Hi all:
Any advice for shipping a flute from the US to Europe for repair? US mail? DHL? FedEx?
Thanks!
I had a bad experience with the US branch of DHL. Abysmal communication… I’d rather ship my flute on a donkey’s back than use this company again…
I haven’t had any problem with fedex ( yet).
I tried shipping a defective Wild whistle back to McNeela last year through the USMail (using their label, but I had to pay). That’s generally recommended as a traceable and reliable method, which hands off to the local An Post in Ireland.
HUGE mistake, since An Post kicked it back after 7 weeks with no explanation. After chasing it down, it turns out you have to know that An Post has magical reporting paperwork (not customs) that had to be submitted for returned commercial goods. And instead of sending a postcard, or using my contact info from the US shipment, An Post just mailed the whole thing it back to me. Thanks for nothing.
The shipment cost more than a third of the price of the whistle, so I told McNeela I didn’t appreciate the game and wouldn’t bother playing again. Be careful. (Yes, I’m still pissed.)
I would use U.S. Priority Mail (which is somewhat trackable), & complete a Customs Form & absolutely specify that the flute is merchandise being returned for repair. You do not want the recipient charged duty or any customs fees by not being clear about that. Describe the wood used, indicate if silver for rings, slide. Hopefully no ivory or horn - that might require wildlife permits. Include documentation, perhaps also a letter to the receiver with instructions, within the package.
First Class International is what the USPS recommends, and what I sent, with customs declaration and “Returned Goods” specified with “Whistle for refund” noted. But in Ireland, this will transfer it to An Post and so hit their additional paperwork.
So sending back to Ireland, I’d avoid the USPS in any capacity, if only to keep it away from An Post.
For the sake of some balance, another experience : At the receiving end of packages sent from all over the world I have to say An Post have never given me any trouble. In fact I find them very reliable. Surprisingly quick and efficient, even through a pandemic. Delivery usually one day after arriving in the country and without hassle, or charges, from customs (at least for items sent to me).
He is sending not receiving, as was I.
My packages didn’t emerge from thin air you know, people at the other end stuck my name and address on the packages, left them at a postoffice and had them arrive without hassle. Time and again.
I was just trying for a balanced view without the grudge you seem to carry. Never had any negative experience with An Post.
I’m sending a flute to England tomorrow. Wish me (it) luck. 
This was an outlier - not at all typical. Must have gotten lost or hijacked on a train:
I shipped a Wooden Flute Obsession CD (1 volume only) to Finland on March 16 by USPS International First Class. Just cleared Miami yesterday. 5-6 weeks and still hasn’t left the U.S.
This was an outlier - not at all typical.
But not entirely unique: I had something similar happen, albeit during the first lockdown of 2020. I had bought a new/old stock Paddy Cronin lp from someone in California. It took over four weeks to even get out of California, remained in a USPS distribution centre for some time, was eventually scanned into another facility in Colorado and there tracking ended. Several weeks later I found the package sitting on my windowsill. Took at least 9 weeks.
I sent a whistle to someplace in Europe a year or two ago. From here, all USPS shipments to Europe go through a facility in Jamaica Queens (part of NYC). It got stuck, and the customer checked the tracking after maybe 3 weeks. The place was just called “Jamaica” on the tracking, so the customer thought something had gone horribly wrong and the whistle had made it to the Caribbean. We had a good laugh once I explained.
Today it’s at JFK Int’l in New York.
I ended up using FedEx. Cost a fortune. Promised delivery in 4 days but it was a week longer than that thanks to customs, and thanks, I suspect, to FedEx’s incompetence. Local FedEx seemed to have no clue about what the flute would face at the other end. I have a FedEx account number but they didn’t asked for it, and I paid with a credit card. Turns out that duty gets billed to your FedEx account number, which I figured out, so I called them to give them the number. FedEx will only insure up to $1,000, which doesn’t even cover the value of most keyless flutes, but at least I only had to pay duty on that amount and not the flute’s real value. In the end, the flute did make it but I wouldn’t call myself a satisfied FedEx customer.
Good luck, Kevin!
Tim
Sorry to hear that (especially since I kind of suggested FedEx 
). But I don’t understand why you had to pay duties since you were the sender. 