Blue Tile Fever
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I have no box so i might just have to let them do it. Any idea how badly i'll get screwed? 

TOO MUCH. I thought their packing supplies and services were very expensive. ( chances are the gorillas in the back will break it anyWAY )
I just had The local UPS Store ship a 20 pound Gibson GA-5 amp for me. The 18 x 18 x 18 inch box with them packing it was $12. The cheapest UPS shipping rate including $4 for insurance was $38. the total was $51.
I don't understand how people are shipping things for ten bucks. It seems that if a seller lists a realistic shipping rate, the buyers think the seller is inflating the shipping price as a way of making extra money. Do people really think that everyone just happens to have the right size box and bubble wrap and tape just sitting around? I guess I could have used a glue stick to make a bigger box out of several kleenex boxes and I could have used a couple plys of toilet paper rather than bubble wrap.
How are people shipping things at a low price?
Shipping an Amp / packing an amp.
secretchord53![]()
Supporting Member
Being a guitarist for 20 years AND a UPS store employee for 7, I can tell you most people pack musical gear insufficiently. Even when you think it's packed well, it's usually not. ask yourself these 3 questions:
1. if my package fell from a height of 5-7 feet, would it be okay?
2. if a 70 pound package fell on top of mine, would it be okay?
3. if the package was rolled end over end, would it be okay? (yes, delivery people are trained to move heavy packages this way.)
if you can't answer yes to all of those questions, it's not packed well enough. end of story.
as for UPS/FedEx or USPS (UPS and FedEx are basically the same service, regardless of what others tell you...if somebody has better luck with one or the other, it's because the 'bad' one screwed them first), use UPS/FedEx. They both offer comprehensive tracking and their insurance rates, options, and claims processing are all superior to USPS's.
yes, it's usually best to pull the tubes and wrap them separately in bubble wrap.
here's how i pack all of my amps at the very least (the heavier/more expensive ones get better treatment than this):
--wrap the amp in big bubbled bubble wrap. you can usually get the tubes in the body of a combo amp.
--put the wrapped amp into a very snug box. if there's any extraneous room, fill it with more bubble wrap or peanuts. NOTE: only bubble wrap, foam, and peanuts are acceptable packaging material for insurance and claim purposes. Do not use newspaper or anything that doesn't have 'memory'.
--put that box into an outer box lined with 1" thick foam sheeting.
--tape the hell out of the box. there's no such thing as too much tape.
there should be cardboard, 1" thick foam, more cardboard, and 1"+ of bubble wrap/peanuts between the outside of the box and the amp. this is minimum.
for lighter/smaller amps, there is a type of packaging called 'foam in place' which is a spray in foam that molds to the shape of the item. this would be another excellent option for packaging amps.
i've seen too many high end things (guitars, amps, computers, etc) damaged because people skimped on packaging, especially on eBay sales. i know it costs more, but it's worth the extra money to package things well. would you rather pay an extra $50 to make sure something arrives safely, or potentially lose $1500 when the item arrives damaged and your insurance claim is denied because it wasn't packed well enough?
My comment: do not let the carrier pack your amp. On any given day, you have a different employee who might think peanuts is enough. I know - I have received items with all the peanuts on one side of the box. JUST DON"T DO IT!!!!!! Follow the advice above.
Well, there certainly won't be any love involved.Any idea how badly i'll get screwed?![]()
I don't understand how people are shipping things for ten bucks. Do people really think that everyone just happens to have the right size box and bubble wrap and tape just sitting around? How are people shipping things at a low price?
Agreed.BTW: Don't be so quick to throw out the boxes and packing supplies when something arrives. I always end up reusing what got shipped to me and it saves a tree!
Guitars usually cost me $45 +- to ship
Heads about $50 to $65
I shipped an AC30 type amp for over $125
I just shipped a quad of speakers in two boxes for $70
Effects going through USPS with their free boxes are about $9
Items a little larger through the Shipping companies are about $16
I went behind Best Buy . They have paper recycling dumpsters with broken down boxes. Grabbed a bunch of HD suitable sizes. I made two boxes to fit. One for the amp and another to put that box into. Homebrew box in box tecnology. Cost only the price of a couple of rolls of re-enforced tape. Went I brought it to the UPS store I was glad. Couldnt believe how much they were quoting some people to box stuff! Bob