Shipping guitars overseas. Experience?

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echoplex
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Shipping guitars overseas. Experience?

Post by echoplex » Thu Jan 26, 2023 2:54 pm

Hey folks,

not entirely sure if it's the right sub to post this but:

I've found one of my dream guitars - an early 90ies JM second hand in the USA.
I'm based in Germany however. Do you have experience with shipping guitar overseas?
What carrier did you use and how much did you end up paying for?
The seller asked me to help him investigating what's the best option.
He's got a hardshell case for the guitar to ship it in.

Is it too risky? Worst case would be a broken neck or guitar getting stolen or something.
Happy to ready any kind of feedback or experience.

Cheers

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skeletonsmith
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Re: Shipping guitars overseas. Experience?

Post by skeletonsmith » Thu Jan 26, 2023 3:29 pm

hi echoplex,

i'm also from germany. i once sold a guitar to someone in the czech republic. no case, just the original box and another one around it.
i used DHL, and paid a horrendous price for it. i can't remember exactly, but it was over 50€.

don't know if this helps.

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Larry Mal
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Re: Shipping guitars overseas. Experience?

Post by Larry Mal » Thu Jan 26, 2023 3:40 pm

I had a bass sent from Japan. The bass was a good deal overall. No issues.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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andy_tchp
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Re: Shipping guitars overseas. Experience?

Post by andy_tchp » Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:05 pm

If the seller is clueless (sounds like an individual rather than a shop) I wouldn’t bother.
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Re: Shipping guitars overseas. Experience?

Post by adamrobertt » Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:34 pm

I had a guitar shipped from New Zealand once (I'm in America) and it was fine. Came very quickly actually and no damage.

The key is that it has to be packed very well. The guitar cannot move around inside the case, and the case cannot move around inside the box. A sturdy box must be used. If those three criteria are met, you'll probably be fine.

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echoplex
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Re: Shipping guitars overseas. Experience?

Post by echoplex » Thu Jan 26, 2023 11:56 pm

andy_tchp wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:05 pm
If the seller is clueless (sounds like an individual rather than a shop) I wouldn’t bother.
Yes, it's an individual. He said he only shipped guitars domestically thus far

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