Shipping a quad from overseas.

[79 2203]

Hi guys, has anyone had a quad shipped internationally recently. I have my eye on a restored 68 cab with original Greenbacks but its in Denmark and I’m in Australia. Any idea how much it would cost .??

 

[Whatwhatringrang]

From Europe to U.S I think $250 or possibly $350?? It has been a little while though and now the holidays.

 

[tomsvintage]

From Europe to U.S I think $250 or possibly $350?? It has been a little while though and now the holidays.

Maybe 2 or 3 times that amount. Not internationally but close I had an empty tall pinstripe grill 4 x 12 sent from Michigan to Hawaii a few months and it was over $900.

 

[London John]

If you’re not in a hurry, you’ll get a lower cost. I used RockIt Cargo to move 30+ amps and cabs to Australia. Price was quite reasonable. Their partner in Australia is Cargolive.

 

[playloud]

Is it a private seller? Businesses often have commercial freight accounts, and the savings with larger items can be considerable.

Cheapest option is probably sea freight, followed by national mail carrier (particularly from Europe). However, it looks like Postnord (Denmark) has a 20kg limit.

If you want to go DHL/Fedex/UPS, it's worth creating your own account for the savings (I've used Shippo and Pirate Ship in the past). It's not unusual to pay 2-3x the cost if you buy from the carriers directly.

This isn't a cost-saving tip, but for shipping a 4x12, you may consider having a road case sent to the seller. Thomann have some good options. The added weight/dimensions will probably add to the shipping cost (although regular packaging adds up too), but it should provide peace of mind. Plus it makes things easier for the seller. This option is particularly worthwhile if you see yourself using the road case in future.

 

[wombat]

I've shipped quite a few 4x12s from the U.K.

For a once-off shipment using a major courier via air you can expect around $600AUD give or take if you get a good price. There are cheaper options, but the logistics get more complicated unless the seller is willing to help you out at their end (ie getting it to depots etc).

One thing I've noticed is that shipping costs can vary significantly from country to country (even within Europe) so research the shipping prices for the specific country it's located in otherwise it could easily end up being prohibitively expensive.

 

[79 2203]

I've shipped quite a few 4x12s from the U.K.

For a once-off shipment using a major courier via air you can expect around $600AUD give or take if you get a good price. There are cheaper options, but the logistics get more complicated unless the seller is willing to help you out at their end (ie getting it to depots etc).

One thing I've noticed is that shipping costs can vary significantly from country to country (even within Europe) so research the shipping prices for the specific country it's located in otherwise it could easily end up being prohibitively expensive.

Thanks for that. What would you consider prohibitively expensive ??

 

[playloud]

Thanks for that. What would you consider prohibitively expensive ??

This should give a pretty good idea of what I would consider prohibitively expensive: https://www.dhl.com/dk-en/home/get-a-quote.html

If I choose Denmark to Aus, and enter 36kg/74x74x36cm as weight/dimensions (probably on the conservative side), I get quoted ~ AU$1912!

 

[wombat]

That depends what value you put on what you are buying I guess

A few months ago I tracked down a nice checkerboard B cab in Italy. At the same time that I was getting around $600AUD shipping from the UK, the cheapest equivalent freight out of Italy that I could find was close to $2000AUD. When you factor that in, it would have pushed the overall outlay into basketweave cab territory from closer sources.

I don't know why there was such a big difference in cost (geographically speaking, the U.K. and Italy are basically the same distance from Australia). My guess is that some countries do a lot more trade with Australia than others and therefore there might be economies of scale with the volume of freight going back and forth from certain locations?

Keep in mind that I'm talking about air freight - which is going to be your most expensive option.

 

[79 2203]

This should give a pretty good idea of what I would consider prohibitively expensive: https://www.dhl.com/dk-en/home/get-a-quote.html

If I choose Denmark to Aus, and enter 36kg/74x74x36cm as weight/dimensions (probably on the conservative side), I get quoted ~ AU$1912!

Yeah mate, that’s about what the seller quoted me. Just couldnt believe it, what a joke !!

 

[wombat]

This should give a pretty good idea of what I would consider prohibitively expensive:

If I choose Denmark to Aus, and enter 36kg/74x74x36cm as weight/dimensions (probably on the conservative side), I get quoted ~ AU$1912!

Don't put too much faith in the publicly available price calculators that you find on major courier's websites. The prices you get back WILL be insanely high.

If you have an account with them it will usually be cheaper. If you have an account with them - and do a lot of business with them - it will be a LOT cheaper.

Basically logistics companies that deal with the public will usually have large accounts with the like of DHL, TNT, UPS, etc and will probably get you better prices through those same couriers.

 

[playloud]

Yeah mate, that’s about what the seller quoted me. Just couldnt believe it, what a joke !!

Fwiw, if I use the calculator at Pirate Ship, I get quoted US$396 for shipping the same package from US to Aus (via UPS): https://www.pirateship.com/rates

Now if I go through the UPS website directly, that same service is quoted as US$1432!

Obviously this isn't relevant to your Danish situation, but the point is that the rates offered to the retail customers v. B2B at this level differ substantially. There are surely ways to get similar savings in Denmark too, but you'll probably need someone with local knowledge to unlock them.

Edit: if you're shipping from UK, Parcel2Go offers a similar service. They quote £419 for that package to Aus (again, via UPS). Maybe this will help someone in future.

 

[pulsonicsound]

Prices have gone up a lot the past few months, price of petrol etc

I ship a lot of stuff and buyers often moan about the costs, I do find it wierd as sellers don’t actually make any money from shipping, if anything your losing money as reverb and eBay et al take their cut from that as well

Generally speaking it’ll cost £450 to ship a 4x12 from England to Australia

It’s best to shop around, I find that parcelcompare are the cheapest even if their customer service is non existent

 

[playloud]

Prices have gone up a lot the past few months, price of petrol etc

I ship a lot of stuff and buyers often moan about the costs, I do find it wierd as sellers don’t actually make any money from shipping, if anything your losing money as reverb and eBay et al take their cut from that as well

Generally speaking it’ll cost £450 to ship a 4x12 from England to Australia

It’s best to shop around, I find that parcelcompare are the cheapest even if their customer service is non existent

All good points.

Thankfully global freight prices have begun reverting to the mean recently (quite aggressively in fact!)

Remains to be seen when that will be reflected in prices offered to consumers.

 

[Ivan H]

A few months ago I shipped a Leak Stereo 60 amplifier ,
& Varislope 2 pre-amp from England to Australia via FedEx, & a pair of Klipch Heresey speakers from USA to Australia, again using FedEx. I can go back through bank statements to find the exact shipping costs for you if you like. Which ever way you ship, it will be substantially more than just a few hundred bucks because of the size/weight of the cab. Shipping the Heresey's cost quite a bit more than shipping the amp/pre-amp did for this exact reason. Then of course, the Aust government will take a sizeable bite outta your arse, anything in value over AU$1,000 you gotta pay import tax/duty on. I thinks I paid about AU$400-ish tax/duty on the Leak amplifier/pre-amp, maybe AU$250~300 on the Klipsch Heresy's.
I'd be interested in what it does end up costing you though, as I myself want to obtain a period correct 1960A cab/greenbacks to go with my '68 JMP50, & there ain't much chance of finding one here in Oz. Cheers

 

[playloud]

A few months ago I shipped a Leak Stereo 60 amplifier ,
& Varislope 2 pre-amp from England to Australia via FedEx, & a pair of Klipch Heresey speakers from USA to Australia, again using FedEx. I can go back through bank statements to find the exact shipping costs for you if you like. Which ever way you ship, it will be substantially more than just a few hundred bucks because of the size/weight of the cab. Shipping the Heresey's cost quite a bit more than shipping the amp/pre-amp did for this exact reason. Then of course, the Aust government will take a sizeable bite outta your arse, anything in value over AU$1,000 you gotta pay import tax/duty on. I thinks I paid about AU$400-ish tax/duty on the Leak amplifier/pre-amp, maybe AU$250~300 on the Klipsch Heresy's.
I'd be interested in what it does end up costing you though, as I myself want to obtain a period correct 1960A cab/greenbacks to go with my '68 JMP50, & there ain't much chance of finding one here in Oz. Cheers

Good point re GST. In NZ, I have heard that DHL are very good at enforcing it, UPS/Fedex less so (if at all). No duties here on guitars/amps, but not sure about Aus.

Also, just for fun, I checked how much it would cost "worst case" to ship in a road case - using the "with amplifier" weight and outer dimensions supplied here. I got £507 via Fedex from the UK (using Parcel Compare - good suggestion @pulsonicsound!) and US$666 (auspicious) using UPS/Pirate Ship. Honestly not as bad as I expected.

 

[Ivan H]

Checking back through email communications with the sellers (both audio type businesses), I've found that the Leak amplifier/preamp, which packaged measured approximately 18"x18"x24" & weighed just over 40lbs cost £240 to ship.
The Klipsch Heresy's were a different matter. MUCH bigger package (triple boxed/styrofoam etc) & weighing 107lbs, "initial" shipping cost was $1750. I did get refunded a shipping discount from the seller, though I'd need to check bank records to know how much it amounted to. Seems regular users of FedEx get discounted shipping, though it was only when they actually shipped them that the discount was applied, hence the refund.
Hope you get the cab shipped at a reasonable cost. Cheers