How to ship a rare and expensive guitar with case?

[django49]

39 minutes ago, The Shark said:

And I have 160 guitars with forty years experience.  I've made claims.  USPS and UPS denied or mitigated each claim.  I've had a FedEx account for over twenty years.  They paid both claims in a timely fashion that I submitted.  

Congrats. But.....Two claims with FedEx, despite ample photographic evidence, statements from both buyer and seller (and the guitar builder!)......"No mi falwt baby!"

[kizanski]

1 minute ago, cynic said:

For the record, Heritage is no longer a fan of letting you insure one guitar for the purpose of covering a pending transit (been there, tried that), so something like Securus might be the better option for this transaction.

I wasn't suggesting one insure the guitar just for shipping it.
My hope is that you knuckleheads already have your fucking guitars insured.

I mean, they are already insured, aren't they?

Aren't they??

Or do you just have tens of thousands dollars worth of guitars sitting in your house.
A house which could flood, burn down, get burglarized, or have a tree fall on it.

Heritage covers all of that, inexpensively, with no photos or appraisals needed, and they ask no questions.
They just pay. I know this from experience.

Home owner's insurance?  You might as well throw your money into the street, or worse, give it to UPS.

[cynic]

19 minutes ago, kizanski said:

I wasn't suggesting one insure the guitar just for shipping it.

I wasn't either and of course everyone with a "collection" of guitars should have them covered by a separate and specific policy but if the OP is concerned about the coverage the shippers provide he likely doesn't so I was tailoring my advice to fit this situation.  I'm crafty that way.

 

[kizanski]

3 minutes ago, cynic said:

I wasn't either and of course everyone with a "collection" of guitars should have them covered by a separate and specific policy but if the OP is concerned about the coverage the shippers provide he likely doesn't...

Some people are not aware that their insured guitars are insured when they ship them.

Of course, some people don't have instrument insurance, and, well...I just don't understand those people.

[beezerboy]

[mathman]

On 8/29/2024 at 12:07 PM, kizanski said:

Some people are not aware that their insured guitars are insured when they ship them.

Of course, some people don't have instrument insurance, and, well...I just don't understand those people.

I barely have 20 hundred of dollars of guitars and I keep them so no need to ship them.  But I can understand your advice based on your previous example.😀👍

Edited August 30, 2024 by mathman
r forgot the r

[HSB0531]

When I bought my first Hamer (Hamer Standard Bass #0531), I ordered it from the dealer to be shipped in a Calzone flight case.   I still have the ordinal Calzone case, but I don't use it for any gigs.  I started insuring all my basses in the 1990's and there were 2 forms of insurance.  Some I insured as part of the basic home insurance.  The other type I got for specific basses that I took out of the home. It was a rider to the overall insurance that covered each item specifically for their declared value. This type of insurance is additional cost, but it covers the item anywhere outside of your dwelling.  This is the kind of insurance that may cover a guitar in transit after a sale is made, but it would have to be discussed with your insurer beforehand.

 

[The Shark]

7 hours ago, kizanski said:

But Heritage Insurance is the best way to go.

No, I don't work for them.  I'm just a huge proponent of peace of mind, especially when it is provided inexpensively.

I have them now.  Lloyd's for years.

[The Shark]

6 hours ago, django49 said:

Congrats. But.....Two claims with FedEx, despite ample photographic evidence, statements from both buyer and seller (and the guitar builder!)......"No mi falwt baby!"

I think the point is "two claims" over decades.

[The Shark]

God bless Chuck...received a Robin in this all those years ago!  I think it was Kizanski that asked did it arrive safely?  I said, "it depends"...

[chap]

Guys thanks for all of your responses, I read them all. I have no experience selling an item like this. The buying / shipping / receiving I do is mostly centered around auto and boat parts which are not vintage and can be easily be replaced. Damage from shipping is never an issue, it just gets replaced by another one. 

My guitars at home are not covered by my home insurance or any other insurance. I'll have to look at private shipping insurance for a rare or antique item. I've already made a few phone calls to FedEx Canada and FedEx USA. FE Canada will insure up to $1000 CAD. FE USA says no options for insurance whatsoever. 

I can understand that, if I buy a new item from RockAuto, or Amazon and it comes damaged, these companies will send me another new one. 

If a 4 digit Standard gets damaged via shipping, how much should the private insurance pay? How much is the guitar worth? A person who has no idea what a 4 digit Standard is wouldn't pay $100 for it. Where as a guitar enthusiast may pay 5 figures for it. So when something can't be replaced with a new one, the value is questionable. 

Here in BC Canada, when you wreck your car and it can't be fixed. Our public car insurance ICBC will simply pay the market value for it. So if your car is a piece of shit, you still get market value even if it is above the value of your car. On the other hand, if your car is nicely restored and has $20K or modifications, suspension, engine, stereo ... you still get market value of stock car of the same model and year. 

I should have done a lot more research before listing this guitar. I'm in way over my head. 

 

[hamerhead]

8 hours ago, chap said:

....I'm in way over my head. 

Probably not, really. Packed it as if it were an egg. Being handled by grizzly bears. In the Ukraine.

No problem.

[HSB0531]

49 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

Probably not, really. Packed it as if it were an egg. Being handled by grizzly bears. In the Ukraine.

No problem.

That's wise advice.

And: Go here and find a Pelican Protector case that fits it: www.pelican.com

Watertight

Almost forklift-proof

Foam inside can be the standard or custom 

https://www.pelican.com/us/en/products/cases/?length=30-58&width=0-58

[MCChris]

I'm late to the party, but just in case no one else has mentioned it, I would suggest enlisting the services of some sort of shipping company.

[JGale]

How to shi p an expensive guitar?

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/supplies/guitar-shipping/