Courier with Insurance Dec 2022. Any suggestions please?

[Quent]

Hi everyone,

We’re all selling basses but finding a reasonable ( under £50 for a £1000 insured bass ) price

for delivery within the UK using the usual online searches is a nightmare and I’ve just spent

2 hours on this. By the time I sell the next bass a year or two later the goal posts have moved.

 

Any up to date suggestions please? Late 2022 into 2023.

Just a quick website suggestion and an example you’ve recently paid for please.

We’re all sending the same package aren’t we? Approx 9kg 135 x 45 x 16 cm box.

Used to be great with Eurosender and Basschat discount code until fffffffffbrexit.

 

Sorry. Bit of a moaning tone (!) to this but itmay help a lot of you if we strike

gold on some good recommendations. Perhaps they could be highlighted somewhere

so new and longer term members can pick up on them. We’re all doing the same thing

and it’s frustrating not to have some reliable ( depending on who’s throwing the box!) courier

site suggestions with reasonable insurance costs.

 

Some forums suggest DHL but their chuffin site says 120cm max length even though

they helpfully have a tab to click to enter your Custom Size Parcel.

 

Best I got , insured is about £44 for a £500 bass using APC via the Interparcel site.

A £1000 bass would be £81 though! The insurance rockets.

One forum raves about overlandexpress.co.uk because their insurance is 2% of bass value

not bad but not sensational but if you type in a trial typical bass box it’s high £50s then the insurance.

 

 

I’m going to be selling two soon for £600 and £900. I’d like to sort delivery myself but 

am tempted to say “ Buyer to organise and pay for courier with collection from my home address please.”

Then the agreed selling price sorts itself out as I’ll be factoring a £25 contribution from myself.

ANY SUGGESTIONS? 

On a cheerful note I am now a Grandad ! WAYHEEEEY !! Not GrumpyGramps..........just POPS

which goes with a Bass nicely.

Cheers all and enjoy your Christmas, even more than........Last Christmas.......NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[jezzaboy]

If you want insurance that will actually pay out if something goes wrong (some take the money then you find out that they don`t insure musical instruments), then it`s gonna cost. I have used Overland Express on lots of occasions and they are great. You can actually speak to a real person if something does go wrong!

[Quent]

Thanks Jezzaboy, yes, there’s small print and TnConditions to consider.

Sounds like it’s our responsibility to make sure a guitar is not excluded.

 

So would you consider £80 reasonable for UK insured delivery for a £1000 bass?

Maybe I’ve got out of touch with current normal insured delivery costs.

Cheers,

Quent 

[fleabag]

Get any courier with a good name  ( difficult i know )  but when filling in the value , list it as zero

Then go to securus and insure separately for the full amount.  https://www.secursus.com/en-gb/

 

1500 quid value = 15 quid insurance

[jrixn1]

11 minutes ago, fleabag said:

Get any courier with a good name  ( difficult i know )  but when filling in the value , list it as zero

Then go to securus and insure separately for the full amount.  https://www.secursus.com/en-gb/

 

1500 quid value = 15 quid insurance

 

I've used Secursus in the past but fortunately never needed to make a claim.  I've since read there are issues getting them to pay out. Have you (or anyone else) experience of making a claim with them?

[jrixn1]

3 hours ago, jezzaboy said:

If you want insurance that will actually pay out if something goes wrong (some take the money then you find out that they don`t insure musical instruments), then it`s gonna cost. I have used Overland Express on lots of occasions and they are great. You can actually speak to a real person if something does go wrong!

 

Could I ask the same question, if that's ok - you had a bass get lost or damaged by Overland Express, and they paid out with a not-unreasonable claims process?

 

I've gone through the ParcelForce claims process a couple of times (not basses), and it was a bit tedious.  I mean... I understand that they have to defend against fraud, so fair enough.  Lots of forms to fill in, both for me and the recipient.  They did pay out in the end, about 40 days after item went missing.

[Quent]

Hey thanks guys. That’s interesting re secursus insurers......if you read Jezzaboy’s input ,above,

he recommends Overlandexpress who exclusively use secursus for insurance at 2% of bass value

along with a separate courier and Jboy says you can speak to Overlandexpress and get good help.

[Guest]

I’ve sent and received over 40 basses over the last few years (including 10 this year) via UPS. They insure up to 5K and insure musical instruments so long as they’re boxed and cased. Apart from some redirection issues earlier this year resulting in a 2-day delivery, and one parcel that the driver marked as delivered because he broke down and they didn’t want to pay out for a late delivery (I got it a couple of hours after the “delivered” message), they’ve been great - no parcel damage and no other delivery problems. They’re also quite reasonable - I sent a £2700 bass recently and it was about £60 fully insured. Of course I’ve never had to test the insurance and when posting I’ve made sure the packing was solid, but they’ve done better than any courier I’ve used before. As always, your experience may vary etc.

[Quent]

This is really useful thanks.

1. FDC. Did you book the £2700 bass for £60 insured going through UPS directly on their own site?

If not, which site did you use please? This sounds very promising !

 

2. Re Parcelforce claims. I had to return a G&L M2000 GTB ( the white one with black binding )

to Thomann who sent it. No case, just inner box/ outer box. It was rammed so hard at the butt end that

the strap button was halfway lodged into the body. Anyway, Thomann happy for return refund but the

Parcelforce paperwork for them to verify the damage was in transit went on for ever and they weren’t

enthusiastic at all. Presumably Thomann had to then take it up with Parcelchuck

 Quent

[jezzaboy]

33 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

 

Could I ask the same question, if that's ok - you had a bass get lost or damaged by Overland Express, and they paid out with a not-unreasonable claims process?

 

I've gone through the ParcelForce claims process a couple of times (not basses), and it was a bit tedious.  I mean... I understand that they have to defend against fraud, so fair enough.  Lots of forms to fill in, both for me and the recipient.  They did pay out in the end, about 40 days after item went missing.

I was returning a bass back to a shop and it vanished although Overlands courier had said it was delivered. This went on for a couple of days with Overland dealing with their courier and the shop. They even got the driver to return to the shop and eventually the shop admitted that they had got the bass even though they were adamant for a few days they didn`t.

 

Overland done the chasing and kept me informed with the progress and sorted it out. So although I didn`t use their insurance, they did the leg work and resolved the problem. I have had stuff go missing with UPS and it was a nightmare to get resolved so having someone you can actually speak to is a relief. 

 

By the way, I have nowt to do with OE, one of the guys here recommended them to me and I used them lots.

[jrixn1]

1 hour ago, jezzaboy said:

I was returning a bass back to a shop and it vanished although Overlands courier had said it was delivered. This went on for a couple of days with Overland dealing with their courier and the shop. They even got the driver to return to the shop and eventually the shop admitted that they had got the bass even though they were adamant for a few days they didn`t.

 

Overland done the chasing and kept me informed with the progress and sorted it out. So although I didn`t use their insurance, they did the leg work and resolved the problem. I have had stuff go missing with UPS and it was a nightmare to get resolved so having someone you can actually speak to is a relief. 

 

By the way, I have nowt to do with OE, one of the guys here recommended them to me and I used them lots.

 

Thanks - sounds positive.  I might need to send a couple of basses, so I'll bookmark them 👍

[Quent]

Thanks again guys.

 

My attempt at a SUMMARY so far.

 

Trying to put this together then it seems Secursus insurance claims follow up and support

is outstanding and when bought as an Add On to a delivery booking made by nearly any

courier ( this is what secursus say on their site which jrixn1 above kindly gave us https://www.secursus.com/en-gb/ ).

Separate courier with Added on Secursus Insurance idea courtesy Fleabag above. Thanks.

 

Noted Parcelchuck and even UPS can be a nightmare when claiming.

 

Just did some phantom bookings.

UPS £37.55 for next day delivery using their own site, signed for and collection from home. ( 10kg 135x45x17cm box)

Add secursus £1000 which is £10 bought separately on their site.

Total £47.55.

 

Using Overlandexpress site ( which uses secursus Ins but at double cost, 2% of £1000 = £20)

and overlandexpress comes up with DHL next day £55.67 . ( UPS didn’t come up as option. Parcelchuck did. Cheaper

but stay away! )

Total 55.67 + 20 = £75.67 

vs more reliable UPS + separate secursus Ins booking £47.55.

I signed up on the secursus site already.

 

FDC has his example of UPS delivery of £2700 bass for about £60 but I don’t know what insurance

company / claims help is like. 

 

Also noticed using UPS own site that they do an UP TO £1000 cover for £6 so choosing that

would cost £43.55 for a £1000 next day del signed for collection from home.........but you

wouldn’t have the Secursus Insurance Back Up Squad to support you (£47.55 ).

 

Secursus just need the basics of your booked courier, name, contents, addresses Tracking Number

and must be signed for and pref next day delivery. IF the Track number comes to you during the day

after transport has started you have all that day to add it to your Secursus Ins cover on their site

but you do have to add it that same day.

 

Cheers for your help and info! ( There might be other messages below this.)

All the best. Quent.

 

 

[BassBunny]

I've been happy with Parcel force + Securus ins for lower value basses, around £500 value, works out about £15.

For higher value and larger items like speakers etc. I use a Man & Van courier via Shipley. About £50-60 but insured up to £10k, doesn't need boxing or if box, no case and only touched twice. Once on collection and again when delivered.

It's no good if you want to send something next day as you need to be flexible with collection and delivery times.Also prices get lower over the few days after registering the job as all the couriers bid for the job.

[TheGreek]

I had a bit of an issue with a bass NOT being delivered within the 48 hours after using that service (actually took 8 days - inc weekend and RM strike). Parcelforce said that if I'd booked direct through them they would have refunded the total carriage but because I'd booked through a third party (Interparcel) I would need to claim from them, they could claim from them. Small print with Interparcel meant I couldn't claim against them as they are not bound by the time commitment.

 

Not used them since.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Quent said:

This is really useful thanks.

1. FDC. Did you book the £2700 bass for £60 insured going through UPS directly on their own site?

If not, which site did you use please? This sounds very promising !

 

2. Re Parcelforce claims. I had to return a G&L M2000 GTB ( the white one with black binding )

to Thomann who sent it. No case, just inner box/ outer box. It was rammed so hard at the butt end that

the strap button was halfway lodged into the body. Anyway, Thomann happy for return refund but the

Parcelforce paperwork for them to verify the damage was in transit went on for ever and they weren’t

enthusiastic at all. Presumably Thomann had to then take it up with Parcelchuck

 Quent

Yes, go direct. If you go through a third party then you’ve got a 3-way problem if anyone goes wrong. As mentioned I’ve never had to claim - not sure whether that’s a good thing or not

 

[Tokalo]

I’ve used Send My Bag twice this year (they mainly do student baggage from home to uni).

Transport, collection plus £500 insurance for £30.

 

They use ParcelForce as the carrier, which works fine for me.

 

It’s made clear that it’s a musical instrument being insured, with plenty of upfront advice (“expect your parcel to be chucked around a warehouse and bounced along conveyor belts”).

I liked the honesty (and packaged accordingly!)

 

No claims made.

[Len_derby]

First of all, congratulations on becoming a grandad. Fun times ahead, and what’s sure to be a special Christmas.

 

To the main subject, I now use any kind of courier as a last resort. Wherever possible I go for face-to-face meetings with the buyer/seller, whether that’s collection, delivery or meeting part-way.  For me, giving up some time and perhaps driving a few hours is much less stressful and much more predictable than entrusting a musical instrument to a courier. Plus, no need to mess about with packaging! I’ve met some lovely people doing it this way, too. I live in the middle of the country with easy access to the motorway network and I realise it may not be a viable option for you. 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Len_derby

[fleabag]

I was under the impression that ParcelForce do not cover musical instruments, unless their T&C's have changed.  They'll take your money, of course, but wont pay out in the event of your bass getting damaged or lost.  They'll just point you to their T&C's.

 

So anyone using them is taking a big risk

[BassBunny]

39 minutes ago, fleabag said:

I was under the impression that ParcelForce do not cover musical instruments, unless their T&C's have changed.  They'll take your money, of course, but wont pay out in the event of your bass getting damaged or lost.  They'll just point you to their T&C's.

 

So anyone using them is taking a big risk

They don't cover musical instruments.

You insure separately with someone like Securus.

[MilkyBarKid]

Be careful with UPS- I bubble wrapped the entire keyboard and they've sent me a bill for the same cost as my original shipping for "manual handling".

First time I've used them for about 15 years after a string of items from the US arrived damaged - never did get any payments despite being insured.

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by MilkyBarKid

[Chiliwailer]

.. oops, deleted 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Chiliwailer