Shipping a tuba long distance

[dmeacham5]

What carrier would/have you used, how much did it cost (including insurance?) How long and far did it take and was there damage to the horn?
Dmeacham5

[MacedoniaTuba]

I must say i have never shipped a tuba with me,but i traveled from south-east europe (Macedonia) to Denver and has changed three flights. I packed my tuba in a strong cardboard box. I strengthened the walls with a material similar to foam,but much more stronger. I put air bubbles and some sponge inside. My tu a was lost in New York by the company and when they finally got it in Denver,i had small dent on my bell. That's my experience. However,i don't know about shipping cost and shipping procedure.

[chronolith]

While carrier does play a part in this, most mistakes (including retailers and other so called professional entities in these transactions) happen in the packing of the instrument. There are plenty of suggestions on how to best pack up a horn. With some care in packing even and angry gorilla with a catapult can safely deliver a horn.

That said, I have had run ins with most of the carriers over the years. From personal experience:

Amtrak: Very safe and low risk, price is generally good, pain in the arse to drop off and pick up depending on your location, not the best option for shipping quickly, or even reasonably not slow, tracking can be very nebulous or non-existent.

UPS: Most reliable in terms of time and tracking, but also the most violent and depending on how large your box, most expensive. IMHO this is the quick and dirty option, but every time I use them it feels like a spin of the roulette wheel. Had a horn badly damaged by them en route to me, but in fairness, the seller packed the horn very poorly.

Fedex: About as fast and reliable as UPS, good tracking, generally the best price for shipping inside of a week. Never had anything go wrong with them sending a horn, or (so far) receiving a horn.

Disclaimer - I have never shipped a horn to someone outside of North America so I cannot speak to that. I will defer to others about overseas shipping.

[Tom]

Tuba shipping has been discussed on this forum many, many times. Spend an evening reading the threads (google "tuba shipping" site: chisham.com) to see what's worked and what hasn't and who has been lucky and who has grown frustrated with shipping damage. Be sure to carefully read about instrument packing, experiences with shipping company insurance, and experiences with package tracking as it's all over the map with different shippers.

My tuba flying and shipping days are over, period, but you could even search out some of my old posts. I've used UPS, FedEx, DHL, Amtrak, and Greyhound, some of these more than once, and all for tubas and/or tuba cases. Keep in mind that the hands-down absolute best thing you can do to get a tuba to it's destination safely is to drive it there.

Also consider how the reputable shops that frequently sell tubas ship their stuff: the instrument is put inside of a plastic bag and then into the middle of a HUGE, HUGE box full of packing peanuts and sealed with strapping tape (and sometimes even plastic strapping bands). The instruments are shipped by a commercial trucking line, not a "consumer grade" carrier like UPS, FedEx and the like. They are NOT shipped in their cases, either. Generally speaking most people seem to think that hard case = shipping container, a bad move in my opinion...there is a reason that shops (and manufacturers) send the horns and the cases separately.

[dmeacham5]

Can you have the XS baggage ship to your door?
Dmeacham5
Thank you

[swillafew]

Just paid 228 to Fedex Ground to ship a factory PT-6 box from IL to CO. Box weighed 41 pounds with tuba and gig bag. I would not get involved in such a thing without getting the most appropriate box in good condition (recently shipped by Fedex Ground). Recipient was pleased with the result.

[Ruigekerel]

And what would you suggest if someone was planning to ship a tuba from West-Europe to the USA? The main problem is finding a good box big enough to maintain 120 cm x 70 cm x 60 cm...

Thx