Posting a guitar, yes , that old chestnut again.

robgilmo

Who did you use and how much did it cost? I will need insurance up to around 300 quid.

Schnozz

UPS UK Standard via Interparcel - Tracked next day delivery

I think it's £20-£25, but if you're intending to use a 'drop-off' location, then I would ring them up to make sure they provide a receipt.

Insurance varies, but you can get a quote quite easily on website by just using estimates e.g. 10kg for a boxed guitar in a case.

sweepy

If its convenient, why not meet up half way ?

robgilmo

My last offer was from Italy so a half way meet is probably out of the question. Any one ever packed a guitar for international shipping without a case?

JDE

Have you got a suitable box?

Also, can you take the neck off? 

robgilmo

I could take the neck off, a suitable box would be a doubled up cardboard box?

Fuengi

robgilmo said:

I could take the neck off, a suitable box would be a doubled up cardboard box?

My local PMT are always happy to provide me with a shipping box free of charge if I go in and ask. 

robgilmo

My local guitar shop is a good hour away, I'l take a look on eBay for a decent shipping box.

JDE

If that’s the case I would take the neck off. It will save on shipping costs too as your parcel will be under 1m. 
Double or triple walled cardboard boxes, lots of bubble wrap. Make sure the neck and body are separated from each other by lots of packaging - you don’t want them to bang into each other in transit. I would bung a bit of extra cardboard in to do this. Eliminate any space for movement inside the box - cut the box down if it’s oversize. Fragile tape on the out side and write “do not overstow” or whatever on the outside. 

fretmeister

robgilmo said:

My last offer was from Italy so a half way meet is probably out of the question. Any one ever packed a guitar for international shipping without a case?

Most shipping insurance for guitars is voided if there isn't a case.

Not sure what happens if it is disassembled though. Removing the neck is definitely the safest option.

Winny_Pooh

If you put the neck over the body (both bubble wrapped) and within a bag and then build a box around that you should be fine. I've posted a cheap 5 string bass to Italy like this and it's more protected than most guitars purchsed over the internet.

King85

robgilmo said:

My last offer was from Italy so a half way meet is probably out of the question. Any one ever packed a guitar for international shipping without a case?

It's not the crazy guy from Italy in the other thread is it?

Funkfingers

I shipped my S.U.B. Silo 3 guitar to 5redlights in two separate cartons. 

The body went in the sort of box that you get from Warmoth or Guitarbuild. The neck went in the box from a Hercules microphone stand. Plenty of bubble wrap and expanded polystyrene pieces. Bob's yer uncle.

Judging by the trading feedback left for me, the guitar survived.

robgilmo

King85 said:

robgilmo said:

My last offer was from Italy so a half way meet is probably out of the question. Any one ever packed a guitar for international shipping without a case?

It's not the crazy guy from Italy in the other thread is it?

Oh no, what thread is that?

simonhpieman

A lot of carriers have guitars on their restricted items list. They seem to think they can fine you if you're found to be trying to send a guitar with them. Good luck with that, but equally, if you ship a full guitar without a case common sense says you're asking for trouble.

Some will only carry a guitar on the condition that they are not liable at all if it's lost or damaged. I take this to basically mean their staff are given carte blanche to steal any guitars shipped with them, which is mental.

I've used ipostparcels a couple of times (basically DHL) and I have something out that should be delivered today. I'll post again if it made it in one piece! I've found UPS to be good as well - I sent a Jaguar to Greece with them with no issues, although it was snowing when it was due to be collected from my house and due to what I assume were staffing issues, I had to drive and drop it off myself instead.

simonhpieman

Just had word that the guitar arrived safe and sound so a +1 for DHL.

A -1 for DHL is that when I ordered my Starcaster from Austria it spent nearly 2 weeks sat in Munich doing nothing. Not really the end of the world but I do wonder what they were doing all that time. Ended up taking about 3 weeks to arrive. Also, that coincided with the ridiculous heatwave they had last year so I think a couple of frets might have popped up (though equally it could have been a slightly shoddy refret so I guess I'll never know).

Kittyfrisk

robgilmo said:

King85 said:

robgilmo said:

My last offer was from Italy so a half way meet is probably out of the question. Any one ever packed a guitar for international shipping without a case?

It's not the crazy guy from Italy in the other thread is it?

Oh no, what thread is that?

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/155879/ebay-scammer-bad-dealer/p2

robgilmo

No its not the Essex guy, this guy has nothing but good feedback, he did make a fairly low offer but not what I would call out of the ordinary.

Simon_M

The crazy Italy guy isn’t the Essex guy. Two separate imbeciles.

robgilmo

Simon_M said:

The crazy Italy guy isn’t the Essex guy. Two separate imbeciles.

No I dont think its him, this guy changed his ID in 2014, before that in 2004, why do people change their ID's?

SouthpawMark

I’ve just shipped three guitars to various parts of the UK. The only two couriers that will ship guitars fully insured are DHL and UPS from what I could see. All of the other others either said they would carry but not insure, or the maximum parcel length made it impossible to use them unless you took the neck off.

For reference (in the unlikely event that anyone is interested) I sent one guitar insured for £720 (108cm length and 6.5kg) which cost £53, another insured for £900 (120cm length and 11.5kg) which cost £84, and the final one insured for £1,150 (120cm length and 9kg) for £76.

The 120cm boxes are right on their limit. Anything over that and you have to pay their oversize surcharge, which is £75 per item!