Posting amps overseas

JackieB33

Hi all, 

Any help or advice would be much appreciated. 

Anyone had any experience shipping amps over-seas? 

I've been contacted by a very nice chap, on this forum, re my Dr Z Carmen Ghia. He's based in Sweden. 

I've never shipped anything oversea's, not so much as a pedal.. or a CD. 

Anyone do this regularly.. or any experience at all in doing this?

If so, any advice on methods.. hints and tips. things to be wary of / precautions to take.. etc. 

Thanks in advance.  

Jack. 

ICBM

First and most important - don't ship anything you can't afford to lose. If it would cause you major financial problems, don't send it - insurance is usually not worth the paper it's printed on. 95%+ of the time it will be fine, but you don't want to be in the small percentage that isn't if something goes wrong and you can't just take a deep breath and write it off.

Pack it to withstand a drop onto concrete from a height of several feet. This can be difficult with heavy amps with large transformers and speakers - the internal inertia can do damage even if the box protects the outside of the amp. To do this you will need to either double-box it with soft material between the two, or use a thick layer of polystyrene sheeting round the amp inside a strong outer box. Proper high-density foam 'shipping corners' will help. You need to keep the amp at least an inch away from the outside, preferably more.

I would remove any octal valves (large-base power valves, and rectifiers) and wrap them separately in a jiffy bag inside the amp - they're prone to damage from shock. Preamp valves and EL84s are usually OK left in the sockets, although if you're worried you can take them out too. Label the valves and which sockets they came out of with masking tape and numbers so the buyer doesn't put them back wrongly.

If it has an attached power cable, make sure it's well secured or also wrapped in a jiffy bag - the plug can cause damage if it flaps around. If it's a kettle lead, don't bother including it - the plugs are different in Sweden anyway and he will need his own.

Pray .

Does that help?

JackieB33

@ICBM Well i think that sums it up for me, ha! 

Thanks a million for your help. 

Best, 

Jack. 

usedtobe

I sent one to Poland once. Packed with pillows.. Nothing went wrong, but I doubt very much I’d ever do it again. It’s just too scary!

Fortheloveofguitar

I’ve shipped around 5-6 amps abroad and if you pack well and use a good courier then all should be well 

Arktik83

If you're still thinking of sending your amp abroad, I used UPS via Interparcel to send a guitar to Serbia and it got there no problems.  Sent a guitar to Sweden as well but the buyer arranged the courier from the UK to Sweden so can't comment on that really.

Good luck either way!

martinw

I have and do ship amps abroad without issues. Insure them in case they go missing, and pack them so it's impossible to damage them; Yes, it can be done.

I don't agree that insurance is a waste, but only in case the amp goes completely missing. Which is highly unlikely with a tracked shipment with a reputable carrier, but even so....

Get a double wall carton a good bit bigger than the amp, and a roll of 'large' bubble wrap. Don't use the normal 'small' bubble or anything with less bounce. I wouldn't use high density materials myself.

Use a minimum of 8-10" of that all around the amp (on top too, don't forget it might get inverted), and some extra card on each face of the carton to prevent punctures and to add strength. There shouldn't be any space in the carton, the amp should be snug, but not too tight.

Tape it well with heavy duty tape.

It's expensive in terms of packing materials and the extra size will add to the price, and it takes ages to do it right, but this will absorb the impact of drops from a few metres. Leave the valves in and protect the entire amp from shocks.

I've been doing it that way for a few years now with no problems at all, so it works for me. However, doing it right is expensive and time-consuming.

EDIT: I forgot: take pictures of the package and during the packing process, for evidence in the event of an insurance claim.

JackieB33

Thanks for restoring a bit of faith guys, @Fortheloveofguitar @Arktik83 @martinw ;

I'm still currently in the camp of hanging on for a UK buyer to be honest, and placing the blame on January finances for the lack of interest.. ha! 

Mainly just due to the extra work (kindly laid out in detail by Martin), and added risk. I love this amp, and hate the thought of anything happening to it. Almost makes me want to keep it.. ha! But seeing it go to a loving home will be enough i think. 

I will however bear all of the above in mind, should this opportunity present itself to me again in future. And thanks for taking the time to tell me about your experiences. 

Jack. 

Bygone_Tones

Pack it well and it wont get damaged. My usual method is to remove the valves and put them inside the amp in bubblewrap.  Wrap the whole amp in shrink wrap, then 'wrap' it in a layer of roughly 1" thick polystyrene (tape it onto the shrink wrap, and cover the whole amp in it 100%). Then wrap that in a few layers of large bubblewrap. Then wrap it in thick cardboard.  I do not usually insure, and have never had any problems.

I'm not a fan of bubblewrap alone for heavy items, because it usually pops at the main impact points, the edges and corners, and it becomes basically clingfilm and useless. Use polystyrene.

Do not go with the cheapest courier (Hermes etc). Pay a bit extra and go with one of the better ones, UPS have always been great for me.

btw mods, is it time for a sticky about couriering amps?

mattacjones

My son shipped one to the states last year, took on board all the advice and it arrived severely damaged, and it was in a pukka flight case! 

fretfinder

I would ask the buyer to arrange his own courier and insurance, and promise that you’ll pack it very well - if necessary sending pics of your packing process to reassure him. Then the buyer takes all the risk. It’s just as easy for someone to arrange a courier to collect from elsewhere and deliver to them, as it is for someone to arrange a courier to collect from themselves and deliver elsewhere. If you haven’t offered shipping, overseas or otherwise, then in my view the onus is on the buyer to arrange it, if they want the item badly enough.