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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Has anyone done this? What's the best (meaning cost-effectiveness versus safety) way to pull it off? |
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Posts: 2336
Location: Brighty in Blighty | Judging from my experiences of shipping from the US I would suggest USPS |
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Posts: 4236
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Thanks Dweez, but the size restrictions are different for shipping to Oz. I think the box is too big for USPS. |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I did it once and it was exxxxpensive |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | This probably won't help ya, but I sent a CB/OHSC/carton to Italy via USPS Express. It cost $110 w/ins. and took about nine days. Very satisfactory service! |
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December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | We (meaning Sunny Ledge Enterprises) have found a service offered via DHL that is "reasonable". The only way to go USPS is if you can get the package small enough OR you have a post office that doesn't check the size.
Our PO checks the size. I am convinced there is simply a typo in the PO Code. Australia is the only one with this odd size restriction that I could find. Basically saying that the max length of any side is 36". Of course you could go the next service level for something like $650.00 but that's just silly.
On average we can ship to Oz for about $200.00 Depending on size and weight. |
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Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | I shipped two guitars to Australia by FedEx Intl Economy and I think it was about $135. each. That was a year or so ago, probably closer to $200 these days.
With the bolt on k-bar necks you could always break the guitar down in to two pieces ship it in a smaller box with no case. You can probably buy a case in Australia cheaper than you can ship it there.
Dave |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | I must be missing something. When I use my Fedex account to get an estimate (guitar box measurements and 20 pounds), I get get an International Economy rate of $619!!!!!!!!  |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Cut the box down about 2 inches. I think the max total dims LxWxH need to be < 80 inches. |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I'm not sure about going to Oz, but both USPS and Fed Ex are cheaper if you just ship it in the case.
I've received three guitars that way* and they survived, but I have never sent one like that.
*[Tak G330, 1778T-OF and a project 1112 that I just got for the case.] |
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Posts: 4236
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | The best dimensions I can manage are 44X17X7. This literally just puts a layer of cardboard around the case. At 22 pounds of weight, I'm still getting a quote of $428!
I don't know how a buyer would feel about shipping that far in just the case. |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I just went through a nightmare trying to ship a cello to Texas. UPS wouldn't take a box that big, and if I had made the box smaller, it didn't have enough padding to be insurable. I finally went through Fedex, and with three inches of padding on each side, they would insure it. It cost over $165, but it finally got there (and in one piece). That's the problem with shipping without a box. You really wouldn't want to ship something like a fine guitar without insurance. It MIGHT be fine, but would you really want to take that chance? |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | When I sold off the Travis Beans I was down to two T500s and one was a proto and the other a brand new with pickguard cover. I got two buyers and it turned out one was in Oz and the other in Japan. Cost me a chunk to ship them. AND THEN it turns out I put the lables on the wrong boxes so they got each other's guitars. What a F@cking mess! They decided to keep what they got and that was it but I said Never Again on that kind of shipping |
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Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | The secret is to only BUY guitars, never sell.
Voila! Problem solved. |
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Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | I shipped a bicycle from the US 25 years ago for a reasonable price. The trick was that I had to drive it out to a warehouse down near the docks in Tampa and pick it up from another warehouse in Sydney. If you live near a shipping port, try contacting a few of the export/import companies down there. You may find they do a Port to Port shipment for considerably less than a door to door service like UPS. If the person you are shipping to lives in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth, they may not complain too much about driving down to the docks. Actually with the traffic in Sydney, they probably will, but if you can save $100s of dollars on the shipping, they may be willing to do this. |
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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | The problem, apparently, is at the Australian end. It is Australia Post that imposes the size restriction. We are the only country that has this problem, I believe. Ship it to NZ - not a problem. Australia - forget it.
I paid a LOT of money to get my 1768 and '05ES shipped here via UPS. I mean, a LOT of money. (Still cheaper than buying one here!)
I quizzed Australia Post about this absurd imposition and their reply was "We're not a freight company." So, like I said, I had to use UPS.
Guess who delivered the guitars to my door?
Australia Post.
Go figure.
Paul Blanchard told me about a company called Bax Global, but you must be a guitar shop/business and deliver to a guitar shop/business.
No wonder guitars are so f*^%#g expensive down here. |
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April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by muzza:
No wonder guitars are so f*^%#g expensive down here. Tell me about it. I saw a Balladeer for $A2600 in a store today! |
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December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | The problem with the post office is...
Size Limits (223.2)
Maximum length: 36 inches
Maximum length and girth combined: 79 inches
If they measure, you're out of luck.
The DHL and FedEx "Express" rates (which are the best) are done via special accounts through 3rd party vendors. We actually had to sign up for the service (I think we have DHL but maybe FedEX, Lisa is the one in charge of that) before they would even give us a qoute.
As stated, we can get a guitar to Australia for about $200. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more. If you can take the neck off and ship without the case, just in a good box, it's easy to match the shipping requirements for standard rates at reasonable prices. |
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Posts: 6
Location: Australia | How do the sellers on ebay do it?
I was quoted from a store in the US price for shipping (in case) from $90 -150US. This seems to be the standard-bulk deals perhaps? |
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August 2008
Posts: 6
Location: Australia | Also re importing to Australia...I rang customs here and the following is the rule:
If the total cost including shipping to Australia exceeds $999.00AU then import duty and GST applies which can be very pricey.
An example...I looked at a guitar in the US costing there $1300 where in Oz it was over $3000 for the same guitar. To import etc the guitar would then have cost around $2500AU without a local warranty.
So the moral is to keep the cost under $999.00AU to get a bargain, otherwise its better to buy local. |
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Location: NJ | the problem is with size not duty |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Like I've always said "size matters down-under as well as topside".
I'll go now... |
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March 2005
Posts: 2793
Location: Atlanta, GA. | I'm SO glad AJ was able to pick up his Slothead from Moody!
(even tho I worried the 3 days USPS had it in their hands). |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | "3 days USPS had it in their hands"
You should worry...USPS lost 1.1 Billion last quarter, service has dropped considerably.
Sent a computer to Ohio, arrived 12/28 where it was obvious that it had been dropped from a distance. After my experience, they will get as little business from me as possible. |
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Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Fredj,
If you are buying a second hand guitar then there is no GST on that, regardless of value. I'm not sure how the free trade agreement with the US works, but it would seem to me that "free trade" means there is no customs duty. |
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Shipping to Australia
