Selling a guitar on Ebay - Shipping

Thomas from Presence

Has anybody here sold an axe on Ebay? How did they ship it? Where did they get the packaging materials? What logistics company did they use and aprroximately how much did it cost?

My thanks for any advice in advance...!

Quattroste

Hi Tom,

I used An Post packaging and it worked out at about €60. Luckily I had old boxes to package it in and used bubble wrap and paper to hold it in place. Double boxing is the best way. With An Post you get a tracking number that you can supply to the buyer. The An Post website has details of how to work out the costs al over the world.

Voodu Child

One of the guitar shops should have some cardboard boxes, especially coming up to xmas, just pop and ask them if they have any in the stockroom.

Try and get one a little bigger than the hardcase, and then make sure there's plenty of filler between the hardcase and the cardboard box (bubblewrap, newspaper, foam etc) so that the cardboard box is rigid and holds its shape. Parcel tape the edges of the cardboard box if needed. Then completely wrap the outside of the cardboard box with bubblewrap.

Last time I checked, AnPost only offer insurance up to around e300. I strongly advise against ever shipping a guitar that isnt insured for full value (or very close). So if your guitar is worth much more than e300, dont use AnPost.

Thomas from Presence

Thank you both for excellent tips. If not An Post then who would you recommend Voodoo_child?

Eoin Madsen

UPS standard are generally good in my experience.

deaddonkey

i packed with guitar boxes and newspapers. guitar boxes courtesy of musician inc (thanks guys!)

an post have pretty much doubled their international postage rates in the past year or so
scumbags

so it's hard to sell profitably because people won't pay the ridiculous postage costs. lame.

kev_s88

when i bought mine it came with just the hardcase.no protective packing or anything.just a "fragile" sticker on the top

was in perfect condition when i got it.

Quattroste

Had that experience too Kev with a Gibson Les Paul Standard :eek: sold it again soon after as it was ****e!

kev_s88

mine was a '72 Custom Telecaster.i was a bit shocked when it came in just the case.amybe i just got lucky that it was unharmed

Johnny Storm

IMHO you should pack a guitar you are selling the way you would like to receive one if you were buying. You can never use too much bubble wrap.
Also make sure any loose bits like the trem arm are well wrapped and cant scratch anything inside the case

Voodu Child

Johnny Storm wrote: »

You can never use too much bubble wrap.

Yep. If a guitar gets damaged/broken during shipping, and you try to claim insurance so you can re-imburse the buyer, its quite common for the shipping companies to send an inspector out to look at the packaging. They'll do their damnest to wriggle out of ANY insurance claim, that's what insurance companies do best, so i'd always pack something so well that nobody could ever question how good it was.

Most buyers will be perfectly happy to pay for an extra tenners worth of bubblewrap or packing foam or whatever.

Quattroste

Johnny Storm wrote: »

IMHO you should pack a guitar you are selling the way you would like to receive one if you were buying. You can never use too much bubble wrap.
Also make sure any loose bits like the trem arm are well wrapped and cant scratch anything inside the case

True Johnny, and when I sold it on I bubble wrapped it and boxed it.