So I haven't shipped many heavy things, a couple of amps in the past several years and a couple of guitars. I was taken back a bit by how much it costs to ship these items.
I was expecting like $60-70 for shipping costs on my Marshall, but damn it was nearly $100. I did ship it a Marshall wheeled carrying bag and double boxed it, but damn, $100!
What I love best is that they charge a fuel surcharge too... I thought that paying for shipping was enough, but to get slapped with a fuel surcharge as well...
lol, you obviously did something wrong. I just shipped off three of mine for an average cost of $5 in packaging and $30 in shipping for each amp.
~Surviving HCAF Deserter~ Good deals with: [HCAF:] Anibawl, Senor Limpo, Infi-del [GAB:] Killa J, Mike LX-R, Crunchtime Guitars: Jackson RR3, Jackson DKMG, Jackson DK2, Hamer Californian (MIK) Marshall DSL100 Madison Divinity II Marshall MF280A&B
Did you pay them to pack it, too? That's where they really screw you. Last guitar I shipped (to you!) was less than $20 and the last amp was around $30.
No, I packed it myself... The amp weighed 61 pounds, but the receipt I got said the "billable weight" was 83 pounds... It probably had to do with the size of the package.
I wanted to make sure that the amp made it safe to the purchaser, so maybe doing the double box wasn't necessary, but I feel safer that way too...
Yarbicus, I paid ~$65 to ship mine to you... I really need to figure out how to ship things with less packaging... You shipped an amp for $30???? Damn, I need to figure my shit out!!!
I need to know what you two do for shipping amps!!!
exafro wrote:Spending the extra money to make sure something is packed right and survivable is worth it to me.
I just wish it wasn't sooooo expensive. I know it is the nature of the beast, especially with amps and guitars. However, trying to figure out everything after the fact when something goes wrong is a lot more frustrating.
And I assume everyone is shipping ground - and not 2-3 day express or overnight??
Edit: Also if you ship from an account - I think we get a 65% - 70% discount where I work.
That is a cool setup you have there! I would love to be able to have something like that setup. You are right, I did ship ground. I could only imagine 3 day or overnight... That would be soooo expensive!
I have a personal account with FedEx. It was free I get a decent discount (can't remember the actual amount). I have a garage full of packing supplies and various sized boxes. I have shipped dozens of items and never had a single one damaged.
guitarbilly wrote:If there is a way to ship an amp for $30 I would like to know how.
This... I call total bullshit... I will say that the Diezel I have shipped were close to $100 because they are on the heavier end of things... but I've never paid LESS than $60 to ship a full sized head...
Also there are certain size limits depending on the dimensions where you can fall into a "Medium-Large" or "Large" Category... so if you double boxed a full sized amp even though it sounds crazy $100 definitely isn't unheard of....
Whenever I shipped an amp, I charged the buyer $75. I had an over-sized box and used those weird padding bags that you pop open, chemical reaction occurs, put it in place, it expands and turns into a hard foam. They are rather expensive. I actually paid about $45-$55 at the Fedex store, but I charged extra to buy those bags, which are the BEST way to ship fragile objects.
Demiurge wrote:Whenever I shipped an amp, I charged the buyer $75. I had an over-sized box and used those weird padding bags that you pop open, chemical reaction occurs, put it in place, it expands and turns into a hard foam. They are rather expensive. I actually paid about $45-$55 at the Fedex store, but I charged extra to buy those bags, which are the BEST way to ship fragile objects.
I have never seen or heard of this. That sounds like a cool idea... I will look into those for future reference.
this is what i'm talking about, we paid about 2/3 the price, and I bought them from our company individually at cost. for average consumers, i do not recommend, they are expensive.
Yeah, I shipped the plexi to drae and it was definitely more than $30. I went to a box store and bought cardboard/supplies to make my own dual wall setup which was also $15.
I am going to have to ask for more money when I post my amps to help cover shipping costs... I honestly was expecting around $60-70, so I lost money on the sale... Oh well, hind sight is 20/20.
guitarbilly wrote:If there is a way to ship an amp for $30 I would like to know how.
This... I call total bullshit... I will say that the Diezel I have shipped were close to $100 because they are on the heavier end of things... but I've never paid LESS than $60 to ship a full sized head...
Also there are certain size limits depending on the dimensions where you can fall into a "Medium-Large" or "Large" Category... so if you double boxed a full sized amp even though it sounds crazy $100 definitely isn't unheard of....
Well you guys know what a troll I am!
It was solid state and several years ago but it was around $30 bucks. I have found that size matters more than weight. Particularly for guitars. A couple extra inches to the height of the box can double the price.
