Shipping Internationally

[GuildFS4612CE]

The 46" limit IS the limit. It means little space for any padding at the top and bottom. Hint: the clerk usually measures from the corners of the box...a LITTLE curvature in the middle of the ends is often missed. And if the clerk is a total stickler for a 1/2 inch...try another post office...and smile. :wink:

The remainder of the calculation is the girth: 2 x width plus 2 x depth.

The average guitar box is about 20" wide and 10" deep.

2 x 20 = 40
2 x 10 = 20
20 + 40 = 60
60 + 46 = 106" = the MAX

It works, there's just no room for excess at either end.

Guitars are sent this way all the time. It CAN be done.

And don't confuse PRIORITY INTERNATIONAL and GLOBAL.

You can do it CHAZ. Just walk into the P.O., use some of their nice free priority mail tape to wrap the ends of the box, walk up to the counter nice and confident, place the box & paperwork there, pull out your wallet and smile... It will go.

 

[coastie99]

The 46" limit IS the limit. It means little space for any padding at the top and bottom. Hint: the clerk usually measures from the corners of the box...a LITTLE curvature in the middle of the ends is often missed. And if the clerk is a total stickler for a 1/2 inch...try another post office...and smile. :wink:

The remainder of the calculation is the girth: 2 x width plus 2 x depth.

The average guitar box is about 20" wide and 10" deep.

2 x 20 = 40
2 x 10 = 20
20 + 40 = 60
60 + 46 = 106" = the MAX

It works, there's just no room for excess at either end.

Guitars are sent this way all the time. It CAN be done.

And don't confuse PRIORITY INTERNATIONAL and GLOBAL.

You can do it CHAZ. Just walk into the P.O., use some of their nice free priority mail tape to wrap the ends of the box, walk up to the counter nice and confident, place the box & paperwork there, pull out your wallet and smile... It will go.

Go to the prettiest girl there. Tell her Coastie sent you. She'll probably give you a deal !!

 

[bluesypicky]

Go to the prettiest girl there. Tell her Coastie sent you. She'll probably give you a deal !!

What a reach....! :lol:

 

[twocorgis]

Go to the prettiest girl there. Tell her Coastie sent you. She'll probably give you a deal !!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Should have included a spew warning with that one Coastie!

 

[capnjuan]

For domestic shipping, there's always USPS Parcel Post with its 130" girth + length limitation. Tracking not available but can get same insurance and pay a fee to get siggie of recipient. Takes longer but also costs less.

 

[Bing k]

Sent a guitar to Australia today. Usps will only handle packages of this size into Australia with their "Global Express" which is guaranteed delivery in about three days if you ship from the right post office. It's actually Fedex who does the shipping as a subcontractor for usps. They have the routes, the planes and the facilities to get it done so usps hires them to do it.

 

[Frosty]

It's actually Fedex who does the shipping as a subcontractor for usps. They have the routes, the planes and the facilities to get it done so usps hires them to do it.

Am I to understand that international shipping from the US is less expensive when the consumer goes USPS --> FedEx instead of simply FedEx?

 

[twocorgis]

It's actually Fedex who does the shipping as a subcontractor for usps. They have the routes, the planes and the facilities to get it done so usps hires them to do it.

Am I to understand that international shipping from the US is less expensive when the consumer goes USPS --> FedEx instead of simply FedEx?

Not really. When I was trying to ship those guitars down the SouthernGuild the rates were equally awful. :shock: It seems like shipping overseas these days is a lot more complicated and expensive than it was even a couple of years ago. That 46" length limit is a real killer with dreads and jumbos too.

 

[chazmo]

I suppose I could always take a hacksaw to the case! :yikes:

 

[West R Lee]

It's actually Fedex who does the shipping as a subcontractor for usps. They have the routes, the planes and the facilities to get it done so usps hires them to do it.

Am I to understand that international shipping from the US is less expensive when the consumer goes USPS --> FedEx instead of simply FedEx?

Not really. When I was trying to ship those guitars down the SouthernGuild the rates were equally awful. :shock: It seems like shipping overseas these days is a lot more complicated and expensive than it was even a couple of years ago. That 46" length limit is a real killer with dreads and jumbos too.

I didn't find that to be the case Sandy, in fact, it wasn't even close. When Coastie bought his guitar here and had it sent to me, I marched on down to UPS right off the bat......$600 to send via UPS, so I went to Fedex........$600 via Fedex. I asked Coastie to look at the rates and he and I both freaked together. So for a time....a couple of months, that thing sat at my house. Then John Kidder recommended USPSand Gary and I were glad he did. Insured shipping to New Zealand from Texas for $127.

I just shipped Ian in New Zealand his guitar fairly recently ( about 3 months ago), and I doubt either of the big shippers could have come close to the $147 I paid USPS, but maybe we've had a different experience.

And Frosty, I think the good ol' U.S. gov probably ain't after the profit like USPS or Fedex were....at least they weren't then.

West

 

[fearless]

I don't know how reliable this information is, but I've heard that if you complete all the paperwork, pay online and drop the ready-to-ship parcel into a Post Office, they hardly ever measure them. Maybe worth a try if you are a tad oversize.

 

[Frosty]

I must be missing something...

US --> New Zealand via FedEx was quoted at $600

US --> New Zealand via FedEx as subcontractor to USPS quoted at $127

That can't be right! What was different in the service... insurance? Time to delivery?

 

[fronobulax]

I must be missing something...

US --> New Zealand via FedEx was quoted at $600

US --> New Zealand via FedEx as subcontractor to USPS quoted at $127

That can't be right! What was different in the service... insurance? Time to delivery?

It's not really a veer but if you actually pay attention to what your doctor gets paid there are an awful lot of cases where the doctor charges and receives more if you personally pay than if your insurance company pays. Basically in exchange for the increased business presumably provided by accepting insurance, the doctor agrees, by contract, to accept a lower rate.

So what I see here is that FedEx has offered USPS a volume discount and USPS is passing that on to the consumer. In addition to the volume discount, I suspect USPS is accepting some of the liability as well - compared to FedEx's liability in a direct to consumer situation. I'll bet USPS probably is guaranteeing a certain amount of business which means FedEx will get paid even if there are no packages from USPS. While I agree the difference is dramatic, I am not surprised.

 

[chazmo]

UPS was north of $500 to ship to Europe. Maybe that was because of the original dimensions of my box, which USPS won't ship.

USPS is north of $100, just like West said, with a box that's in limits. No comparison. I couldn't get through the forms in either case with UPS or FedEx. USPS is clearly set up for individuals, not businesses.

Anyway, wish me luck.

 

[capnjuan]

The biggies; if you pay them for next-day service ... or overseas service within a day or two and they only have one parcel going to that destination, then UPS and FedEx will fly the parcel to the destination whether they have anything else on the plane or not; it's what they guarantee. They can guarantee delivery ... but they can't guarantee that they'll have a full airplane; they make the most money when the plane is at/near capacity.

Enter USPS; as far as overseas service goes, they guarantee 7-10 days because their stuff flies on the biggies' planes on a 'space available' basis effectively guaranteeing to the biggies that their planes will be full/near full. Their discounting to the USPS is partly volume and partly the fact that although USPS isn't adding directly to their bottom line, their cut-rate business with the USPS pays for the jet fuel.

I just 'mailed' geoguy's G312 from FL to MA ... +/- 1,500 miles; I paid for premium service and still paid less that what the biggies charge for the same service - a measure of how much the biggies appreciate their business with USPS filling up the empty seats.

 

[taabru45]

UPS was north of $500 to ship to Europe. Maybe that was because of the original dimensions of my box, which USPS won't ship.

USPS is north of $100, just like West said, with a box that's in limits. No comparison. I couldn't get through the forms in either case with UPS or FedEx. USPS is clearly set up for individuals, not businesses.

Anyway, wish me luck.

Good luck Chaz....when I sent my F50 R to Ian, I also inquired about the cost of flying there myself....only a couple hundred more than Fed X for the guitar....Sent it postal and 3 days later Ian was playing it......still is I believe... :lol: Steffan

 

[chazmo]

The box has a lovely bulge in the middle, but at the sides it's 47" We'll see if they take it. The only other alternative it so remove the bottom brace (which would probably get me another inch, but I refuse to do that. It either ships this way, or it doesn't leave the US.

 

[West R Lee]

I must be missing something...

US --> New Zealand via FedEx was quoted at $600

US --> New Zealand via FedEx as subcontractor to USPS quoted at $127

That can't be right! What was different in the service... insurance? Time to delivery?

Yes sir, that's exactly what it was.

Insurance wasn't a problem, and was dirt cheap. In fact, I'd expect the U.S. government to pay a claim long before UPS did, if they ever did. Shipping time is painfully slow, at least it has been for me.....Texas to N.Z...........bout 7-10 business days in my case. And it's been my experience back then that USPS didn't offer the best tracking information....which adds to your apprehension while you wait. But all in all, a good experience.......both guitars arrived unscathed and the buyers were happy.

Coastie, where are you? Do you remember this as well as I do?

West

 

[coastie99]

Coastie, where are you? Do you remember this as well as I do?

West

Here I am.

Yes, I remember. I think this was my A-25.

My recollection is that there is no tracking info. available after the box leaves the States but, that may apply only to the "economy" service ?

I'm fairly certain that the guitar took less than 10 days to arrive but, I'd rather a longer delivery period ( though any time taken in shipping is nerve-wracking ) than an outrageous charge !

I also recall on one occasion, possibly not this one, a minor hassle with insurance cover, and particular attention should be focussed by a shipper on that issue. Additional insurance didn't cost a significant amount.

 

[West R Lee]

Coastie, where are you? Do you remember this as well as I do?

West

Here I am.

Yes, I remember. I think this was my A-25.

My recollection is that there is no tracking info. available after the box leaves the States but, that may apply only to the "economy" service ?

I'm fairly certain that the guitar took less than 10 days to arrive but, I'd rather a longer delivery period ( though any time taken in shipping is nerve-wracking ) than an outrageous charge !

I also recall on one occasion, possibly not this one, a minor hassle with insurance cover, and particular attention should be focussed by a shipper on that issue. Additional insurance didn't cost a significant amount.

And do you recall the difference in shipping cost Gary?

West