Shipping To Australia - Price Shock!

Steve Haynie

Steve Haynie

Well-known member
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Using the US Postal Service web site to calculate the cost of shipping a guitar to Australia the only option showing is either $222 paid online or $264 at the post office.

UPS is showing me a $684 price based on 45 billable pounds even though this package is going to be about 15 pounds.

The guitar sold for $255.

Is there anyone else running into prices like this?

 
When shipping internationally, USPS is the only option. Everything else is always ridiculous IME.

-

Austin

 
I would also go to the USPS counter to get the real price. I've found that the online shipping calculator is NEVER even close to being correct - it is usually way lower than what they hit you with at the counter.

 
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I am tempted to stand in line with the box, but I am still waiting on the buyer to respond to the estimate of $200+ shipping. I hope he backs off of the sale because the 47" box is sturdier than the 44" box. The length limit to Australia is 46".

 
Is the guitar a boltneck? If so, you could significantly shorten the long dimension, and possibly save significant money (just guessing).

 
Just make sure the guy ok's that. He might not be able to put it together, or might not want to, and may have to pay someone...

 
Armitage said:
Just make sure the guy ok's that. He might not be able to put it together, or might not want to, and may have to pay someone...
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Take a narrated video of unbolting and rebolting the neck, post it to YouTube and send him the URL. Or send a thumb drive of it with the guitar.

 
I sold 2 guitars to buyers in Australia, one was a Yamaha Weddington Custom that was mailed to Boston to a freind of the buyer in OZ and he took it down under on the corperate jet.The other I shipped to the broker/friend in the USA for a guitar collector in OZ and HE shipped it to OZ. These shipping transaction details were agreed to before purchase of either instrument. The first guitar was this one.
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the second one was this one a Aria 1512 "Super Twin" Doubleneck and I have no idea how the broker friend got it there because as you can see it was huge..................he paid $$$$ for just the guitar and with shipping who knows maybe he had a plane too! /emoticons/default_laugh.png
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Yes,international shipping is usually painfully expensive nowdays. That is one of the main reasons I won't ship out of the CONUS anymore. That, insurance and tracking through customs of other countries - ugh. I've heard damage claims and returns are the fourth level of hell.

Good luck however it goes for you.

 
I had that same problem with the longer sturdier box. I ended up having to cut down the end of the box to shorten it (I had plenty of room at both ends to shorten the box).

 
Yeah, international shipping has become INSANE!! Since the price of gas has come down, you have to wonder?

I recently bought a HUGE 7-string Thunderbird Bass that was shipped from Australia to NY via the proverbial "slowboat from China".....yeah, ocean freight. Wasn't my choice, seller apparently tried his hand at having a pile of Asian guitars with his brand name on them and decided to sell of his trade show samples. Put them all in one container, individually wrapped and addressed and floated them to U.S. To then be sent to each buyer.......ONLY Downside was it to over TWO MONTHS to arrive!!!

That was probably cheaper per guitar, than even the USPS....but only works if you have a pile of 'em going the same direction.

I swear there is a market niche open for someone who likes to travel and hand-carry instruments around the world.

I had a seller fly to NYC from Brusssels, Belgium about a months back for like HALF THE PRICE of what shipping a big vintage tube amp head would have cost. He broke it up into two boxes (preamp in case and the amp) and made then his carry-on luggage. Actually wrapped the amp with his TShirt and pants in a gym bag. Be a fun full time job delivering gear all over the planet and spending a few days in each place.

 
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mc2 said:
I swear there is a market niche open for someone who likes to travel and hand-carry instruments around the world.
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I dunn that. Helped a band I was working with who was touring the UK as support for Motörhead. I flew over to London with them and checked in guitars as my luggage. That was cheaper than to ship the stuff over. I then flew back the same evening, while the band continued on tour.

 
I shipped a Daytona and the only way to get it there was to take the neck off and ship the Neck in a tube and the body in a box. Save a TON of money doing it that way.

 
I shipped myself there, Australia, twice; it was very expensive... unfortunately, I had to pay the return freight as well.

 
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One clever way I avoided shipping and duties....I was a Leduc Bass endorser (French builder) and had requested another bass

In a custom green finish. They had it for me at a January NAMM Show in Anaheim. The only catch was that they wanted to use it in the booth as a display piece...at BOTH the NAMM Show and then at the Frankfurt MusicMesse in March.

So.....I had them take a photo of me playing the bass in CA with obvious identifying signs that I was in America.

Then, after I'd picked up the bass in Germany at Musicmesse and went to the airport and thru customs, I pulled out the photo of me playing it in CA and just said it was a "carry on personal instrument that I had brought over to Germany to perform with and was bringing it home the the U.S." Worked great!! /emoticons/default_smile.png

A funny aside was the guys at Leduc laughed at me for wanting a trans green bass and actually told me they thought it was "hideous."

I had sent them a color sample from a 1991 Robin Guitars Catalog. They nailed the color exactly!!

At the close of the MusicMesse, they sheepishly looked at me when I picked the bass up and confessed "everybody wanted the green one...we could have sold 100 of them!"

 
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