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Shipping Acoustic in Winter


photodusty

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I am hoping to put my Masterbilt up for sale here and over on Reverb. Seeing thats its an all wood guitar do any of you have any advice for when (if) it sells on shipping in the winter?

 

I have never shipped a guitar before and any advice from some of you who have could be helpful.

 

I have a decent soft case to put it in. Unfortunately no hard case. (Would it sell better if I did get a hard case? Even a cheap one to ship in?)

 

Thanks in advance!

 

db

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Well...you need a box with wiggle room so the guitar isn't squeezed. Keep it in tune but several steps down. Most importantly, SOFT foam cushioning the bottom to prevent the endpin from being bounced on. I usually pull it out and send it in the pick compartment. Fill the excess space with styro peanuts and tape her up.

 

Keeping overall height less than 48 inches will keep your cost down. I like USPS best...with insurance. They don't seem so hurried.

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I have a decent soft case to put it in. Unfortunately no hard case. (Would it sell better if I did get a hard case? Even a cheap one to ship in?)

 

no, I think you have no worries there. When you buy guitars without cases, they are just shipped in the containers that come from the factory. Just pack it in a good box with plenty of stuff to protect the top/bottom (especially)/sides, if you can double box it, even better.

 

bubble Wrap, foam peanuts, if available, are excellent things to use if you have some on hand. if not, just lots of newspaper crumpled up.

 

Just want to make sure it's tight in the box, and doesn't have room to bounce around, dropping the tunning down wont hurt either.

 

The only precaution during winter is rapid temp change. The box should acclimate to the indoor temps for at least a few hours before they open it up. for example Sweetwater even puts labels on the boxes suggesting to wait over night to unbox if it's cold out side. With an acoustic, erring on the side of caution and at least suggest the buyer wait a few hours to start unboxing then do it slowly. unbox a real cold guitar in a warm room and you're begging for finish checking, or heaven forbid, a cracked top.

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Here the response from a similar question posted on another guitar forum. I've adopted it as my method of shipping:

 

 

I'm having to ship a guitar cross country, what are some of the best shippers and packing methods? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have always used UPS and have personally had -0- issues. I pack them myself, and generally do the following (which is likely over-kill, but rather safe than sorry):

 

1. Inside the case, I loosen the string tension on the guitar and stuff crumpled newspaper under the headstock to support it, as well as fill in any gaps between the guitar and case.

 

2. I tie a piece or two of heavy string around the closed case...just in case the latches would somehow open. Again, this is likely over-kill to prevent a rare or potentially non-existent problem, but I do it anyway.

 

3. If the guitar box has the top and bottom cardboard risers, I use them. If not, I use bubble wrap on the bottom and top to cushion/protect the ends.

 

4. I prefer to use peanuts in the box. They can be a pain to clean up, and a lot of folks hate them because of that, but I believe they offer the best protection. So, if you're buying a guitar from me, you're going to have to deal with it.

 

5. I tape the snot out of the box with packaging tape and cover all flap openings--top & bottom.

 

6. If the box isn't already clearly marked, I put bold red FRAGILE stickers on all sides...top & bottom too.

 

7. I insure the guitar for the full value of the selling price.

 

8. I require a signature at the receiving end, unless otherwise directed by the buyer in writing.

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Photodusty- why so glum in the avatar pic? (The photo is great - appreciate the energy, and it looks as though your lady appreciates it(you) as well).

 

Isn't the Epiphone you're shipping carrying a polyurethane finish? If so, this finish is much more tolerant of tough conditions than lacquer. Just the same, it's always good to take extensive cell phone video of the guitar before it ships out, in case there's a problem.

 

Kidblast had mentioned Sweetwater Sound. Their cautionary labels (re: temp acclimation) are good, but there are many who feel the "FRAGILE" label can be an invitation for abuse by the hurried or disgruntled handler. Sweetwater's double boxing is invaluable; not only does it hide the glaring "kick me" advertising which festoons the boxes of the companies such as Gibson and Martin (although the tape they use reads "Sweetwater Music"), but the outer box is the sacrificial lamb- many a box has been received with a fist-sized divot taken out of it, seemingly handled with a sand wedge or a grappling hook.

 

No love here for packing peanuts. If you must, trying bagging them, and pressing the air out of the bag.

 

Couldn't hurt to slacken the strings a little, first. This would also help to press out a stuck endpin/strap button from the inside, should you feel so inclined.

 

Recommend the recipient pick it up at the Customer Service Center (UPS) or Ship Center if by FedEx. Less likely to disappear.

 

Isolate the guitar from any movement in the soft case, and the case from any movement within the box(es).

 

Good luck.

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HA HA, thanks 62burst. My bride of 20 years :-) Its funny because I did not upload that pic. When I signed up for the boards and got to the avitar part it was already there.....I only used this photo one other time online so it does make me wonder what part of these boards are connected to other parts of the cyber space world.

 

I am not sure on the poly finish....mine is satin but that does not mean it does not have something on it I guess.

 

Thanks for all the advice!

 

Any one need/want this masterbilt :-)?

 

I will more than likely get to to the trade/sell board this weekend.

 

Thanks everyone! Very helpful!

 

 

db

Photodusty- why so glum in the avatar pic? (The photo is great - appreciate the energy, and it looks as though your lady appreciates it(you) as well).

 

Isn't the Epiphone you're shipping carrying a polyurethane finish? If so, this finish is much more tolerant of tough conditions than lacquer. Just the same, it's always good to take extensive cell phone video of the guitar before it ships out, in case there's a problem.

 

Kidblast had mentioned Sweetwater Sound. Their cautionary labels (re: temp acclimation) are good, but there are many who feel the "FRAGILE" label can be an invitation for abuse by the hurried or disgruntled handler. Sweetwater's double boxing is invaluable; not only does it hide the glaring "kick me" advertising which festoons the boxes of the companies such as Gibson and Martin (although the tape they use reads "Sweetwater Music"), but the outer box is the sacrificial lamb- many a box has been received with a fist-sized divot taken out of it, seemingly handled with a sand wedge or a grappling hook.

 

No love here for packing peanuts. If you must, trying bagging them, and pressing the air out of the bag.

 

Couldn't hurt to slacken the strings a little, first. This would also help to press out a stuck endpin/strap button from the inside, should you feel so inclined.

 

Recommend the recipient pick it up at the Customer Service Center (UPS) or Ship Center if by FedEx. Less likely to disappear.

 

Isolate the guitar from any movement in the soft case, and the case from any movement within the box(es).

 

Good luck.

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Lot's of great info here, 2 things I would add;

1. I like to pack the body and neck tight so there is no movement, but I leave the area between the top of headstock & end of case free. That way the headstock can't hit the case when being thrown around.

2. Take lots of dated & time stamped pictures of the guitar before you pack it up and lots more as you pack it. Pics that show how it looked when packed and how well it's packed. That kind of proof will help if you have to file a claim.

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Ship on a Monday using UPS or FedEx. Any weekend days spent in the system you can pretty well figure it is sitting in a cold truck or warehouse at best. Maybe being used as a stool for someone as they eat their cup of soup on break.

USPS is better suited for delivering circulars, sweepstake entries, and the sort of trash they stuff in your box daily, not guitars. Their tracking system is a completely useless in trying to figure out when to receive an item w/signature required. There is no clear way to have the shipment held at the post office. You can pay for 3 or even 2 day shipping but they don't guarantee when it will get there (WTH?).

Peanuts or no peanuts? Not that big of a deal IMO. If you have them and need to get rid of them go ahead [biggrin].What else are you going to do with them? Set them out in the trash and have them blowing around the neighborhood for weeks?

Good luck!

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