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Posts: 3084
Location: Brisbane Australia | Today I recieved from LA a new Baden D acoustic git that I bought on Fleabay.
The seller quoted shipping at $110, so before pulling the trigger I asked him to confirm the shipping charge, he responded that it was good.
Well I took him at his word and did the deed expecting an issue after the fact.
It arrived today courtesy USPS Priority mail in its original 48x21x9" carton.
Postage and insurance for $800usd value, $117.00
If you go to the USPS website a carton of that size (mind you this was 2" longer than the supposed max length to Oz of 46") has to go Global Express Guaranteed at $439.
Maybe I was lucky!!
I just dont get it!!
I'm thinking of offering him a commission just to send my O's out
AJ :rolleyes: |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield/windscreen...
I think he slipped one through...
I hate shipping guitars! |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I just sent a guitar to Hawaii from Oregon. (a solid body BC Rich mind you...)
If I wanted to send it in a regular sized guitar box, 50"x 20"x 8"...
It woulda cost $109 and been there in 10 days! Fastest, Cheapest, ONLY Service offered.
But since I squeezed it into one of them crappy little triangular electric guitar boxes...
it got there the Next day for $72.
If they had wanted it this week instead of Friday, I coulda mailed it for $35.
Every time that I have tried to Mail an Ovation in a case, the box was too big... So they would only send it slow freight and Fed Ex was cheaper.
But when I wanted to Fed Ex a guitar to Canada recently, they wanted around $230!
(I mailed it instead, and it was still slow and expensive!)
The more that I read about your shipping problems down there, the worse I feel for you all.
But it looks like you got a good deal on this one! |
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November 2007
Posts: 1486
Location: Cincinnati | AJ,
Hopefully you'll soon be getting a couple of guitars delivered there for a really good price. :D |
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January 2009
Posts: 379
Location: Alagoas, Brazil | Try shipping anything over $500 to Brazil. You will have to hire a middleman just to clear the Customs, because Brazilian Mail will only take care of Customs up to 500. They will charge you $300 to fill the proper forms and clear Customs. The process can take up to 6 months. And you will still have all the remaining costs attached. It becomes cheaper to buy a ticket to the USA and bring the goods in your luggage, because then you clear the customs yourself. |
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March 2007
Posts: 841
Location: CA | I don't know why they even post the prices they do on the 'calculate costs' pages of UPS and USPS. They have NEVER been what I actually pay when I get there. I always pay more, sometimes substantially more. And when I've been asked to quote shipping overseas a time or two, the price on the sites has always been astronomical (compared to within US, anyway) — whereupon I receive sometimes angry responses from the person who requested the quote in the first place, who then goes on to claim they have had guitars shipped for a half or a third of the quote that's right on the UPS/USPS sites. And of course they infer that I'm trying to rip them off.
I hate shipping guitars, too. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | The Shipping features in Ebay are not only mandatory but they are useless!
No way to insert FedEx into the calculator and very frustrating.
But not as frustrating as the 42" Length limit on shipping to Oz! |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by Oddball:
I don't know why they even post the prices they do on the 'calculate costs' pages of UPS and USPS. They have NEVER been what I actually pay when I get there. I just measure and weigh the package myself, input the info online at the UPS site, and print out a pre-paid shipping label, then just drop off the labeled & sealed box at the local UPS store. I found that cheaper than having the UPS store determine the price. |
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June 2007
Posts: 3084
Location: Brisbane Australia | Originally posted by G8r:
I just measure and weigh the package myself, input the info online at the UPS site, and print out a pre-paid shipping label, then just drop off the labeled & sealed box at the local UPS store. I found that cheaper than having the UPS store determine the price.
Serge, I think that is what the seller did in this case.
Works for me.
If they accept it they have to deliver it.
Woody, BTW the shipping length to Oz is 46"
AJ |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by AussieJames:
I'm thinking of offering him a commission just to send my O's out
The seller might be giving a (ahem) commission to the USPS employee to make the numbers work in his favor. We do want to get in sync with the way the many other parts of the world operate their governments. |
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Joined:
June 2007
Posts: 3084
Location: Brisbane Australia | Bobbo, I wondered about that initially.
But according to the shipping docket it was all done online, so who knows what info he put in.
AJ |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by AussieJames:
it was all done online, so who knows what info he put in. Shusshhh... I thought this could of went unsaid...
Nanna, nanna, I can't hear you... ;) |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Old Thread, but it fit my Subject.
I have a guitar coming from Wisconsin, and they are shipping it Priority Mail... ?
I was confused. I mean, I like getting stuff quickly. But USPS for guitars?
So I just did a Side-by-Side comparison...
Shipping a 17lb. 48x20x8 inch box. Declared value $500.
97212 to 02540
(Portland OR to Falmouth MA... Just two zip codes that I know off the top of my head)
Choosing the cheapest results...
UPS Ground - $103.55 for 5 Days travel.
FedEx Ground - $104.51 for 5 Business days.
USPS Priority Mail 2 Day - $104.25 Click-n-Ship (including the added price for signature and insurance)
So, are the Times a-Changing and I should be shipping USPS Priority Mail?
Inquiring Minds want to know. I am hoping the experienced entrepreneurs have the answer.
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May 2011
Posts: 755
Location: Muenster/Germany | I bought many Ovations in USA and always sent with USPS, they make a good jod, the guitar always was in Germany within a few days. But In Germany the packet always remains at least one or two or three weeks at the customs office for customs processing (but in the end nothing is processed) and you have to pick up the guitar in person at the local customs office and have to make sure that the packet is is NOT a tactical nuclear weapon. |
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June 2012
Posts: 2316
Location: Pueblo West, CO | Old Man Arthur - 2018-07-04 3:45 PM
So, are the Times a-Changing and I should be shipping USPS Priority Mail?
Inquiring Minds want to know. I am hoping the experienced entrepreneurs have the answer.
There are two reasons why I always ship USPS Priority. First, they're the cheapest and fastest way to get a guitar somewhere. Second, if you ship Priority Mail Express, they offer a money-back guarantee if it isn't delivered on time.
I actually got to use the money-back guarantee when I had Patch ship my Book Elite. After all was said and done, I got that guitar shipped courtesy of the USPS. |
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October 2012
Posts: 1034
Location: Yokohama, Japan | Hi OMA! I agree with all of the afformentioned comments. USPS has been a safe way for me to ship guitars to Japan. My son hand carried Dan's rebuilt torrefied 1612, but AA damaged the guitar. I was lucky enough to get a full refund for the value of the guitar (so by providential favor I got that guitar for free!). However, in retrospect, I might have been better off sending it USPS.
I just received a Celebrity via USPS with the top peeling away from the bowl. It's a freebie repair (less shipping) for a friend. Despite my numerous warnings to loosen the strings before shipping, my buddy forgot to do so! Opened the package assuming the worst, but the guitar arrived perfectly no worse for the wear! The only thing I think might be a hinderance is USPS only will insure up to $1,500, if I'm not mistaken. That was the reason I chose not to ship my 1678av50 to Japan, and waited nearly 2 years to pick her up when I was on furlough last December.
From an overseas "receiving-end" perspective, USPS's service has improved in leaps and bounds in the last decade. IMHO if your guitar is valued at $1,500 or less USPS is definitely the way to go.
Edited by arumako 2018-07-05 9:08 AM
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 848
Location: Canada | <p>For shipping guitars from U.S.A. to Canada USPS is also by far the best option. All other carriers charge hideous and unpredictable "brokerage fees" to carry across the border, whereas it's just an affordable $15 for the handover from USPS to Canada Post.</p>
Edited by d'ovation 2018-07-05 9:35 AM
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October 2014
Posts: 270
| Who knows what our international rates will be if we become embroiled in numerous trade wars. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | shipping to oz is tough
the post office technically should not accept the guitar size
my office will reject them ...if you go to an office that does not care then you are ok |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | the regulations for the usps are different for each country so it makes it real difficult for the seller |
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August 2002
Posts: 598
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA | Hi, Al and Eveyone,
Just out of curiosity, I recently looked into the cost of getting the new ADAMAS Historic Re-Issue, and Nuova Coated Strings from Thomann UK and Germany. It's just nuts! Whose brilliant marketing idea was it to sell these particular guitar strings in Europe/UK only? Why aren't these new strings availble in North America? Yes, I also took the liberty of already ordering some of these new strings from alpep, but it looks like they may never be sold in North America, and/or get here EVER? At least, NOT with the outrageous cost of overseas shipping alpep has to pay as an OVATION dealer/retailer. What's wrong with this picture? No, Al, my good man, it's certainly NOT your fault, but something is just plain WRONG with the very bad ecomomics in this situation. No wonder your are feeling down these days. I'll still just wait for the strings, and give some more business to alpep, because HE NEEDS IT!
Mike S.,
Ottawa, ON.,
CANADA
Edited by Mike S. 2018-09-16 5:56 PM
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Inconsistancy of Shipping Costs