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International Guitar Shipping


nervous

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I have an opportunity to ship a bass to a nice guy in Finland. I'd love to make this work for him but would like some direction in what route to take regarding international shipping carriers and methods. I have a FedEx account and have gotten some wildly different quotes from what I can calculate online vs. what I got at the local terminal counter tonight.

Anyone with any experience with this? Your input and direction would be very helpful

Thanks

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I shipped a Pedulla bass to Finland no issues with USPS, and a Melody Maker to Sweden same. I just make it clear that they are responsible for any duties and I'm declaring actual value for insurance purposes.

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Wow! That was unexpected. Those rates are very favorable compared to what I have from FedEx. I do see a $650.00 max insurance though. Anyone have any qualms with the ability to track or their insurance should it be needed?

Thanks all for the quick and helpful responses.

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USPS is king! The only two limitations with USPS are insurance and size. For a wrapped up bass it could be difficult to match the size limits. Insurance is limited to $500 I think. The buyer should agree taking the risk.

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I looked into this as well a couple of days ago, and as everyone says, USPS is probably the cheapest option. Import taxes will however be a concern, I know that if I were to get something shipped from the USA to Belgium, I'd probably be looking at a 25-30% fee for import taxes. The exact amount will of course depend on the country's VAT-rates and other duties they might charge the future owner.

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USPS is king! The only two limitations with USPS are insurance and size. For a wrapped up bass it could be difficult to match the size limits. Insurance is limited to $500 I think. The buyer should agree taking the risk.

A fellow German HFCer has a number of Blitz basses and other pointies, most of which were sent via USPS despite exceeding the size limit by an inch or two..

There is no brokerage to be paid, just VAT & duties, which in europe can amount to 25 - 30% of the uh, declared value.

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I sent several guitars via USPS, one of which was over the size limit for the country. It depends on what your local post office is like I guess. The guy asked me if it fit the size limits, I said yes, and off it went B) That would definitely be more of an issue for basses though. The guitar boxes I usually use are only a couple inches short of the limit. Insurance coverage might also be an issue, but most people will ask you to understate the cost of the guitar so it has never been an issue for me. The "tracking" isn't very detailed and it takes a while to get there, but everything I've shipped has made it there safely.

-Austin

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Had two Hamers and some work equipment shipped over to Scotland from the US......USPS was spot on for me- no troubles...

Cheers

Dave B)

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A fellow German HFCer has a number of Blitz basses and other pointies, most of which were sent via USPS despite exceeding the size limit by an inch or two..

There is no brokerage to be paid, just VAT & duties, which in europe can amount to 25 - 30% of the uh, declared value.

Correct, with a tight packing (around the case) even an BLITZ/FBIV case can make the 108'' girth and go USPS. Customs is 3,7% and VAT 19% and correct, no brokerage! And sure on the declared value ;-)

The "tracking" isn't very detailed and it takes a while to get there, but everything I've shipped has made it there safely.

Tracking with USPS is much better as often thought. e.g. As soon as the package hits Germany it is fully taken over by DHL which gives you detailed information about the progress.

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A fellow German HFCer has a number of Blitz basses and other pointies, most of which were sent via USPS despite exceeding the size limit by an inch or two..

There is no brokerage to be paid, just VAT & duties, which in europe can amount to 25 - 30% of the uh, declared value.

Correct, with a tight packing (around the case) even an BLITZ/FBIV case can make the 108'' girth and go USPS. Customs is 3,7% and VAT 19% and correct, no brokerage! And sure on the declared value ;-)

The "tracking" isn't very detailed and it takes a while to get there, but everything I've shipped has made it there safely.

Tracking with USPS is much better as often thought. e.g. As soon as the package hits Germany it is fully taken over by DHL which gives you detailed information about the progress.

+1

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  • 3 months later...

Any new info to share on this topic? As soon as I get around to shooting some pics, I am going to post these for sale.

With the Euro/dollar conversion rate around 1.49, these would be favorably priced to an HFC buyer in Europe. I can use my employer's UPS / FedEx and DHL discounts so that could help keep the shipping costs low. But are people saying there is a limit to the UPS insured amount?

NOS Hamer Sandard - the last or second last before the custom only policy went into effect

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/index.p...20way&st=30

Artist Custom

http://s384.photobucket.com/albums/oo288/P...110307-2025.jpg

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I ended up shipping to Finland by USPS International Priority because it was by far the least expensive route. If I recall correctly they also had an insurance limit so there was a minimal risk incurred. It's my understanding that the USPS hands the shipments off to DHL so if you have direct access to DHL it is worth the effort to compare rates. The tracking was actually better than expected given the normally terrible USPS 'tracking'.

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