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Have you considered asking FedEx?

Dont know how safe that would be to ship it in a gig bag

Measure the length, width and depth of the horn in the bag. Add four inches to each measurement. Those are the dimensions of the box.

Weigh the horn and bag and add 20 lbs for the box and packing material. That is the total weight.

Then contact FedX.

I Fed-exed a MW 2165 in a gig bag inside a huge box of styrofoam peanuts this past summer from Indy to Lee Stofer at his new digs in Iowa. One way was $300.00 with insurance. It arrived without incident.

Call FedEx.

It's the only place you'll get truly valid information.

Better yet, go to FedEx's website and guestimate the sizes and shipping costs. Price it out yourself. Go to a freestanding mailbox place like PakMail or somthing like that. Pay them to pack it and ship it. I only suggest you do the pricing yourself first so you make sure you get a decent deal from the mailer place.

Therefore, if the tuba gets damaged in transit, FedEx and the packer should take care of it. It should not be possible for them to tell you it was improperly packed and deny a damage claim.

I have done this myself (albeit with a with a much smaller instrument). It was damaged in international shipping. FedEx paid the damages AND refunded shipping.

I would suggest FedEx GROUND if at all possible.

B&S PT-6 weighs 31 lbs.

MW215588 wrote:a guy said his shipment was going to cost him about 1000 dollars to ship? IS that price even possible??

Depends where it's going. New York to Sydney? Definitely.

Otherwise, I'd say the packaging outfit was being a little too mercenary...

I wouldn't use FedEx. I'd use DHL. They are more reasonable, they know how to handle fragile items better, as they got their start importing fresh flowers from Hawaii to the West Coast, and my tuba arrived in exactly the same condition as it was shipped. http://www.dhl.com

I've shipped a 6/4 Nirschl in its flight case via FedEx ground for around $20! This was of course without insurance and I have done this twice. I think the 2nd time may have been a bit more. All depends on weight and case dimensions.

My Yamaha cost $230 to go FedEx ground from Alexandria, VA to Fairbanks, AK. That was the horn, in a gig bag, in a large box. Most air shippers charge more for large light items, because they can make more money with the same space carrying heavy smaller heavy items.

I would suggest their ground service.