bonzoboy Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Hi Folks,I just got a message from the seller of the 1968 Gibson B-25-12 that I just bargained for.She went to UPS as far as I know and they wouldn't send it because it was bigger than their maximum size limit.She went to UDL which gave her the cheapest quote and that was for the outrageous sum of $397 which is more that the price of the guitar.What gets my goat is that a buddy of mine routinely gets guitars from guitarsjapan.com for less than 1/3 of that.The only suggestion that I could give her was to ask her local Guitar Center,Musician's Friend etc. if they new of an alternate method of shipping that wouldn't require remortgaging the house.Any suggestions would be extremely appreciated,thanks folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Odd... I've both sent and received similar-sized guitars through UPS. Is the box too big? The guitar and case shouldn't be if in a standard sorta guitar shipping box. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hate to be cynical but perhaps the "lady" you bargained with isn't really such a lady and realized that the agreed upon price was too low - and since you agreed to pay shipping "she" is trying to fill her pockets a bit more. Guitars are shipped everyday, no reason this one should be that much bigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hate to be cynical but perhaps the "lady" you bargained with isn't really such a lady and realized that the agreed upon price was too low - and since you agreed to pay shipping "she" is trying to fill her pockets a bit more. Guitars are shipped everyday, no reason this one should be that much bigger. Kinda what I was thinking too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hmmm... And here I was trying to disguise my cynicism... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hi Twang,The thought crossed my mind but in the meantime another musician buddy of mine who lives in Florida sent me a link to the UPS International rate calculations site and from the info that I put in,the guitar should only cost in the vicinity of $40.I sent her the link and my calculations so she knows that I know the true rates now so it would be futile for her to try and pull a fast one if that's the case but I have a feeling that she's above board.Anyway I went through Reverb.com and Paypal so I have some recourse if it all goes pear-shaped. Hi Milod,I didn't know the exact size and weight of the guitar and case so I estimated the case to be 40" X 18" X 8" and the weight to be 8 lbs. which should be about right and got my estimates from that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hi Twang,The thought crossed my mind but in the meantime another musician buddy of mine who lives in Florida sent me a link to the UPS International rate calculations site and from the info that I put in,the guitar should only cost in the vicinity of $40.I sent her the link and my calculations so she knows that I know the true rates now so it would be futile for her to try and pull a fast one if that's the case but I have a feeling that she's above board.Anyway I went through Reverb.com and Paypal so I have some recourse if it all goes pear-shaped. Hi Milod,I didn't know the exact size and weight of the guitar and case so I estimated the case to be 40" X 18" X 8" and the weight to be 8 lbs. which should be about right and got my estimates from that. Ok - going away from the cynical side could it be that there is some duty involved going over the border? I wouldn't think so on a used guitar but maybe???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Actually it can be spendy. When I sent an AE guitar to the factory some eight years ago it cost about $100 US... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 I wouldn't mind going as high as $100 but given the price of the guitar,anything over that would be a deal breaker.There shouldn't be any tariffs or duty on it since it was made in the U.S. and should be exempt due to the NAFTA or whatever acronym they have for the supposed "Free Trade" Agreement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brc Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Try and reverse the locations. If you know what city she is in Basically ship it to your self from her city and see what the charges are. I just got rates from UPS to ship a solid body from So Ca to Lima Peru, and it was about the price you quoted on your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hi Folks,I just got a message from the seller of the 1968 Gibson B-25-12 that I just bargained for.She went to UPS as far as I know and they wouldn't send it because it was bigger than their maximum size limit.She went to UDL which gave her the cheapest quote and that was for the outrageous sum of $397 which is more that the price of the guitar.What gets my goat is that a buddy of mine routinely gets guitars from guitarsjapan.com for less than 1/3 of that.The only suggestion that I could give her was to ask her local Guitar Center,Musician's Friend etc. if they new of an alternate method of shipping that wouldn't require remortgaging the house.Any suggestions would be extremely appreciated,thanks folks. I had one of the 50th anniversary Stratocasters shipped to me by UPS in 2005 and that thing comes with two cases, the box was huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 UPS charges an exorbitant amount to ship to Canada. I've shipped pedals there before and the cheapest option will be USPS if they'll ship a package as large as a guitar. I can't remember for sure exactly why UPS charges so much more (something with customs I believe) but I remember UPS quoting 80 bucks for a large, heavier pedal while USPS charged like $22. Unless "she" marks the package as a gift you'll have to pay 20% VAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edlo Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Hate to be cynical but perhaps the "lady" you bargained with isn't really such a lady and realized that the agreed upon price was too low - and since you agreed to pay shipping "she" is trying to fill her pockets a bit more. Guitars are shipped everyday, no reason this one should be that much bigger. That's kind of what I was thinking all of my guitars came by way of UPS as well. I never had a problem. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 One of the problems with individual and small business dealings in North America is that there's truly a separation of perceived national interests involved here. When I was running a small sports magazine, we gave up on the Canadian market we begun to develop because the games and costs involved just plain made it an economic impossibility. Given the cross-border travel of people and products in my area of the continent, that did really bother me. But being bothered by the reality didn't change much. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgplayers Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Is it worth the drive to pick it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgplayers Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Is it worth the drive to pick it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgplayers Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 oops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 UPS shipped an EJ 200 HSC to me w/no mention/issue about size, so it's either a border war or she's trying to squeeze your lemon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Guitar boxes just make it under the maximum size regs for most carriers. A 12 sting might not fit in a regular box and the lady might be trying to use a box that isn't quite small enough. That might explain it. You might ask do some research and figure out what the maximum size is and try to help the lady figure out how to send the thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 I've been in contact with several collector friends who send and receive guitars nationally and internationally routinely.Without exception they said that USPS shouldn't cost any more than $50 at the very most.One of my friends recently got a pretty heavy metal-bodied Dobro from Australia and that cost less than $150 plus I looked up USPS size and weight maximums and just about any guitar and case would be well within their maximums.As for driving to pick it up,that would be pretty expensive from the farthest point East in North America to Colorado,the only way I'd drive that far for a guitar would be if someone was selling me a 1960 Les Paul Standard fretless wonder for $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Go to your nearest GC, and ask them to check the inventory through out their chain of stores for the same guitar, then ask them to have it sent to the store in your city for you to purchase, you will find one in great condition for sale at the GC in Boise Idaho. It was there last week. You will not have to buy it if you find something wrong with it. It is the best deal for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I shipped a Strat to England a little while back and it was less than $50 USPS. She may be using a box that's way too big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 As for driving to pick it up,that would be pretty expensive from the farthest point East in North America to Colorado,the only way I'd drive that far for a guitar would be if someone was selling me a 1960 Les Paul Standard fretless wonder for $50. Me and The Mrs would rive from NJ to Colorado for a sandwich, turn around and drive back. Its a beautiful country! Good luck with it, it sounds like the seller is using YankYerChain Shipping or packing the guitar in a Volkswagon. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Thanks for all the suggestions guys,in the meantime I wrote a message to the powers that be at Reverb.com stating my misgivings about the seller and giving the details of the chain of events that has taken place.Now that they have a heads up they may get in contact with her to make sure that she's on the up and up. As for getting a similar guitar at another music store,that would be very difficult becauseit's a 1968 Gibson B-25-12 and I bargained for less than $400 for it when another one from the same year was going for $1,100.This one has a few issues with it but they aren't anything that I can't handle,so after I do some work on it,it's worth will go up somewhat more.Cheers. BTW: We don't have Guitar Centre,Musician's Warehouse,Musician's Friend or any of the U.S. chains here.All we have in the way of a chain is Long and McQuade but I've been dealing with the same Mom and Pop store for over 20 years and with the owner since he worked for another music dealer back in the mid 70s and they give me way sweeter deals than L & M would-even though my nephew is a part of the guitar/amp sales staff. I'd love to take a drive through the States and across the continent but having a 4 X 4 truck with a 5 cylinder engine that burns more gas than a truck with a 5 litre V-8, it would put me in the line ups at the soup kitchens...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 Ok - going away from the cynical side could it be that there is some duty involved going over the border? I wouldn't think so on a used guitar but maybe???? There are some "funky" variations on shipping/extra charges/tariffs/etc., to and/or from Canada/USA......I just had an amp built for me in Canada, and we're running into all kinds of shipping "cost weirdness." When we figure it out I'll post what I learned from the experience......Anyways, no one should be messin' with the Bonzoboy........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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