I apologize if I'm repeating information already covered...
I've shipped guitars via USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL. I haven't had any damage problems with any, thank goodness! I will tell you that I've been very confused by the cost of shipping between these shippers, more so I’ve been confused as to how people on eBay consistently advertise flat-rate shipping between $25 and $35; the first guitar I ever shipped I sent USPS and the cost was over $60! Then I realized these guys must be eating some of the shipping costs, but then discovered that may not be the case.
What I’ve learned…
Know your shipping cost verses the carrier…
Know that weight makes a difference…
Know the dimensions make a difference…
Weight cost may be less important than overall dimensions of the container…
The overall dimensions of the container may be less important than weight…
Mom & Pop shops (Mailbox Etc and the like) will cost you more…
Insurance is important but expensive…
For me it’s less expensive to ship via UPS IF I take my container directly to the UPS hub. The convenience with tracking with UPS is outstanding for the shipper and the recipient. The piece of mind with the insurance is equally outstanding with UPS. I won’t ship another guitar using another carrier unless the recipient specifically request another carrier.
I’ve always considered myself an excellent packer; I’m consistently being accused of overbuilding when it comes to projects and that’s carried over to packing anything I mail/ship. However, when I recently made a guitar trade with someone several states away he sent me the following two websites. The recommendations given on these sites was eye-opening to say the least. Again, I thought I was doing everything correctly but these webpage’s and the info they give made me very comfortable in terms of proper packing.
Anyway, I hope this information helps…
http://www.bryankimsey.com/shipping/
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Packing/packing1.html