Shipping a Tuba

[johnnymack]

Hello, As I understand it Greyhound Package Express is no longer in operation. What is the best way to ship a tuba? Which carriers accept the Size dimension of a Tuba? I remember AMTrac had a Package Express System. IDK if they are still operating.Which Carriers are you all using? What is a Typical cost to ship a Tuba now?
TY,
John McKevitt

[circusboy]

I suspect most folks are using UPS now. They will ship that size and weight. Just don't let them tell you they know how to pack it. Last I asked UPS, they said they'd put it in a big box and fill it with styrofoam peanuts. If you pack it well yourself, they should be fine. Depending on final size, weight and distance shipped, your likely looking at $250-300.

For the last one I had shipped to me, I used Navis https://www.gonavis.com/. It was a very large tuba coming from Texas to California. Including picking up from the seller, packing and shipping, it cost about $560. I know that's a lot, but it was so beautifully and safely packed, then mounted to a wooden palette and shipped via freight. No issues at all.

[iiipopes]

Lee Stofer put my sousaphone in a very, very, well packed box, put it on a pallet, shrink wrapped it, and shipped it common carrier, in my case Old Dominion, but most cities have multiple carriers and depots available. It cost a little bit more, but with the value of the instrument, why not ship it the best way possible. I picked it up at the dock on the other side of town to save a significant amount in shipping costs. Of course, it arrived in perfect shape. I left the pallet and the shrink wrap at the dock and loaded the souzy home in its box in my SUV.

[iiipopes]

Yeah, Greyhound Package Express shut down a while back. For shipping a tuba, you'll want to look at carriers like UPS, FedEx, and sometimes even USPS for smaller ones.

I respectfully disagree. It will cost more and be less secure than getting a pallet and using a common carrier. I work in a retail business that takes deliveries of fragile items every day. Yes, UPS and FedEx for the "small items." A tuba is NOT a "small item" for their definitions. Bill of lading with a common carrier and UCC protections for the shipment of a valuable instrument outweigh, to me, any notion of quick or easy.

[Rick F]

As far as packing a tuba for shipment see this excellent post by Norm Pearson:
viewtopic.php?p=277419#p277419

[Eflatdoubler]

I shipped through ups but went on the website pirate ship.com which saved me about 30 percent. You can also look into uShip.com and request bids