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I'm researching cost for my first international shipment of a guitar, and am a little aghast at what I am seeing! The guitar will ship to Singapore from Olympia, WA. Basic delivery service with insurance, both FedEx and UPS, is in the $600 - $700 range! And of course, this doesn't include all the associated fees... The client and I were observing, that for a few hundred dollars more, he could come pick the guitar up!

Am I missing something? For folks that are shipping to "overseas" clients, what carrier are you using? Any tricks or tips to getting the costs down?

Thanks!

-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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Mark, check the USPS. Last time I did it they were considerably cheaper and it worked out just fine.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

USPS for me and you may need to get a rider for insurance from your Ins company. Using USPS may not cover the ins and they are a pain if you file a claim

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I've never shipped a guitar but I do a lot of shipping at my day job.

UPS & FedEx have to put it on a plane. Guitars are like big boxes of air that eat up a lot of space on the plane so they charge you accordingly. Even though it may weigh 15 lbs, they'll charge you as if it was 90 lbs.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I just shipped a Fender Strat to Russia last month with USPS and the cost was just under $130 with insurance. FedEx and UPS where a lot higher.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks guys!

I'll go check with USPS today.

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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$130 seems incredibly cheap for that type of shipment. Just make sure that the insurance covers both loss and damage. Actually, make sure it covers Musical instruments. They are quite often on the exclusion list.

I didn't read the fine print on the insurance but the gal at the post office knew it was a guitar so hopefully sold me the correct insurance. Insurance was under $10 if I remember correctly but was only for about $900 value. Package weighed 32lb, was way over packed, and neck was removed to meet the package size restrictions (length + width + height or something like that). Either way it arrived ok.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I work at the USPS for my full-time job. I work in a mail processing facility in LaCrosse WI. We handle guitars all the time. We do take care of them and handle them properly. Over the last 10 years, we have shipped alot of guitars to Iraq/Afghanistan and back home again also. It is cheaper to use USPS. Thanks everyone who uses USPS for their shipping needs. It's my paycheck to support my family. It also funds my guitar building experience.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

So does USPS. They stopped doing overseas surface shipments several years ago. Priority Mail International is the cheapest.

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John

All the more reason to support the USPS folks!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Ahhh Dave's Guitar Shop

I love that place.

Looks like USPS it is!

I talked to the folks at our local office yesterday, and they were just outstanding to work with, and mitigated the trepidation I had about shipping internationally with them. My client is pretty happy about the significantly reduced cost too! I think I will take John's suggestion and get a insurance rider.

Now to navigate all the export paperwork...

Thanks everyone!

-Mark

_________________
Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
OR
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The USPS does have international flat-rate boxes also. 2 sizes. Great if you mailing books or something heavy.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

I always avoid UPS or Fedex unless its a smaller package, but for some reason when I buy from LMI or others, at a certain point (around 5 pounds) the UPS/Fedex/DHL rate actually becomes lower than USPS priority mail for some reason, and the shipping rate increases only slowly whereas USPS rate increases much faster at higher weight class. I don't know if its the fact that suppliers have special rates for shipping with them regularly...

Yea the guy can come pick the guitar up, and probably should if the guitar costs more than 5000 dollars, but the issue isn't just shipping cost. If the customer is coming to the US getting a US visa is really difficult (and they really don't care what is the reason for the visit, you have to meet requirement that is subject to one person's interpretation. The visa can be denied for any reason, and it takes months to get one. It's actually easier to get parole after serving a life sentence than to get a US tourist visa!)

I never really had to deal with this... never gotten an overseas commission anyways.

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