Postage at buyers risk...

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1373751637' post='2141347']
I can't really help then, as you were
[/quote]
I thought not.

[stingrayPete1977]

For clarity, i cant see what you dont understand or how thats not related but there you go, its hot out
[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1373746725' post='2141264']
I don't buy basses that I can't go and collect in person. I've gone to Newcastle, Liverpool, Goole and Nottingham so far.

I've received less valuable items that were packed really badly so I wouldn't risk it with a bass.
[/quote]
[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1373749650' post='2141318']

I can understand that to a certain extent but how do you think that the bass gets from the manufacturer to the customer in the first place?
[/quote]
[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1373750234' post='2141327']

What difference does that make, I would only collect in person for a valuable bass so as long as it got to the shop ok I'd be buying from them, if its snapped in half before it even gets there that's not my problem is it? I don't even mind a display model if its mint or reduced to suit, no point getting the boxed one home to find it damaged, faulty electronics or just not as nice as the display one you tried
[/quote]

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1373751913' post='2141350']
For clarity, i cant see what you dont understand or how thats not related but there you go, its hot out
[/quote]
Not sure i could have made my point simpler but not to worry.

[stingrayPete1977]

[Kev]

Basschat just seems to be getting friendlier and friendlier...

[BassTractor]

Dunno if that's a good thing. We had a teacher in catholic school who was ... er ... friendly.



On a more uplifitng note however, here in Norway, the Norwegian Post Office have willingly changed from taking care of your goods to throwing them about, and not only to be more effective and keep prices down.
They have clearmindedly started a spiral where customers feel forced to augment average package weight dramatically through the recent decades, and thus use considerably more of their yearly income on postage.

Me, I rather fetch or deliver and take the trip as if it was a holiday. Or rather: [b]make[/b] a holiday out of it. Life is better that way.

Then again, you won't see me meeting up on middle "ground" when dealing with Brits. Sorry, Brits!



b,
b

[Kev]

To be honest, i'm not [i]too [/i]hung up about postage when its absolutely necessary. Last month i took delivery of a bass from Germany and it was packed brilliantly and arrived safe and sound. It's just the people that don't take so much care i worry about, and the biggest clue of a seller who doesn't care enough to pack well is one that says it's the buyers risk! The bass i collected today was a Roscoe, so obviously at some point it was shipped from the US without issue, allbeit by the builder!

Edited July 13, 2013 by Kev

[andydye]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1373729920' post='2141049']
Great, Andy!
I'll only buy from you hereafter!
best,
bert
[/quote]

Ah bug*er t'was me fat fingered typin that left out the crucial 'no' from that statement...feck!

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1373752459' post='2141358']
Basschat just seems to be getting friendlier and friendlier...
[/quote]
I'm sure that it's still full of Love, Peace & Understanding. Well maybe the Love and Peace bit.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1373757115' post='2141419']
I'm sure that it's still full of Love, Peace & Understanding. Well maybe the Love and Peace bit.
[/quote]
It's probably just the 'and'.

[Mr. Foxen]

I've bought things on ebay an sent packing instructions, and had the buyer straight refuse to do so. Then hassle me to leave feedback. Also one I bought elsewhere responded to my instructions that he knew how to pack a bass, and it arrived wrapped in clingfilm and a binbag with a smashed in control plate.

[KingBollock]

I have only bought one bass that required being sent through the post. It came with random pieces of cardboard and a couple of bin bags parcel taped to it, which didn't manage to cover the whole thing. Fortunately it came in one of those huge Warwick coffin cases and was undamaged. The delivery bloke tried to get me to sign for it before he brought it out of the van. I asked him if I could look at it first. He gave me a sad, withered look, slunk his shoulders and went to get it. I think he was surprised that I signed for it.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1373749990' post='2141324'] Does anyone know what airport is nearest to the Fender factory and how much the flight will cost taking in to consideration that i will require two seats so that the bass does not get damaged on the journey. I presume that every guitar and bass manufacturer does this otherwise how on earth do they arrive in the U.K. undamaged?
[/quote]

I imagine Fender replace product that is damaged in transit otherwise they would have no dealers.

A store buying half a dozen guitars is a different scenario to a private individual buying a single guitar from another private individual. If you think these two scenarios are equivalent, well, good luck in the used market.

[stingrayPete1977]

That makes you the third person to have a stab at that point Tnit, let's see if it turns our any better, your post read the same as mine to me so I doubt it!

[thisnameistaken]

Oh yeah I see that now, whoops! I replied to BetaFunk and went to give the dog his breakfast so I never saw the other replies.

I blame the dog for everything these days. He does all my farts for me too. :-)

[ead]

I've courierier three basses so far without incident (one to Greece), probably shouldn't have said that...

Latterly I have taken to delivering them myself even if it's a three hour drive each way and costs a bit more in diesel. Some buyers seem to appreciate it, others just look bemused.

[Stacker]

I'm happy to ship within mainland UK as long as buyer is prepared to pay full insurance or pick the item up in person. However, I will not ship abroad unless the buyer arranges his/her own courier. Reason? I once sold a vintage 335 to a guy in Spain who then, after the sale, got shirty about paying full insurance/shipping so I stupidly agreed to ship without insurance. Guitar securely boxed and shipped......and promptly disappeared off the tracking system! After a couple of weeks the buyer began asking for his money back and I was faced with no guitar and having to refund the seller. Then, in the third week, the guitar was found in the corner of a warehouse down south. It eventually did reach Spain (and a happy buyer) but the whole epsiode made me decide not to ship abroad again unless the buyer sorted out freight/ins.

Since making that decision, I have happily sold abroad and sellers have been fine with organising the own freight/insurance. Sure, I will undoubtedly scare off buyers who are not prepared to accept my conditions but that's something I have learned to accept. I always pack instruments as securely as possible, with plenty of bubble-wrap/poly wotsits and after that it's in the hands of the courier company.

I might add that a lot of overseas buyers have, in the past, questioned my overseas freight/ins quotes and that is another reason why I removed myself from that obligation.

Edited July 14, 2013 by Stacker

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1373788727' post='2141505']
Oh yeah I see that now, whoops! I replied to BetaFunk and went to give the dog his breakfast so I never saw the other replies.

I blame the dog for everything these days. He does all my farts for me too. :-)
[/quote]

Bloody dogs eh

[Kev]

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1373790199' post='2141517']
I'm happy to ship within mainland UK as long as buyer is prepared to pay full insurance or pick the item up in person. However, I will not ship abroad unless the buyer arranges his/her own courier. Reason? I once sold a vintage 335 to a guy in Spain who then, after the sale, got shirty about paying full insurance/shipping so I stupidly agreed to ship without insurance. Guitar securely boxed and shipped......and promptly disappeared off the tracking system! After a couple of weeks the buyer began asking for his money back and I was faced with no guitar and having to refund the seller. Then, in the third week, the guitar was found in the corner of a warehouse down south. It eventually did reach Spain (and a happy buyer) but the whole epsiode made me decide not to ship abroad again unless the buyer sorted out freight/ins.

Since making that decision, I have happily sold abroad and sellers have been fine with organising the own freight/insurance. Sure, I will undoubtedly scare off buyers who are not prepared to accept my conditions but that's something I have learned to accept. I always pack instruments as securely as possible, with plenty of bubble-wrap/poly wotsits and after that it's in the hands of the courier company.

I might add that a lot of overseas buyers have, in the past, questioned my overseas freight/ins quotes and that is another reason why I removed myself from that obligation.
[/quote]

But, after the buyer arranges the courier and something goes wrong; bass gets damaged and Insurance refuses to pay out as it wasn't shipped in a suitable hardcase, who pays for the repairs, you or your buyer?

[kevin_lindsay]

Surely selling a bass involves some common sense in regards to packing it? I've sold numerous basses which have been shipped throughout tge UK, to Europe (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Portugal), and to the USA.

I've never had any problem as I always make sure the instrument is in a hard case, and it's well packaged up. If someone advertised a sale with the caveat "shipping at buyers risk", I'd automatically think "this seller is dodgy" and I'd avoid having anything to do with the seller.

[Johngh]

If a seller expects me to arrange the courier, or to pay for it, I don't even consider buying from them.

All basses I sell include postage and packing in the price. I've sold and sent basses on here to as far away as Australia and Canada, one was a Warwick Streamer 6 and the other was a Vigier 5. It must be considered that some couriers only let you insure up to a certain value, if that's the case then I let the buyer know to make sure they are cool with it.

I've sometimes sent basses UK mainland in a case and bubble wrapped, which has been fine. But I much prefer to meet up or deliver if I can. It makes it more easy because I travel a lot with work.

At present I'm buying 2 in and 1 out. One's going to Scotland in it's case and a box and I'm picking one up on my way to London on Thursday. The last one is coming from Scotland and as I've done business with the guy before I know it will be well packed.

Would you believe I once bought a £1200 bass from a guy and when I opened the case there were no bloody strings on it.

It beggers belief sometimes.

Edited July 14, 2013 by Johngh

[Stacker]

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1373791581' post='2141540']
But, after the buyer arranges the courier and something goes wrong; bass gets damaged and Insurance refuses to pay out as it wasn't shipped in a suitable hardcase, who pays for the repairs, you or your buyer?
[/quote]

You have a point but what is deemed a suitable case or suitable protection? I've always been conscientous about packing and protection, given the vagaries within the courier industry. Let's be clear, here: we'd all (?) take the best care possible in packing and protecting an instrument someone we may not even know has bought from us. However, after it leaves my hands someone else is responsible for its handling and protection and if anything untoward happens to it then the courier firm has to pay out, shouldn't it? It's really irrelevant who takes out the insurance - the buyer or the seller - as long as it's in place. Incidentally, I have been more than happy to arrange couriers/ins to pick up gear that a seller has refused to ship. It's a personal choice and should be respected whether one agrees with it or not.

Edited July 14, 2013 by Stacker

[el borracho]

Always think it's worth mentioning in these threads that one of the most commonly used carriers - Parcel Force - doesn't insure musical instruments.. Their 'enhanced compensation' which covers values above £100/£200 depending on service used EXCLUDES MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. They will take the money off you to insure it but the small print lists musical instruments as not covered so wouldn't expect much joy if you try and claim.

Not sure if Royal Mail are the same or if they are totally separate now.

[BassTractor]

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1373797189' post='2141610']
It's a personal choice and should be respected whether one agrees with it or not.
[/quote]

Yup!
Happily, I don't see any disrespect in the responses - only questions and a certain degree of disagreement on the reasoning that you willingly provided as a response to other people's reasoning. It's an exchange of ideas.

Me, I've had roughly 150 international deals, and the experience has been virtually flawless. One day something will go wrong, and I [b]will[/b] use words I had to learn from other people than me mum, but after that I also [b]will[/b] remember that the other deals went sooo well.

b,
b

[thisnameistaken]

I've only ever shipped one bass - to Spain. I packed it in a hard case with the back of the neck supported and the bass bubblewrapped, then closed the case and bubblewrapped the crap out of the case too! I also took lots of photos during the packing process and sent them to the buyer so he could see how I'd packed it and if there was any issue with damage to the bass he'd be able to tell if the courier or customs had opened the package.

It was a pretty expensive and time-consuming way to ship something but I would rather do that and not have any problems with it than try to save a few quid on packing materials and ship something that arrives covered in dings (as I've had happen to me...).

I don't think I'd ship another guitar to be honest.