shipping amps!

[myboss57]

So, looks like I might be shipping my amp to a fella from CL (gotta figure out how to make sure we're both comfy with the paying/receiving portion, any recommendations on how that could work would be great!). I know to take out and wrap up the power tubes, and to pack the amp with plenty of padding, etc. But should I also removed the preamp tubes and wrap those up too? Seems like it would be silly and unnecessary, but I have no experience shipping an amp.

Any suggestions?

[OU818]

I always remove all tubes and wrap them in foam and bubble wrap separately. I then pack the amp using foam corner protectors and then wrap the entire thing in bubble wrap and pack the edges of the box with air filled bags.

Overkill? Maybe.

But I have never had an amp damaged due to shipping.

Foam corners:

[msmith4432]

There is no way to feel great about it on CL. He has to send money to you in Paypal and you ship it out. There is no other way I know to do it. I have sold some expensive guitars that way and it worked out just fine.

[ironlung40]

make sure you have tracking and insurance and report the tracking number to paypal to prove it arrived. you don't want him filing a no receipt claim.

some may say it is still risky. I guess everything has risk, though.

[Forrrest]

I wouldn't accept a payment over paypal unless it was a gift payment, otherwise the buyer could always file a claim against you and you'll be out of your money & your amp. Do you trust the buyer? If they're a stranger then you have zero reason to other then being excited about the incoming $$$. A smart scammer knows that sellers on CL can be taken advantaged of, sellers need $$$. You shouldn't put yourself in a situation where you're assuming risk. Let them assume the risk if they want the item so bad. I'd rather have them take the risk and know that I'd do the right thing if something happened then the other way around. Plan for the worst, expect the best!

[Spaceboy1]

Gift payments can still be charged back to the credit card and PayPal won't do anything about it. I would highly recommend NOT doing a shipping/PayPal deal through Craigslist. You have almost no recourse if things go bad, and no reference or reputation system to really trust who you're dealing with. I've seen many friends of mine get burned die to Craigslist. I use it strictly for local deals. Craigslist scams are way, way too common.

[Jondog]

Send an invoice through paypal, include all details of what you're selling including serial number and do the shipping details through paypal too and make sure you require a signature for pickup.

[thelatrobe33]

I'm surprised there aren't more real life horror stories in this thread!

When I was 18 or 19 I had bad GAS for a Twin Reverb (my back was stronger then). I found a great deal on a '78 on ebay and pulled the trigger. The amp was shipped via UPS from FL to OH. When the amp arrived it looked like it had been dropped off a cliff. The box was tattered, all the power tubes were shattered in the back of the amp, and the amp cabinet itself was working apart at the seams.

I had UPS come out to the house and look at the amp for a claim. They basically told be it was not properly packaged and they were refusing said claim.

Over the next 12 years I had the amp overhauled twice. The first was a local music store hack job that got the amp to function, but not to my liking. The second time I took it to a good veteran amp tech that could build one with his eyes closed. The speakers, tubes, cabinet and various other internal bits were replaced or fixed.

Today, I have a fine example of a '78 TR that will take the plaster straight off the walls. However, I have big money in it.

What you should take away from this:

It's worth it to pay your shipping company of choice to package the amp safely. That way, if/when there's a claim that needs to be made, they can't refuse it for "bad packaging." To this day I avoid UPS like the plague unless I have no other option

[myboss57]

This is all great advice, thanks!

How do I do this?

Send an invoice through paypal, include all details of what you're selling including serial number and do the shipping details through paypal too and make sure you require a signature for pickup.

Also, if I have him send the money first and immediately transfer it to my bank account, wouldn't that be a good way to do it, at least for me? Of course, he has to trust that I'll still send the amp to him.

I have been emailing with him, this his latest email to me. I sent him internal shots last night.

Yeah, I got the pics. It looks great. Much appreciated. Anyways, could you agree to settle at [$$$$] + shipping/insurance? Reason why I ask is that {$$$$] is my "budget", but that is in Canadian dollars (I live just over the border in St. Catharines, ON, but I get my mail shipped to a post office just over the border). After exchange rates, I'm going to be paying probably close to [$$$$] on my end once shipping is factored in. I know that doesn't really matter to you, but I gotta keep my budget in mind. Got a family to feed and whatnot. Ha
Think about it and let me know. I'm serious about this deal.

[Jondog]

This is all great advice, thanks!

How do I do this?

Send an invoice through paypal, include all details of what you're selling including serial number and do the shipping details through paypal too and make sure you require a signature for pickup.

Also, if I have him send the money first and immediately transfer it to my bank account, wouldn't that be a good way to do it, at least for me? Of course, he has to trust that I'll still send the amp to him.

I have been emailing with him, this his latest email to me. I sent him internal shots last night.

Yeah, I got the pics. It looks great. Much appreciated. Anyways, could you agree to settle at [$$$$] + shipping/insurance? Reason why I ask is that {$$$$] is my "budget", but that is in Canadian dollars (I live just over the border in St. Catharines, ON, but I get my mail shipped to a post office just over the border). After exchange rates, I'm going to be paying probably close to [$$$$] on my end once shipping is factored in. I know that doesn't really matter to you, but I gotta keep my budget in mind. Got a family to feed and whatnot. Ha
Think about it and let me know. I'm serious about this deal.

Tell you what. Send the amp to me and I'll test it out to make sure its working. I'll deliver it after that, I'm an hour from there! Seriously, though, if you have a paypal account there should be a tab for "Create An Invoice" on your main page. I hope he's not too far off your dollar amount. He's giving you the violin story. The exchange rate is none of your business.

[myboss57]

Tell you what. Send the amp to me and I'll test it out to make sure its working. I'll deliver it after that, I'm an hour from there! Seriously, though, if you have a paypal account there should be a tab for "Create An Invoice" on your main page. I hope he's not too far off your dollar amount. He's giving you the violin story. The exchange rate is none of your business.

The thought of sending it to someone else in Canada has crossed my mind! I have a buddy in Toronto and thought that maybe I could send it to him and have the guy pick it up and then my friend just paypal me the money, or something. Also, my girlfriend is from Buffalo - still has family up there - and is driving up next month for the holidays, if I only I didn't need the cash quicker, I'd just send her along with it to make the deal.

Thanks for the Paypal help, I'm sure I can find that and get that squared away. I guess we'll see how this goes. And right, I don't need to know/nor do I care about the exchange rates and all that, or his family. I mean, I can empathize with all of that, but it's none of my business in this situation!

[tarfungo]

Yeah, I got the pics. It looks great. Much appreciated. Anyways, could you agree to settle at [$$$$] + shipping/insurance? Reason why I ask is that {$$$$] is my "budget", but that is in Canadian dollars (I live just over the border in St. Catharines, ON, but I get my mail shipped to a post office just over the border). After exchange rates, I'm going to be paying probably close to [$$$$] on my end once shipping is factored in. I know that doesn't really matter to you, but I gotta keep my budget in mind. Got a family to feed and whatnot. Ha
Think about it and let me know. I'm serious about this deal.

Oye! If I were you, I'd stop this transaction NOW and have a very frank discussion with the buyer! If the buyer is now trying to renegotiate the agreed upon selling price for any reason, it's a red flag that needs to be nipped in the bud quickly.

I'd let the buyer know that the selling price is the selling price. If there's currency exchange rate issues, that's none of your concern. The buyer knew this BEFORE he started in with you; now he's trying to play to your 'nice' side. If currency rate exchange rates are in play here, the buyer should have done that homework in advance of agreeing to a purchase price with you. All of that maybe legit, but in my book it's something smelly.

Additionally, if this amp is going across International lines, the buyer may be facing some pretty hefty import fees from customs. Yet another potentially deal-breaking issue the buyer may throw back at you after the amp has left your hands.

[myboss57]

Well, the amp would be shipped to the Buffalo, NY area, so getting it across the border will be his concern once I've got payment and shipped it.

And he's not trying to renegotiate an agreed upon price, we were still in the midst of the "negotiating dance". I agree that the exchange rate stuff is none of my concern though! The price I'm getting is fair, I think, based on what a couple of these amps have sold for on eBay recently, and what I paid for it originally, so I'm happy with the amount overall.

[Spaceboy1]

I wouldn't ship to someone who couldn't have it delivered and signed for at their doorstep.

[myboss57]

I wouldn't ship to someone who couldn't have it delivered and signed for at their doorstep.

That is a great point too. Yeah, I'm still waiting to hear back from him, so we'll see how this will work, if at all.