anyone done international shipping??

cstmar01

Sooo need a little help. I'm selling a bass guitar on Ebay, Music Man SUB 4 string bass, and got a guy from France wanting shipping quotes. I told him straight out I've never done international shipping and have no idea who gives the best rates and that he would have to pay for all the costs ect with it.
Any suggestions for places that do international for decent rates. Right now I've looked at UPS and it was like 300 bucks, DHL was like 189. I am shipping a bass, the gig bag, strings, and strap all together and well its a standard lenght bass so long, not very thick and not too wide.
Any ideas??

danz1906

Check with the Post Office.

concealer404

USPS is going to be your cheapest bet. Don't even bother asking Fedex. It'll be like $500.

starchaser

Regardless of your carrier of choice.

Pay for insurance at a specific declared value. Pending the carrier this may be for the shipment or per piece. Make sure you have enough.

Photograph your equipment and all packaging used. Pre, during and post packaging.

Overpack beyond measure! Overpack beyond measure! Overpack beyond measure!

Your gear is going to be trucked, loaded in a container, sail the seas (or fly over clouds) unloaded, reloaded in a truck then delivered. That's the short version.

Much handling here, risk of theft and all that.

I don't know ebay rules etc.. the question is what terms will you have with the buyer.

When will the transfer of ownership take place? At origin, final destination, port of entry?

Who is responsible for all duty and potential customs exam fees as required.

I'd probably go USPS.

Remember, when their light they'll throw them like frisbees, when heavy all other cargo is stacked on top.

Not trying to send a bad vibe, just seen a few things over the years.

Good Luck!

DarqueKnight

starchaser wrote: »

Overpack beyond measure! Overpack beyond measure! Overpack beyond measure!

Overpacking works well until your package gets to customs, then it is at the mercy of the customs inspector who may or MAY NOT repack your item carefully depending on his general disposition, workload at the time, mood and a variety of other factors.

Give some thought to making it easy for the customs inspector to repack your item the way you want it. I now include repacking instructions whenever I ship internationally. That does not guarantee that my instructions will be followed, but photographing my packing methods and photographing the enclosed repacking instructions makes for a stronger claim position in case something goes wrong.

I have shipped to Mexico, Sweden, Thailand, Japan, Jordan, Germany, and Slovak Republic with no problems. Most of the items I have sent to Canada arrived with no problems, but two items I sent to Canada, each triple-boxed, arrived damaged and both were not repacked by customs the way that I packed them. I started including repacking instructions after my first Canadian incident. My repacking instructions were ignored during the second Canadian incident. The inner double-box was allowed to "float" within the outer box, plus there was a 2" gash in one side of the box and the item (a tuner) was badly dented on one corner. In both cases my claim was settled in full, but it took several months.

All of my international shipping was done through the post office. Whichever shipper you use, you should familiarize yourself with their claims procedures ahead of time.

cstmar01

thanks for the info. I always try to pack well and was worried about shipping to begin with seeing its a bass and the neck could get broken very easily. I think I might tell him that if he wants it I'll have to buy a hard case for the bass to make sure it won't get damaged at all.

HB27

France and Spain have had delivery issues. Make sure you get full insurance and any documentation possible to cover your tail.
Customs does have a tendency to unpack and inspect and not properly package.
Plenty of pics, and documenting every step you make is a must "JUST IN CASE"
Harry