recently.

Regards

Lee

[Mike Bourque]

For anyone that ships guitars do what I do.
I always declare $100 and don't get the insurance. The reason I do this is I have it insured through my musical equipment policy. I'm with heritage now but I used to be with music pro insurance and they are $100 a year for $10000 coverage and you can update the list of gear that is insured very easily and I did ask them if the gear was covered for shipment and they have always said yes. (I've never done a claim but from the people I know that has it's always been good reports. ) A

Also for boxing I always put bubble wrap inside the case and I usulay get FedEx to box it up using their guitar box which is like $20. (also their insurance if you choose to do that will be more valid if they do the packing ). But it's usualy $1 per $100. If you ship more than 3 guitars a year you're better off getting a music pro insurance policy and it gives you gear coverage at the same time for theft or damage at a gig too.

[Kevin Swan]

Make sure NOTHING MOVES. Please read Ricky Davis' post above. Maybe read it several times. NOTHING can move during shipping. That means packing INSIDE the steel, too, sandwiching cardboard, styrofoam, anything between parts and pieces. (Reverb springs? Yeah. Wrap 'em.)

I'll add another suggestion: Build a case. Even if you're shipping a steel that's already IN a case? Build a case for THAT case. Simple plywood, backed with cardboard, so that... in case I wasn't clear... NOTHING MOVES. I've shipped guitars, steels, amps all over the place with no issues. Does it cost more? You bet. Do you want to hear from the new owner that something broke in transit? You do not. Pay extra for the packaging, spend extra time on the process.

An artist friend knew about my history of shipping and had me build packaging for her paintings for a show in Italy. THAT one made me nervous, but both crates made it safely... and she sold most of them and left a few behind for the gallery to show. (I was hoping she'd have to ship them back and I could go to Italy to help... Naah.)

[Bob Hoffnar]

I often use my musical instrument insurance policy. If I use the shippers insurance I'll have it packed at the UPS/Fedx store by them. That makes it so they can't deny payment based on improper packing. I advise taking time stamped cel phone pictures of the steel while packing to show that is was not already broken. Brace the pedal bar/leg separator. That gets busted up real easy.

One more thing:

Make sure you are sitting down, have gotten plenty of rest and are fully hydrated before you find out how much shipping a fully insured pedalsteel costs.

[Leo Grassl]

Jeffery, do you have much personal experience shipping pedal steel guitars?

I don’t think what Bob said can be overstated. If you are going to insure through the shipper (which is very expensive) always have the shipper do the packing otherwise they can deny your claim saying that YOU didn’t pack it right. And yes, fully insuring a steel guitar through fedex is an enormous rip off. They take full advantage and have been known sometimes within our community not to pay out on insurance claims that were evidently their fault.

I pack my own guitars Ricky Davis style so nothing moves at all and insure using a musical equipment policy through Music Pro. Third party insurance is great.

[Erv Niehaus]

FedEx damaged a guitar for me in shipping.
I had bought "insurance" on the instrument.
When push came to shove, they said it wasn't insurance it was "declared value".
How asinine was that?
Why would I pay extra for "declared value"
I took FedEx to court and they argued the declared value vs insurance issue.
The judge said: "I'll determine that".
She did and I received full value for the guitar from FedEx.
Erv

[Steve Mueller]

No such thing as "too much packaging!"

[Herb Steiner]

I used a local Eco-Box store that was a UPS outlet and had a manager who was also a professional musician who knew how to pack a guitar correctly and provided the service, which many stores will not do, preferring to just sell you the materials. He was great, but unfortunately I've found out that he's moved on to greater or lesser employment, but for sure he ain't at the store any more.

I always buy a NEW box and if possible I have the store pack it correctly in front of me while I photograph the entire process from start to finish. Like Ricky suggests, NOTHING MOVES inside the guitar case and out. The total cost of that service was generally about $70, before the actual cost of shipping. I still use the Eco-Box store and buy new there, but recently I've done the packing myself. If I find a store that will correctly pack, I'll go to using that facility.

As to cost, sending a Fender non-pedal console would generally entail a total shipping cost (packing, plus shipping/delivery) to be between $100 to $150, depending on whether the store packs it or I do. I explain this to the purchaser that this cost is built into what amount he/she is sending me and that it is non-negotiable. I provide receipts and documentation and I've never had anyone complain; generally, the buyer is appreciative I'm taking the effort to assure the guitar arrives intact.

[Jerry Van Hoose]

I do exactly as Herb S. regarding packaging & shipping.👍

[Bob Carlucci]

I can say for a FACT that if a case or guitar gets trashed through NO fault of your own, with perfect packing you will still possibly be in for th hassle of your life trying to get reimbursed for the damage.. I had Fedex put a fork lift blade right through the case, and they refused to honor it.. After weeks of threat of lawsuit and court appearances, that I am SURE they wanted no part of, I did get taken care off.. It was still an eye opener.... They do NOT want to honor insurance claims....bob

[Bill McCloskey]

In my experience:

1. I Always have them pack it. Adds to the cost, but I've never had a problem and I've shipped a fair amount of instruments in my life.

2. If I have them pack it, I don't buy the insurance.

3. UPS packs better than Fedex and at least in my neighborhood has a much better understanding on how to pack and ship instruments.

4. Fedex is much cheaper the UPS.

[Jim Morris]

In my experience:

1. I Always have them pack it. Adds to the cost, but I've never had a problem and I've shipped a fair amount of instruments in my life.

2. If I have them pack it, I don't buy the insurance.

3. UPS packs better than Fedex and at least in my neighborhood has a much better understanding on how to pack and ship instruments.

4. Fedex is much cheaper the UPS.

Bill can I ask why you don't buy the I surface if they pack the guitar?are they liable regardless or is it because you know they pack it very well?

[Bill McCloskey]

Mainly because I've never experienced a problem when they pack it. My local UPS store is where I've been going for a decade or more and they always pack it well. Charge well for it too. Never once had a problem.

I only buy the insurance if the buyer requests it and is willing to pay for it.

[Jim Morris]

Gotcha. Ive only ever shipped a steel 3 times and I got insurance 8n them when I shipped them just because.

I've actually got to ship out the MSA I recently sold tomorrow and I was debating if I should do rhe packing or let them pack it at UPS. I thonk I'll let UPS do it. Not because I don't know how, because I would build aBox out of Styrofoam... but because I figure if I get insurance and they pack it, they would have to honor a claim if necessary. But like you, ive not had any issues and I've packed the guitars 2 times and had them do it once.

[John McClung]

Following for future reference... Erv, I applaud your tenacity!