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shipping Guitars
what is the best and cheapest way to ship guitars?
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what is the best and cheapest way to ship guitars?
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor5 months ago@doraspi-12. I strongly recommend Local pick-up only.
If you do decide to ship I would use UPS and buy the shipping label from PIrateship.com.
Be sure to use buyer pays calculated shipping.
You need to package the guitar well enough that it can be tossed several feet and have another heavy box land on top of it.
Keep in mind that postal insurance won't pay if you didn't pack well enough.
Don't be surprised if the shipping carrier adds surcharges and bills you later. This especially happens on large items if not measured correctly.
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months agoHi @doraspi-12
The challenge with shipping larger items is secure packaging. The boxes are long and carrier surcharges for package length apply and most likely Volume shipping costs due to the overall L x W x H cubic volume.
Then of course there is the label cost when and if a return is forced on you and you have to pay for a return shipping label. You have a mixture of return polices, some are 30 days and other items show No returns accepted, which is no protection against a return depending on the reason the Buyer selects.
doraspi-12
OP5 months agoThe shipping rates are based on weight and package size? I have found that the average shipping for a guitar is $75.00. Is there any way to get a cheeper shipping rate
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor5 months ago@doraspi-12. There's not a less expensive shipping method. Don't judge how much it will cost to ship based on other sellers listings. Just an inch larger box will increase the shipping cost.
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months ago@doraspi-12
Coast to coast shipping on a 44 x 18 x 6 box weighing 6 to 12 lbs is about $ 130- $ 135. You have to do your own research with UPS, FedEx and USPS for rates based on the size of the box you plan to ship. But what will drive the price per the example above is the Volume opposed to the weight.
I tend to agree with @comics-scifi-collectibles that offering them with Local Pick-up only is the safest approach to selling something like that. Trust me that trying to go cheap on shipping will cost you more in the end if the guitar arrives damaged.
Years ago shipping larger item was not as risky because shipping rates were lower. I shipped a card table to the mid-west for a reasonable amount once ... those days are gone. For online sales shipping larger items has become problematic due to shipping costs. If shipping costs more than the item Sellers can lose their shirts on a transaction pretty quick.