Shipping from UK to US

[steveh]

I wonder if the UK bretheren can help me?

I need to ship a guitar from the UK to the US and was wondering who people use and who they have had a good experience with?

The guitar in question (not a MM) was shipped from the USA to the UK via USPS, was impossible to track once it had left the USA, and spent 5 weeks getting from Stanstead airport to my house. Suffice to say, it was a bit late to count as the Christmas present I had promised myself. It also arrived with the mother of all neck pocket cracks. It's in the finish only but I'm staring at it each time I play the guitar since its on the upper bout. I bought it new from a dealer but the builder has offered to refinish it for free (what a top man J*** S*** is!) if I can get it to him.

I've bought lots of guitars from the USA to the UK and had them shipped by whoever the vendor has chosen (I'll never use USPS again! They're cheap but just too much of a delay). However, I've never done it in the opposite direction. Who do you think I should use? Obviously my recent experience has made me a little nervous.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[daangroen]

AAAAAAAAH i am suffering the same problem man! i have a guitar that is been shipping through USPS, and i cant track it anymore...it left JFK airport sunday or saterday, but argh now i can't track it, 'internation dispatch message i get' did u happen to have this aswell? im actually geting quiet worried like 'what if the guitar got lost, what if it has been stolen' you know. it feels a bit better however hearing from someone that has suffered the same problem, what happened with the 5-6 day guaranttee delivery.

please dont let me wait five weeks for the guitar :O

but to answer your question, i before have used DHL, who seemed to work pretty good, no damage, fast, you can contact them everywhere (unlike USPS who is american company), and good TRACKING lol, so you dont have to feel worried, like oh dear 'whatifs'

 

[steveh]

My guitar left the USA 2 days after it was bought by me and then complete radio silence. There is no way of tracking the instrument once it leaves the US. In the UK the Royal Mail takes over the responsibility of delvering it locally, but the tracking systems of USPS and Royal Mail don't marry up unsurprisingly.

Whenever I've bought a guitar from the USA before, it's been delivered in about a week (once I'd been contacted by the shipper and paid customs/taxes etc), but I've never used USPS before. On this occasion...nothing. I contacted the US dealer after a couple of weeks, fearing the instrument was lost, and he told me not to worry - he was sure the instrument would eventually turn up. By 4 weeks I was sweating bullets! I was on the verge of escalating action when a Royal Mail letter landed on my doorstep at 5 weeks, asking me to pay customs/tax. 2 days later the guitar was in my hands. The dealer said that it had sometimes taken up to 6 weeks for delivery to a UK address, especially around Christmas.

I reckon it'll turn up, but don't hold your breath.

Approx how much do DHL charge?

Cheers,
Steve

 

[daangroen]

ouch ouch, well hope it gets soon here!

more, i had to pay 200 dollars for a bassguitar, but an electric guitar should be less i guess.

 

[augustyn]

I shipped a lot of guitars from USA to austria by USPS and it never took longer than 2 weeks. and that was at xmas (lot of holidays).
i believe the problem wasnt USPS it was the UK customs and royal mail service.

sorry to hear that experience. good luck shipping it back.

 

[Beth]

FedEx or UPS. It's more expensive, but you can track it every step of the way and if it gets stuck, you actually know where and why!

 

[steveh]

Hey Agustyn - I've been on the waiting list for an Axe-FX since June 07. When did you get on and you get yours? Was it from G66? I sold my super Cornford Harlequin 'cos I was led to believe the Axe would turn uo by the end of the summer...I'm still waiting. Maybe they meant summer 2008? Nevermind, the wait makes it all the sweeter.

Anyway, how's it sound with your Balls?

Steve

 

[Larry]

FedEx or UPS. It's more expensive, but you can track it every step of the way and if it gets stuck, you actually know where and why!

UPS

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I have used Fedex and UPS without any problems. Royal Mail is a total disaster, so avoid anything that's routed by them. Parcel Farce included.