Any Ukulele Shipping Problem Stories Out There?

Ed1

UU VIP
UU VIP
Joined
Jul 14, 2019
Messages
563
Reaction score
189
TL;DR - Simply what's your story - good or bad - with shipping?

Ten days ago the Kala Spruce/Flame Mahogany (sale + 20% off) uke I ordered started its journey to me from the West to East Coast. At first the trip was supposed to take 14 days, but FedEx must have found faster ways to keep it moving to me in ten days. If it arrives today I'll let it sit for a day or two before opening. However, it did make me think about its journey here. The ten stops on the way meant different distribution centers - ten of them. That means ten on and off nine FedEx trucks with the final one going to USPS for delivery to me.

Many, many years ago, the second worst job I ever had was unloading one of these 40 foot trailers. Nothing mattered except how fast we could empty the trailer; The stopwatch was started when the doors opened and stopped when the trailer was empty. The word "fragile" didn't enter into the calculation. It took a while to learn to take a package and push it down the rollers in the center of the trailer without turning around, which meant that while learning this move, a package or two would fall off the rollers before making it to the conveyor belt for it's trip to the next truck. So knowing this, I'm hoping my ukulele is well-packaged, didn't take too many falls/bumps, and was not under too many 70 pound packages in the trip to me.

I'll update this post when I finally open the package, but now I'm wondering if others have had good or bad luck with this kind of ground shipping of ukuleles.
 
The Good, the Bad, The Ugly.

Had good and bad experiences with all of the major shippers: FedEx, UPS, DHL & USPS.

The latest minor hiccup was with USPS: they said my uke would be delivered Saturday, Memorial Weekend to my home in WI. The tracking told me it would be delivered "on time" by 8pm Saturday even though at 9pm Saturday it showed it to still be in Minneapolis, MN! Didn't receive it until Tuesday afternoon. But it did arrive in perfect condition.

The worst was having a Uke spend a weekend in a UPS unheated warehouse in -50°F (-75° windchill) weather. At the end of a 3 day journey by ground, UPS removed it Friday afternoon from the truck and repacked it into a metal shipping container that was then locked. So I was unable to pick it up myself until Monday. I let it sit a day before opening the box, and then another day before I opened the case. The fret ends were sticking out a bit, but receded after a week at room temp and humidification. Everything else seems to have survived intact.

And, if FedEx and UPS are taking such great care cleaning and sanitizing their trucks, how come my boxes are absolutely filthy with dirt, especially on the bottom where they've slid around on the floor of the trailer and the delivery truck? (I know, the delivery trucks & drivers are independent contractors.)
 
Last edited:
Last year I had two instruments destroyed by shippers and one lost. A Romero Creations Tiny Tenor 6, sent via USPS from California to Hawaii, was lost for over a month. When it finally arrived, the box had a big hole and looked like the bellows on an accordion. The TT6 had two big cracks. It was well packed with ample peanuts and was inside a case. I returned it but couldn't get a replacement since it was sold out.

I also bought a 7-string Kremona classical guitar and UPS broke it so bad some of soundboard braces came off. The replacement was fine.

Finally, a Kala Elite Doghair was somehow lost by UPS during the Christmas season of 2019. Kala sent another one so all was well.

Yeah, shipping has its perils. Oddly, my wife and I ran a music shop for 25 years and never, not once, did an instrument get lost or broken en route from wholesalers to us. However, we often used private shipping services for big shipments (container ship) through our merchant association and rarely used USPS or UPS.
 
And, if FedEx and UPS are taking such great care cleaning and sanitizing their trucks, how come my boxes are absolutely filthy with dirt, especially on the bottom where they've slid around on the floor of the trailer and the delivery truck? (I know, the delivery trucks & drivers are independent contractors.

Isn't that just FedEx? I though UPS drivers were regular employees, not contractors. Either way, both services should be cleaning their trucks.

I've also had mixed experiences with all three. I think some of it depends on where you live. At least, I've had different experiences living in different addresses.

I definitely worry about temperatures when shipping. I've had to return a luthier-made uke that was apparently messed up by the heat. And on a recent purchase, even though the dealer offered free shipping, because it was driveable, I drove a little over an hour to pick it up so it wouldn't be handled by shippers, left overnight in cold temperatures, and sitting in hot trucks all day.
 
Isn't that just FedEx? I though UPS drivers were regular employees, not contractors. Either way, both services should be cleaning their trucks.

I've also had mixed experiences with all three. I think some of it depends on where you live. At least, I've had different experiences living in different addresses.

I definitely worry about temperatures when shipping. I've had to return a luthier-made uke that was apparently messed up by the heat. And on a recent purchase, even though the dealer offered free shipping, because it was driveable, I drove a little over an hour to pick it up so it wouldn't be handled by shippers, left overnight in cold temperatures, and sitting in hot trucks all day.

You may be right. I was told by a UPS driver that he was independent. But that was during the Xmas season rush. So he may have been hired to help with the overflow.
 
I've bought 114 ukes since 2015, and I haven't had a single problem with shipping. Of course, many of those 114 have been sold, so there was even more shipping. Careful packaging and fast shipping are the two magic ingredients.
 
I've bought 114 ukes since 2015, and I haven't had a single problem with shipping. Of course, many of those 114 have been sold, so there was even more shipping. Careful packaging and fast shipping are the two magic ingredients.

I was hoping you'd chime in with all that experience. My new Kala arrived and was/is in great shape. Curiously, the carton it was in was tight, the outer box was tight against the carton with only some wrapping paper jammed in on the angled-side of the carton where it narrowed for the neck. A corner point of the outer box was a little indented/crushed with no problem to the inner carton.

Higher priced ukes have always come to me by air from the west coast or hawaii, but this was different. I would consider the ground shipping across the US with ten stops/at distribution centers a complete success.
 
TL;DR - Simply what's your story - good or bad - with shipping?

Ten days ago the Kala Spruce/Flame Mahogany (sale + 20% off) uke I ordered started its journey to me from the West to East Coast. At first the trip was supposed to take 14 days, but FedEx must have found faster ways to keep it moving to me in ten days. If it arrives today I'll let it sit for a day or two before opening. However, it did make me think about its journey here. The ten stops on the way meant different distribution centers - ten of them. That means ten on and off nine FedEx trucks with the final one going to USPS for delivery to me.

Many, many years ago, the second worst job I ever had was unloading one of these 40 foot trailers. Nothing mattered except how fast we could empty the trailer; The stopwatch was started when the doors opened and stopped when the trailer was empty. The word "fragile" didn't enter into the calculation. It took a while to learn to take a package and push it down the rollers in the center of the trailer without turning around, which meant that while learning this move, a package or two would fall off the rollers before making it to the conveyor belt for it's trip to the next truck. So knowing this, I'm hoping my ukulele is well-packaged, didn't take too many falls/bumps, and was not under too many 70 pound packages in the trip to me.

I'll update this post when I finally open the package, but now I'm wondering if others have had good or bad luck with this kind of ground shipping of ukuleles.

I hate ground shipping. I've paid a premium for shipping, only to have to wait almost two weeks for it to be driven crosscountry. I've been told that the more a package is handled, the more chance there is for damage. Driving from CA to NY is a straight shot, but even going by plane, there is some sorting involved.

When I was in high school, I worked at a supermarket, and I would sometimes help unloading a trailer. There was no stop watch, so we weren't trying to set speed records.
 
For the last thirty years I have derived some supplementary income and health insurance from shipping companies and I can verify for you that boxes are kicked and tossed or even used as a keystone to wedge a wall of parcels into tightness for transit. It isn't wanton and you do formulate an ability to know how roughly a parcel can be treated by its shape, weight, and composition. Considering that I handle at least 50,000 packages a week, I think the occasional error as an anomaly. In my experience, tossing and kicking packages doesn't lend itself to damage, it is the accident of falling on a package or stepping on it that dooms it.
 
On May 12th I ordered my (4) sets of Mimmo's new Aquila 'squeakless' strings directly from him from Italy. He shipped them out the same day and the travel log shows they left Italy on the afternoon of the 13th, arriving in Memphis, TN, USA on the 14th.

They sat in the FedEx facility until Saturday May 30th ! Delivered to me (Madison Wisconsin) this AM, June 1, 2020. I asked the driver if he knew what was the delay and received the "mechanics' shrug!" Didn't really expect him to know... FWIW, the strings cleared customs on May 14th according to the original (Italian) shipper notifications.
FWIW #2.. FedEx required "Proof of Delivery" but Aquila did not specify that requirement.

View attachment 127486
 
Right now, packages are being delayed because of the unrest in the cities.

I've been told that with the rioting in Montreal, the rioters have looted UPS trucks.

"May you live in interesting times."—Ancient Chinese curse.
 
Last edited:
If you want to ship something, I learned about a shipping service, ShipBikes.com, that has a deal with FedEx for discount shipping. I checked on shipping a bass uke and instead of costing $52 regular FedEx, they charge $27. This has been verified by people on the Talk Bass forum too.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
Last edited:
As of last week, FedEx delivery was good, and UPS wasn't too bad here in the US. USPS delivery has been taking much longer, a week or more beyond the expected delivery dates. Tracking shows the packages just sitting in distribution centers. I don't know how the riots of the last several days may have affected this, though.
 
I learned about a shipping service, ShipBikes.com, that has a deal with FedEx for discount shipping. I checked on shipping a bass uke and instead of costing $52 regular FedEx, they charge $27. This has been verified by people on the Talk Bass forum too.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers

Of course, it's up to the seller to decide which shipper to use, and they probably have contracts.
 
I've sent and received lots of ukuleles over here in Europe, through lots of different carriers.

I must say that I never had a ukulele damaged in transit. It's true that 'fragile' stickers don't mean a thing, that boxes are piled up, fall over and are sometimes even tossed. But there's double boxing, 'airbags' and cardboard fillings, and lots of duct tape for that, and if you google a bit you know how to protect ukuleles during shipment at there most vulnerable bits. I've never had ukes-in-transit treated to extreme temperatures or moisture. Most parcels are basically cardboard boxes and are therefore kept dry and inside.

The most annoying bit about posted ukuleles are the unexpected delays. I've had ukuleles stuck in customs declaration for months, not weeks. No pre-customs clearing, filling out forms, mailing of bank statements or (heaven forbid) phone calls can speed up the process. I know, I've tried. I've also had bad experiences with one French and one Dutch parcel service which lost track at a sorting center, and took weeks to resurface the entrusted ukuleles. Unharmed.

Second annoyance in line (nothing serious) are wrong delivery announcements. It's being delivered tomorrow, only they happen to be there today, or only after the weekend since they couldn't finish the planned route. I'd really rather they wouldn't announce it when it's uncertain, and just show up. I'm not concerned about packages being dropped off at neighbours, or about having to go and pick it up myself the next day, but misinformation is something I don't like.

Third is the rising of postage rates. Big companies seem to send out goods for next to nothing (they even announce it as 'free shipment') but have you ever tried sending a big box through the mail from a European country? You can buy a budget line instrument for the postage alone... The last 6-7 years saw some alternative postage systems emerging, not delivering to your door, but rather a 'shop-to-shop' system, where gas stations, book shops and corner stores take in boxes, have them picked up twice a week, and receiving a load of parcels at the same time. Currently there's 4-5 companies doing that. The rates are usually much lower, although the speed is lower as well and they don't do overseas shipments; on the other hand the online tracking is usually better since it's their main job (no letters, no publicity to distribute, no post offices to operate).
 
Not really a shipping problem, but I thought I'd share just in case anybody else is thinking of ordering direct from China. I ordered an Aiersi Soprano Pineapple with Aliexpress in mid-April. They stated 20-40 days, but with the caveat that this might be extended, owing to difficulties caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. After 40 days in the wilderness, I sent a message of inquiry. The polite response asked for my continued patience. The ukulele arrived this morning - the package originated in ShangHai.

The packaging was minimal - just the manufacturer's thin cardboard box wrapped around with clear tape, and the labels stuck on. There was a small amount of thin foam and bubblewrap around the uke itself. The box was not damaged, and the contents in good condition.

I'm a happy customer!

John Colter
 
Second annoyance in line (nothing serious) are wrong delivery announcements. It's being delivered tomorrow, only they happen to be there today, or only after the weekend since they couldn't finish the planned route. I'd really rather they wouldn't announce it when it's uncertain, and just show up. I'm not concerned about packages being dropped off at neighbours, or about having to go and pick it up myself the next day, but misinformation is something I don't like.

This is one of my biggest gripes. FedEx has been the biggest problem with this. I'm given a day and time range that the item is supposed to arrive. (Usually, I can't change it, only the originator can make changes.) I arrange to be home at that time and the instrument arrives a day early. Or, they try to deliver in the morning even though they said it would arrive late afternoon. But since I'm not home to sign for it, it stays on the truck or warehouse overnight.

I now have FedEx delivered to the local Walgreens and pick it up from the store.

Between COVID-19 and the unrest, I have a uke understandably sitting in in the USPS distribution center in St. Paul, MN. I understand the situation and just have to wait patiently for it to be possible to ship soon.

Getting a uke is not important compared to the other problems facing us all right now.
 
Last edited:
I have an instrument coming via UPS. Tracking information says:

"Civil unrest has delayed your package in transit. Delivery will be rescheduled. Check back for updates."

I also ordered materials from Japan, and received a message from the vendor saying Japan Post to the States is suspended, possibly/likely for several months.
 
We ordered a couple bikes from REI for my daughters recently. They were shipped UPS 2nd day air and both ended up lost in a warehouse for over two weeks. After I opened an investigation with UPS, tracking stated, "An operational error has occured.... we are trying to locate....etc." Ultimately, both bikes were received and were in perfect condition. I'd have been pretty stressed if it were an expensive and delicate instrument that was lost for that long. A better story is that I ordered a student violin from a shop in NY last week and it arrived in one day via UPS.

Lot's of stress on these delivery services these days. Package as best you can and definitely relieve string tension before shipping. Then cross your fingers and hope for the best.
 
Top Bottom