Shipping horror

[BobKat]

Couple of weeks ago, I ordered a 610/12FG from Mr. Music up in Allston, MA. I asked them to ship it to my office. Well, the guitar did not show up the next day but I figured UPS must just be a little slow (it's Zone 1 for me so typically that gets here overnight).

I come home that night, eat dinner, etc.... kid comes in, and I aks him to take out the trash. Good thing I did. He comes back and says,

"Dad, do you know there's a guitar laying out on the patio in the rain?"

"What"?

"I said.."

"I know what you said. But what do you mean?"

"There's a guitar box, laying on the patio. In the rain".

Brain Flash. They have shipped my guitar to the house. UPS leaves it on the back steps, no notice, and it falls over and is now getting rained on. Fortunately the rain had just started. I ran outside and rescused the box, carrrying it downstairs to my workshop to dry. Guitar and case were fine.

[BlueAngel]

My 4003 which I got off Ebay arrived in just the case - not even tape over the latches or anything, just a plain and clearly logo'ed RIC case with a shipping sticker on it. To my surprise, there was still an undamaged bass in the case! I'm not sure whether the broken case stud happened in transit or not - given that the condition of the bass was not even close to the 'mint' description (and the single pic was poor so I couldn't tell - but it was fairly cheap so I bought it anyway) it may have been like that before he sent it.

I did send him an email thanking him for the quick delivery but explaining that this wasn't exactly the best way to have shipped it... first time seller so maybe he just didn't know, but you'd think he would have seen the way other packages arrive and at least tried to do something similar.

Still, I bought it as a working tool not a wall hanger, so I suppose its roadworthiness has been tested effectively .

[Wurlitzer]

I think UPS charges you more if you ship a guitar case with no box.
I received a Guitar in a case from Japan wrapped in just bubble wrap,
it was in once piece.

[1965]

I think UPS charges you more if you ship a guitar case with no box.
I received a Guitar in a case from Japan wrapped in just bubble wrap,
it was in once piece.

That's pretty ghetto. If they already went through the trouble of wrapping it, how much harder could it have possibly been to put it in a box?

[doctorwho]

I think UPS charges you more if you ship a guitar case with no box.
I received a Guitar in a case from Japan wrapped in just bubble wrap,
it was in once piece.

My 381JK came that way, although it also had brown kraft paper over the bubble wrap ... unfortunately, the guitar arrived with a cracked lower pickguard :

OW Ow Ow!

I did receive a bass guitar in the case with no box ... it was a cherry red 1960's Vox Cougar in its original case (the case was taped up). Guitar and case arrived safe and sound ... the case had the original keys wired to the handle, and they made it through!

[jingle_jangle]

Having had over two dozen combo organs sent to me over the last few years, I've seen these hard-to-ship monsters sent all sorts of ways.

I've gotten a properly-packed Elka (ex-Strawberry Alarm Clock, and mint when I bought it) shipped from TX to SF, and it arrived on my day off. One of my guys signed for it, and when I got in the next day and went to open the shipping box, I didn't have to--it lifted right off. Apparently Fed Ex Freight had dragged the box across a concrete floor or asphalt parking lot or something...the entire bottom of the box was ground away, along with, unfortunately, the tolex on the bottom and about a quarter of the plywood case as well. There was heavy internal damage, too.

I got another Elka without any box--just the case taped shut and labels applied to the Tolex. It cleaned up OK and plays fine.

My VOX Continental came from KC in a special flight case that the CL seller found for sale for $50.00, on CL, the same day I bought the VOX from him. So I got a bonus, although the freight bill was a bit higher. And it was from this guy that I found out that Greyhound is by far the best way to ship combo organs.

[ken_j]

I think UPS charges you more if you ship a guitar case with no box.

That is correct.