Official Luthiers Forum!

Dearest OLFers
Ive almost sold a guitar I have, although the deal is contingent on my handling and paying shipping - before I commit to something thats going to cost me much more than I expect... I thought perhaps someone could give me an idea of what it costs - on the high and low sides..
Im waiting for an address now so I cant be more specific than it will being shipped from BC Can and its destination will be the Continental US somewhere?
Can someone with some experience please give me an idea - Its an OM
Cheers
Charlie

Little Rock Arkansas
zip code 72113
I found out - what are my options - are they basically UPS/FeEx/Purolator? and again a rough idea of costs....if possible? Ill try and dig up some info at the websites
Cheers
Charlie

Charlie-
Don't forget to add CanadaPostExpedited Parcel to your list of possible shippers.

I've sold a bunch of stuff (and a few guitars) to folks in the US, and they generally have gotten them quickly, and not had to pay any taxes or fees at their end- they weren't particularily valuable, though. I would still advise you to put into the 'fine print' that you are only responsible for the initial shipping costs, not any taxes and duties.
And if there is any damage- good luck, even with 'insurance'. The only reliable insurance is great packing, and even then it's chancy.

You might try contacting some of the local builders (Robert Anderson, for example)with a quick phone call to see how they handle shipping to the US.

John

Standard practice is for the buyer to pay shipping.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

[QUOTE=Howard Klepper] Standard practice is for the buyer to pay shipping.[/QUOTE]

Excellent point, Howard.
This also puts the responsibility for choice of shipping method on to the buyer, so they can decide to pay more for 'better' shipping.
If there is an insurance claim (I've only had one, luckily) teamwork between the shipper/receiver is necessary. With CanadaPost, the shipper has to make the claim, and of course the 'proof' of damage has to come from the receiver. I don't know if this is true for UPS/FedEx as well as CanadaPost/USPS. It's a hassle at best.
BTW, the amount of 'insurance' you buy only sets the upper limit on your coverage- you need to supply good paperwork and possibly appraisals, etc to verify value when making a claim.

The border just adds to the problems. ("Free trade-huh?")

Cheers
John

Just call the shippers, give them the size or the package, the weight, the shippers zip code, and the recipient's zip code.

No guess work. They will tell you exactly what it will cost.

I used to work in shipping and one thing I found that helped when you need to make an insurance claim for damages is if you have pictures shipment before it is shipped.

Include pictures of the contents and the outside of the packaging. So you have proof that the giant dent in the side of the box wasn't there before you gave it to the courier.

"Declared Value" is not insurance, although many people think so, and the service people at the shipping companies usually confuse the two.

Insurance covers you for a specific set of risks, which usually includes your own honest mistakes. Declared value sets a cap on how much responsibility the shipper will take for their own mistakes. If they can point to your mistake (which in my experience they will always do unless they simply lost the package) they deny any responsibility. If you want to have real insurance, you get it from an insurance company, not the shipper (unless it's the US Postal Service, which actually does sell insurance).

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

[QUOTE=Howard Klepper] "Declared Value" is not insurance, although many people think so, and the service people at the shipping companies usually confuse the two.
[/QUOTE]

Good point.
Since I pay sales taxes (not duties) on incoming stuff from the US, I've learned to be quite specific about Declared Value after having a couple of shippers 'put extra declared value on, in case it's damaged'. It really ruins your day when you have to pay 3x the correct sales taxes because of this!

John