There are shipping stores than can make what amounts to a road case for your CBG by filling the bottom of the box with liquid styrofoam, then a layer of plastic, then your git, plastic, styrofoam. You end up with a form-fitted two-part hard case.
I've received my purchased builds the following ways, with no damage:
1) They all had at least one outer stiff cardboard box, held together with proper packing tape.
2) One was then packed in many layers of bubble wrap, tightly taped, inside a Fender gig bag
3) One was in foam peanuts, inside a trade show banner zippable semi-hard shell case
4) And one was in a specially constructed styrofoam, form-fitting box, held together with duct tape.
All made it safely cross country, and then internationally.
II have had several CBG's shipped from the USA to Australia. All have arrived in good condition including "Canjo' (2) from Gitty. They have been packed in bubble wrap. Plenty of layers (4) and then strapped very tightly with adhesive tape. Finally they were in cardboard ((Corrugated (fluted). One came enclosed in a plain cardboard box. I think the secret is to use very tightly wound bubble wrap.
I haven't ever sent an instrument, but I have purchased a few over the Internet which were delivered by delivery services like UPS which were double boxed. This is to say there was an inner cardboard box, usually sized to just fit the instrument, then and outer cardboard box with some packing material between the two, be it bubble wrap or white foam "pop-corn". The instruments were all ukes (a soprano, a concert and a baritone), and all from different sources. These instruments are perhaps a bit more delicate than cigar box guitars, but so far this packing method has a proven success rate. Oh, and they were bought & shipped without any kind of guitar (ukulele) case or gig bag.
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There are shipping stores than can make what amounts to a road case for your CBG by filling the bottom of the box with liquid styrofoam, then a layer of plastic, then your git, plastic, styrofoam. You end up with a form-fitted two-part hard case.
1) They all had at least one outer stiff cardboard box, held together with proper packing tape.
2) One was then packed in many layers of bubble wrap, tightly taped, inside a Fender gig bag
3) One was in foam peanuts, inside a trade show banner zippable semi-hard shell case
4) And one was in a specially constructed styrofoam, form-fitting box, held together with duct tape.
All made it safely cross country, and then internationally.
II have had several CBG's shipped from the USA to Australia. All have arrived in good condition including "Canjo' (2) from Gitty. They have been packed in bubble wrap. Plenty of layers (4) and then strapped very tightly with adhesive tape. Finally they were in cardboard ((Corrugated (fluted). One came enclosed in a plain cardboard box. I think the secret is to use very tightly wound bubble wrap.
Hi Dick Mott,
I haven't ever sent an instrument, but I have purchased a few over the Internet which were delivered by delivery services like UPS which were double boxed. This is to say there was an inner cardboard box, usually sized to just fit the instrument, then and outer cardboard box with some packing material between the two, be it bubble wrap or white foam "pop-corn". The instruments were all ukes (a soprano, a concert and a baritone), and all from different sources. These instruments are perhaps a bit more delicate than cigar box guitars, but so far this packing method has a proven success rate. Oh, and they were bought & shipped without any kind of guitar (ukulele) case or gig bag.
-Rand.