acoustics and insurance for shipping

Brek01 · May 2022

found a d-18 i am interested in buying, other end of country though. seller is prepared to post at my expense which is as it should be, but he wants it insured, so, which couriers still insure instruments in the UK?.

guitarjack66 · May 2022

Overland Express is popular,I believe.

Lewy · May 2022

I've used Secursus based on people's feedback on here. Have never made a claim though so don't know first hand what they're really like when it matters.

Edit: I should clarify, they are just the insurance. So what you do is use whichever courier you want, but don't use their insurance, you use Secursus instead.

Brek01 · May 2022

Lewy said:

I've used Secursus based on people's feedback on here. Have never made a claim though so don't know first hand what they're really like when it matters.

Edit: I should clarify, they are just the insurance. So what you do is use whichever courier you want, but don't use their insurance, you use Secursus instead.

Thanks for the info. Trying to work out a meetup as it appears the seller travels a lot.

Mellish · May 2022

I've mainly used APC Overnight. I've not had an issue but, still, I'm reluctant to recommend any courier in case it goes wrong.

Is it out of the question for you to get the train? Time-consuming but safer

TheMadMick · May 2022

You might also consider, if you like the guitar and you have traveled, how you might pay for it. If you have your banking on your phone, that might work. I don't but I have done it on the web using WiFi on my phone.

Brek01 · May 2022

yeah mobile bankings a thing i do when paying for things. Sod carrying £8k in cash about these days.

ElectricXII · May 2022

Secursus are good. 8 grand though? It must be one hell of a special D-18.

Brek01 · May 2022

Sorry was talking about last time I carried cash for a guitar. It was a braz 000-42.

GTC · May 2022

There was a rare guitar model I'd been searching after for two years which appeared on Reverb as buyer collects - but it was a minimum 8-hour round trip from me. The buyer was willing to look into shipping but there were some delays. I paid in full via PayPal

So - I had a brainwave. I did a Google search for guitar shops in Huntingdon and found a very good one - Music Street. I asked if the seller could get the guitar to them, could they ship it me. They said yes and a price was agreed, although I had to accept the risk once the guitar had been handed over by the buyer.

I no doubt paid over the odds for delivery but it was preferable to a day trip - and the guitar arrived today via DPD, beautifully and securely packed by Music Street. This won't work for everyone. I was fortunate that the seller was close to a reputable guitar store (Music Street, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire) - and he knew it very well. However, it may be worth thinking about for some in a similar situation. Many thanks to both the seller and Music Street for their part in making this happen.

Mellish · May 2022

Normally I'd say always collect if you can, even if it involves the best part of a day.

Happy ending, though, so congrats

surfguy13 · May 2022

OK, there is only one company that I am aware of in the UK that will ship and also offers it's own insurance and that is Transglobal Express. I have an account with them for many years and have successfully shipped loads of stuff with them all over the world, including a fair bit of old and relatively valuable music gear. Transglobal act as agent for a number of different carriers including all the usual suspects, most of which I wouldn't touch with a very long bargepole.

I have always used UPS for everything as they are the best bar none, but their own insurance only covers you for damage up to £100......even if you insure something for £2500!! You are basically paying for 'total loss' insurance only. This is normal right across the industry.

With Transglobal you choose the courier you want, they give you a quote, and then if you wish to add insurance, which covers damage and total loss, you can do so whilst booking the job. This insurance is with Transglobal, not the courier, so in the event of a claim you deal with them direct and not some faceless courier.

For anything up to £2500 in value the cost of insurance is 2%. Given that this is proper insurance and they do pay out, it's a good deal. A guitar or amp worth £2250 and insured for that amount would cost you £45 on top of your courier fees. A lot of money yes, but not if your guitar gets nicked or trashed.

For any instruments worth over £2500 Transglobal will get you a quote from their broker as they cannot insure anything valued at over £2500 themselves. However, I have had a few quotes from them for cover in excess of £2500 and they have come back cheaper than the 2% Transglobal charge, pro rata.

Good luck!

GTC · May 2022

Mellish said:

Normally I'd say always collect if you can, even if it involves the best part of a day.

Happy ending, though, so congrats

Generally I'd agree with you - but in this case it wasn't possible in any reasonable time frame. surfguy13 said:

For anything up to £2500 in value the cost of insurance is 2%. Given that this is proper insurance and they do pay out, it's a good deal. A guitar or amp worth £2250 and insured for that amount would cost you £45 on top of your courier fees. A lot of money yes, but not if your guitar gets nicked or trashed.

That sounds an incredibly good deal - much cheaper than most couriers' "total loss only" insurance. Certainly something I'd consider when shipping overseas.

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