# Shipping a guitar in a hardcase - any pointers?



## Mattayus (Feb 26, 2010)

Like, is the hardcase enough protection on its own or do you recommend padding the guitar IN the hardcase with bubble wrap etc? Is there a way to reinforce the neck at all?

Thanks.


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## Neil (Feb 26, 2010)

Pad it so that it cant move within the case, but the hardcase its self will mostly be enough.


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## SpaceDock (Feb 26, 2010)

This is a great question that I wonder myself, can you just wrap the case with paper bags or something?


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## Leec (Feb 26, 2010)

I've shipped quite a few. The case HAS to be protected. The person won't appreciate the case _being_ the packaging.

Normally, inside the case, I pack the space between the guitar and the case with carrier bags or newspaper, just to stop it from moving around in there. You want it nice and tight. Ibanez cases are usually a pretty good fit, but still require a little. Especially between the neck and the case. Basically, fill up any space.

For the box, most times I've got myself a large box from a guitar store (they'll usually let you have one for free), put in a load of styrofoam peanuts (about 5cm worth), put the case in, fill all around it, and seal it up. The more tape you put on, the more protected it is. This might be overkill, but I prefer to be overly secure at a little extra cost than under-secure and lost a lot.

But last time I shipped (an 8string), I took it to a company called Mail Boxes Etc, and they packaged and shipped it for me. It cost £60 all in, so it wasn't cheap. But they packed the guitar in tight with small-bubble wrap, then simply smothered the case in bubble wrap and 'Fragile' tape. All that light packaging got me a cheaper postal service which meant the dude got it quicker, but still with extreme protection.


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## MF_Kitten (Feb 26, 2010)

it´s important that it´s protected inside the case too. i´ve seen horror picstories of people whose axes were dented and chipped and broken when the case was opened, yet the case was totally fine, with maybe a scratch or something

it should have no room to move, and the places where it could possibly move around should have some dampening and stuff. that should do it.


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## Neil (Feb 26, 2010)

Leec said:


> I've shipped quite a few. The case HAS to be protected. The person won't appreciate the case _being_ the packaging.


Yeah I've had a guitar delivered where the posting information was just stuck to the case, that isnt cool 

Get a cardboard box for the case, if it isnt a snug fit then fill the void with something, anything, newspaper will do, all you are doing is stopping the case moving within the box, if its a decent case it wont need protecting.


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## Evil7 (Feb 26, 2010)

my new agile came with styrofoam blocks preventing the guitar from moving inside the case + the case was in a snug cardboard box.


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## AvantGuardian (Feb 26, 2010)

If the case isn't a snug fit for the guitar, make sure to put some foam/bubblewrap in the case to keep the guitar from moving within the case. Then put the case in a cardboard box and make a decent effort to pack around the case to keep the guitar from moving around. What I tend to do is either find some blocks of styrafoam or roll up some bubble wrap into a size that you can shove in the box in a way that keeps the case from moving. That'll save you the time of jamming like 100 pieces of newspaper in there (if your box is too big by more than a couple of inches).


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## Variant (Feb 26, 2010)

Double box. One for the case, a slightly oversized one for that box... in between, packing pillows. They allow for way more sock protection than bubble wrap.


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## Mattayus (Feb 27, 2010)

Gonna take it to my dad's factory tomorrow, he's got more packing materials than you can possibly imagine  Boxes of packing peanuts and enormous rolls of bubble wrap! I could fire it out of a cannon and it would land at its destination in one piece once I'm through with it!


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## Chickenhawk (Feb 28, 2010)

I shipped a guitar in a hardcase from Iraq to Texas. Couldn't find a box big enough for the case though (although I had the case shipped out there, and threw that box away...im a moron).

The case was fine. Besides the fact Customs made me use half a fucking roll of tape to seal the case, and stuck the shipping label directly on the case. 

Whatever...it was a cheap case, and an even cheaper guitar.


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## Leec (Mar 2, 2010)

Mattayus said:


> I could fire it out of a cannon and it would land at its destination in one piece once I'm through with it!



That's lucky, 'cause that's apparently how Royal Mail are delivering now 

Lastest news, politics and sport | Guardian.co.uk | Royal-Mail-Delivers-With-Kitten-Powered-Cannons


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