Shipping flute to Austrlaia

Irish Flute
1

Anyone have experience shipping a flute to Australia that you’d care to share? Is there an economical way to ship with tracking and insurance included?

Thanks in advance.

Best wishes.

Steve

2

Steve,

I sent a flute for some work to Maurice Reviol in NZ. I used the USPS and I think it was around $40. It was easy and quick. I didn’t do much research, but it was easy and seemed reasonable.

Sid

3

This comment might not be that useful as I haven’t shipped to Australia, but I have found the shipping globally (in my case to Europe) has been significantly cheaper via USPS. I compared with UPS and FedEx. Keep in mind I was using a larger box as it contained bellows and a chanter.

4

I ship flutes all over the world, and I’ve shipped a fair number to Australia and New Zealand. I use the USPS Priority Mail international. Insure the flute if it is valuable. I ship flutes inside ABS plastic pipe that I put into the cardboard shipping tube. With insurance it will run you somewhere between $40 and $50 depending upon the value of the flute.

5

Thanks all. Very much appreciate the input.

Best wishes.

Steve

6

Some experience…

  • USPS with good packaging, tracking, insurance, is the best all round option. UPS, DHL, etc. seem to suck in terms of cost:benefit ratio.

  • watch out for import duties levied on the buyer, for items above about the $1000 mark. That was a nasty surprise.

M

7

Be careful to read the small print on carrier insurance terms and conditions. Many have musical instruments as specific exclusions (the Royal Mail/Parcelforce in GB, for example), so if you tell the counter clerk the contents value and they charge you the extra for that level of insurance (if it is available at all!) you may just be wasting the money - and adding it to the dutiable value on import because in most places that value is not the sale price of the item but the total including delivery costs. Independent couriers tend to be worse, at least for antiques, requiring formal valuations and (expensive) approved or their own packing service to provide insurance cover at all, and then at exorbitant premiums. I have found the best way when insurance is essential is to use my own specialist instrument insurers (Allianz/British Reserve), who have been most accommodating and reasonable for a couple of one-off situations. But don’t assume your national postal service (almost always the best value for actual delivery) insurance will be valid. Check before you pay!

8

I just shipped a dobro to Australia and used USPS. The clerk told me that the tracking system wouldn’t work for Priority International, but the tracking number is working. The cost was about $130 for the large box that was at max size. One caution would be the amount of time that things sit in customs. I shipped the dobro about a month ago, and it just cleared customs and is still on its way to the destination. Priority international indicates shipping occurs within 5-7 days. I guess that doesn’t count customs!