OK, so for those of you that sell your builds I'm sure you've run in to what I'm running in to now. What is the best way to ship the CBG you've just sold?
I just shipped the very first CBG I've ever sold and I have to tell you I got hosed, nothing should cost that much to pack up and ship. I'm not even gonna say how much it was here cause it's embarrasing.
So please let me know, what do you guys do? What carrier do you use to ship them? Where do you get the boxes and dtuff if you do it yourself?
I'm so pissed right now that I might not sell another one if I can't find a way to do it within reason.
Thanks guys, all the best to you,
BigB
P.S. Damn, no spell check on here
Replies
I'm fat old broke and ugly, so there's never any romantic tension
But her son has been playing since he was a small boy and I built him a simple 3 string CBG out of parts from one of his old guitars
I ended up with a small box of parts for other builds and a shipper that works hard to keep me from spending too much money at her store
stan bryars said:
I use a local UPS/FED EX/USPS store that I have used for years now
I recently shipped two to one customer and the lady at the store didn't like the way I packaged them, which would have cost me well over $20
She found another box and repacked and shipped it for $16, which was $1 more than I charged for shipping
Now I just drop them off and she finds the appropriate boxes in her junk box pile or waits till one comes in
it helps to develop a relationship with anyone you do business with
Cool thing is, the box is unprinted. I suppose if you wanted to, use army style spray letter templates and make your own labels.
-WY
If you pack yourself, you still have to pay for the box and packing material, which can still add up. The problem with instruments is they are long and skinny, and an adequate box is hard to find. Sometimes i get creative by buying two boxes and taping them together to make one box, which can actually cost less. I try to buy (or make) boxes so there is 2-3 inches free space on each side of the instrument; top, bottom, sides, and overall length.
For packing, you can buy a few bags of peanuts. This is also costly and doesn't necessarily do the best job unless they are packed so tight the instrument can't move. I usually get creative: fill the free space around the instrument with other spare boxes that are cut and bent into tubes or triangles. You can also use crumpled up newspaper & magazine pages as fill. As mentioned, the goal is to fill the free space so the instrument cannot move, and to fill with light but sturdy material. Think about how well things would hold up if the box was dropped or kicked. Also, I always cover the instrument with a couple of trash bags, overlapped and sealed with packing tape. This protects the instrument from being scratched by the packing material, and possibly water intrusion.
I have a Ground Shipping account with FedEx. They are easy to get online, or just set up at a local KInko's. You can also drop off for shipping at Kinkos. Packages are automatically insured for $100, but you can add additional insurance. Otherwise, USPS seems to have decent rates.
On ebay, I elect to pass the shipping cost on to the customer for larger items. I roughly estimate the box dimensions and overall weight, then ebay automatically adds the shipping cost at auction close based on the buyers zip. A reasonable average shipping estimate for most instruments in the continental US is $25. You might make or lose a couple of bucks on the transaction, but it is reasonable.
You could either add the shipping cost into your instruments, or preferably leave it separate so the customer knows what they are paying for. Shippng is definitely a hassle, and I'm not willing to do it for free.
What shipping I HAVE done ( very little) has turned out ok, except for 1 that I screwed up shipping to ND.
I'm not fond of shipping and much prefer dealing with my customers in person.Having this shop in the MALL where I work works well for me.