A Fedex first! and shipping Advice :)

[Dallas Marlow]

So aside from all the horror stories of shipping... I actually have a great experience today.

Let it be known *knocks on wood* that all packages I've ever gotten from fedex have been on time and in great shape but check this...
I sold a pedal to a friend of mine, one of the ones I was selling on here actually but ended up he needed it. I shipped it yesterday as cheap as possible $12 and change or so, and they said it would be there Monday. He just texts me and keep in mind I sent it out yesterday afternoon, it was received at 9 am this morning, so an over night, saturday, early AM delivery LOL, I used to work at a law firm and from fedex that costs like $150, what the heck haha?

Anyway, that's just a great change from how shipping with UPS has been treating me lately!

Btw heres a few things for shipping insurance you should know, because I spoke to a private shipping co, not a UPS store they are clueless.

1) Manufactures packaging is NOT considered strong enough for shipping with UPS/Fedex, they have apparently much higher packaging standards necessary for shipping, because the manfs. pack. is used on THEIR trucks with THEIR shipping people and doesn't go through the automated process where stuff can get beat up, so don't assume your manufactures packaging is good enough, according to them it's #1 NOT and #2 they wont cover your insurance claim if that's how they shipped it.

2) Once you use a box ONE time it loses 50% of it's strength and protection ability, again this is according to a private shop that ships both Fedex/UPS and this is what I was told. So reuse of boxes even if they look lightly worn is not the safest possible thing.

3) No matter the AGE of the product whether or not it's 100 years old, according to the woman I spoke with for insurance claims they must ALWAYS have a receipt showing the value of the item... This is such total bull shit to me, you will never hear that from a UPS store, but from the store owners personal experience for insurance claims she said they ALWAYS require a receipt.

My best advice to you all shipping anything of real value, pack that bitch in kevlar 30 lbs of bubble wrap and enough peanuts to go swimming in, because honestly from what I've seen the insurance is basically a rip off, and no matter how you pack something they will try to find a flaw with it, and even then if it's something you don't have a receipt for you can't prove it's value, and none of us has the time or financial capability to sue a company the size of UPS or Fedex.

Oh and in her personal experience she said getting money from UPS was easier than getting money from Fedex for claims, and knowing how impossibly hard it was dealing with UPS over a blatantly obvious claim... well, I don't want to find out with Fedex.

Hopefully this will help someone out there!

Dallas

 

[Scumback Speakers]

I had to ship a cabinet to Australia once. I paid for Fedex International Economy, so figure 5-8 days according to the website. I shipped it on a Thursday, it got to Australia on their Monday (our Sunday), so the client was very pleased, to say the least.

Here's a packing tip for everyone who ships. When I ship out cab/amps/etc. I use a product called Insulfoam (http://www.insulfoam.com/), available at Home Depot. It's a very lightweight but strong insulation material you can buy in various thicknesses from 1/2 to 1.5" thick. It weighs a bunch less than other packing materials, and it's pretty tough, too. Easily cut with a razor knife, I just shipped a 4x12 across the country with two 1" thick layers around the cab (the cab did have a protective cover, though) and it arrived with no damage via Fedex Ground/Home Delivery. A 4x12 cab will need two 1.5" thick 4x8 ft pieces (actually a little less), and cost about $15 per sheet.

I also use this to ship overseas, and due to USPS size limitations, when I ship a 2x12 cab overseas, I can only use one layer of 3/4" around the cab. I've shipped several cabs overseas, and none of them have been damaged in transit, either.

 

[NewWorldMan]

Here's a packing tip for everyone who ships. When I ship out cab/amps/etc. I use a product called Insulfoam (http://www.insulfoam.com/), available at Home Depot. It's a very lightweight but strong insulation material you can buy in various thicknesses from 1/2 to 1.5" thick. It weighs a bunch less than other packing materials, and it's pretty tough, too. Easily cut with a razor knife, I just shipped a 4x12 across the country with two 1" thick layers around the cab (the cab did have a protective cover, though) and it arrived with no damage via Fedex Ground/Home Delivery. A 4x12 cab will need two 1.5" thick 4x8 ft pieces (actually a little less), and cost about $15 per sheet.

I also use this to ship overseas, and due to USPS size limitations, when I ship a 2x12 cab overseas, I can only use one layer of 3/4" around the cab. I've shipped several cabs overseas, and none of them have been damaged in transit, either.

That foam is definitely nice. It does work really well for international shipments, especially when you have pretty strict size restrictions on boxes to some countries and need secure items with limited space.

I've had the most luck so far with UPS claims, and thankfully I've only had a handful over the countless transactions I've done. If you have a UPS store pack something, it will be more costly but eliminate potential headaches too. I've done it both ways. I shipped a Roland JC-120 2X12 to a guy one time and UPS literally crushed the cab. Because UPS themselves packed it, I didn't have to prove anything or provide any receipts. They assumed all liability for the damage immediately. I filed a claim and the guy got his check for the insured amount the same week.