Powertripper Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Hi guys, I've never sold a bass, because I like my basses, even if I don't like them, but my old Takamine G Series acoustic has got to go really, I just don't see eye to eye with it and it takes up space. So I'm going to eventually sell it and was wondering how the hell you'd package one of these for shipping. I know to use a courier, and it already has a card case, but would you put this hard case in anything, or just courier it 'as is'. I'm more referring to externally, outside of the case, than internally, which I can easily pad out with various textiles and padding. Cheers, H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Collection only. No matter how well you pack this it will be vulnerable. I don't think any couriers insure instruments to anything like their true value. I know this will reduce your market, and thereby your price, but will save on some major hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 you need to ship in either a wooden crate, a flight case or a decent hard case double boxed. this was a grands worth of Tacoma turned into firewood by UPS (who I thought were one of the better ones until this episode) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Some couriers won't accept a guitar/bass just packaged in a hard case and bubble wrapped. Parcelforce being an exception as my Son had a guitar delivered to mine that was packaged this way. the guitar was a really snug fit in the case and it survived....... If I have any sent a bass via a courier it has been in a hard/soft case and then a cardboard box. As long as the instrument is nice and snug in the hard case, you shouldn't need any further packing, although I always add a bit of something, (screwed up bubblewrap or something similar). Most music shops will have a suitable cardboard box, if not a bike shop is a good alternative as the boxes most bikes come in are a suitable size. I always bubblewrap the case before going in the box and make sure any spaces are filled with anything suitable to fill the void(s). It is also a good idea to take pictures at every stage of the packaging process in case there is a problem at the other end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Lots of everything....Hard case/ flight case is a given, bubble wrap inside and out, box the box and use the thickest cardboard box you can. Assume the worst - read as many threads/ horror stories here and assume this as par for the course. Ideally sell to a buyer who's prepared to pick up. Andy, I feel for you mate...if I received a bass like this I would cry.. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 4 hours ago, AndyTravis said: you need to ship in either a wooden crate, a flight case or a decent hard case double boxed. this was a grands worth of Tacoma turned into firewood by UPS (who I thought were one of the better ones until this episode) Useful (for) PoohSticks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 6 hours ago, AndyTravis said: you need to ship in either a wooden crate, a flight case or a decent hard case double boxed. this was a grands worth of Tacoma turned into firewood by UPS (who I thought were one of the better ones until this episode) @Dood: That's a darned shame, but it's not that difficult a repair for a decent luthier. It won't make it new, of course, but it would be eminently playable, and certainly not firewood. Have you approached anyone to get a quote..? At first view of the photos, I'd say it would be worth it (I could be wrong...). Pardon the topic derailing; carry on, chaps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Just now, Dad3353 said: @Dood: That's a darned shame, but it's not that difficult a repair for a decent luthier. It won't make it new, of course, but it would be eminently playable, and certainly not firewood. Have you approached anyone to get a quote..? At first view of the photos, I'd say it would be worth it (I could be wrong...). Pardon the topic derailing; carry on, chaps... It was my bass @Dad3353 it’s gone back to Mansons now and I bought a lovely Guild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 1 minute ago, AndyTravis said: It was my bass @Dad3353 it’s gone back to Mansons now and I bought a lovely Guild Ah, my mistake; thanks for clarifying. I shouldn't post when I 'm not feeling well, eh..? Still, the principle remains; it's repairable, I say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 10 minutes ago, Dad3353 said: Ah, my mistake; thanks for clarifying. I shouldn't post when I 'm not feeling well, eh..? Still, the principle remains; it's repairable, I say. On the subject of repairs, yes, a friend of mine repaired a huge hole in an acoustic guitar and I couldn't see where he'd done the repair when complete. But of course the Tacoma story was a bit different. It wasn't Andy's responsibility to fix something that UPS destroyed. Get well soon matey! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuartm1962 Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 If they are packed in a hard case, with extra bubble wrap around the case, they should be fine. Fill any voids in the case with foam peanuts, or crumpled newspaper, to stop it moving around. Put a towel or bubble wrap under the neck to support it, loosen the strings and pack any accessories seperately, to avoid them scratching the guitar. A lot of it is down to the carrier that you choose, https://www.overlandexpress.co.uk/instrumentcourier insure them up to £3000, providing they are in a hard case. The more packing the better. Consider that the parcel will go through many hands throughout it's journey, so the more effort that you put into packing, the less chance of any damage. Obviously you could advertise it as local collection, but you are severely limiting your audience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 This may sound strange but... Fill the resonance box with bubble-wrap or those Styrofoam bits (don't know the English name for it). I bought a bass recently that had a short journey through airplane to my hands. The bass was bubblewrapped, then inside it's carry-bag, then carry-bag bubble-wrapped too and finally a cardboard box wrapped in meters of tape. Even so the carrier managed to have the preamp of my bass break from the 4 screws that fixed it in the outside plastic face-plate. Cardboard box was intact with no signs of damage or perforation, only thing that could have caused it is a huge deceleration, something like being on a car accident or been dropped from the top of the plane to the ground... Bass was insured and the carrier denied compensation 🤬 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powertripper Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 Blimey! Seems like collection only is the far easier, cheaper and secure method. We're talking a couple of hundred quid as opposed to a couple of thousand so willing to not get quite what I'm hoping for to save the hassle haha. Cheers all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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