How to Ship a Guitar & Other Instruments – Step-by-Step Instructions

In this manual, we’ll show you how to ship a guitar efficiently and affordably. Let’s get rockin’!

Properly Packaging Your Guitar for Shipment

If your guitar comes with a hardshell case, you should absolutely ship the case with the guitar inside of it. Then you can pack everything up inside a fresh corrugated box. The guitar will be protected from any damage it might sustain during transit by being shipped inside the case, which will add weight to the package. You never know what might happen on the journey that a case can shield your guitar from; your package might fall off a shelf in the delivery truck, or someone might unintentionally step on the neck. Randy Rhoads would roll over in his grave, can you imagine.

If your guitar doesn’t have a case, then you should surround your guitar with enough packing material to keep it from moving at all inside of the box. We advise using materials such as thick air pillows, bubble wrap, or foam sheets to wrap your guitar. It will be better off the more you use!

How to Ship Guitars and Stringed Instruments

One of the most crucial steps in shipping stringed instruments, such as guitars, violins, double basses, cellos, mandolins, or any other stringed instrument, is to loosen the strings before packing. This is because the temperature may change throughout the journey, causing the strings to tighten up and snap or even warp the instrument’s neck. In order to protect that delicate neck area, be sure to wrap it in extra cloth or bubble wrap.

To prevent scratches on the instrument itself, pack all small, loose parts separately, such as tremolo arms, capos, and so forth. Don’t forget to protect the space between the fretboard and the strings by adding some padding. Finally, bubble-wrap the entire instrument before putting it in its instrument case.

While it is now possible to purchase guitar-shaped packing cases, a more cost-effective option is to use a shipping box or packing crate that has a 6 cm gap between the instrument case and the crate, which can then be filled with bubble wrap. The instrument case won’t move during transportation thanks to this.

Preparing to Ship the Guitar

You’ll need to gather some supplies before actually starting to pack your guitar for shipping. You’re going to want to make sure that you have:

• -A guitar
• -A box large enough to fit your guitar in
• -Packing tape
• -Newspaper
• -Bubble wrap, packing peanuts, foam padding, or another type of shipping material

Just a quick reminder: The shipping box you choose to ship your instrument in should be big enough to hold the guitar you’re shipping as well as shipping supplies.

If you want your guitar to arrive at its destination unharmed, all of the supplies we’ve listed above are necessary for shipping your instrument.

Step #1: Prep Your Guitar

Since your guitar has several delicate parts that need to be properly protected, this will be the most difficult part of the shipping process. This means that before packing your instrument for shipping, you’ll need to do some preparation work.

There are a few critical steps that you need to take before shipping everything out, before you even consider putting your guitar in its case. These steps should be followed even if your guitar is being shipped out without a case or gig bag.

1. Your guitar’s strings need to be relaxed. You don’t have to completely detune or take the strings off your instrument, but you should loosen the tension on the guitar neck to prevent warping or breaking of the neck. Your strings should be tuned down roughly two octaves.
2. Secure the guitar’s movable components. There shouldn’t be anything rattling when you ship your instrument, either inside the case or on the guitar. In order to protect moving parts (such as a tremolo bridge or whammy bar), wrap them in newspaper or another kind of packing material.
3. The headstock is wrapped! One of the guitar’s most delicate parts is the headstock, so be sure to wrap it tightly in packing material or newspaper.
4. Your guitar’s finish needs to be preserved. You could choose to use heavy duty paper instead of the plastic cellophane that some sellers use to cover the guitar’s body in order to protect the finish. It really depends on what you have access to. Although it is not necessary, covering the instrument’s body gives it additional security against potential damage.
5. Use bubble wrap or newspaper to keep your fretboard and strings apart. In order to prevent excessive fretboard wear while shipping your guitar, keep the strings away from the fretboard. This will stop the strings from rubbing up against the fretboard.
6. To reduce the amount your guitar can move around in the case while being shipped, if you have your guitar set up inside of one, fill any empty spaces with balled up newspaper. This will lessen the amount of damage your guitar sustains.

A snapped string can be sharp and cause scratching on the guitar’s finish. Detuning your guitar’s strings will also help to prevent any of the strings from snapping during shipping.

It’s perfectly acceptable if you decide not to send your guitar with a case. Just make sure to give your instrument extra protection by wrapping it in heavy-duty paper, extra bubble wrap, or another type of packaging material. Make sure to pay special attention to the headstock and neck.

Step #2: Fill in the Spaces

If you haven’t done so already, put your guitar back in the case or gig bag it came in. Your guitar is now ready to be put in the shipping box after being put in its case. Now, you’ll want to cover the area around your instrument.

Your guitar won’t move around in the case or box during shipping if the empty spaces around it are filled in. When your guitar is in the case or the box, filling the empty space around it will stop the instrument from sliding around and potentially getting damaged.

Newspaper that has been balled up can be used to fill in the spaces around your instrument. Make sure to fill in every empty space completely to reduce the amount of room your guitar has for movement.

Step #3: Place Extra Packing Material in the Box

Fill the bottom of the box with additional packing material before inserting your guitar case or other instrument. As the bottom of the box doesn’t require much protection, you can use heavy duty paper.

Make sure there is an equal amount of space on all sides of the box for your guitar to be placed in before adding this extra protection at the bottom.

Your instrument’s case should move around during shipping if there isn’t an equal amount of space, which increases the chance that your guitar will sustain damage.

Fill in any open spaces around the guitar case with additional packing peanuts, packing paper, newspapers, or whatever else you’re shipping with once it is firmly in place inside the shipping box. To prevent the guitar from moving around in the shipping box, you should make sure that these areas are packed tightly.

Fill in any remaining space on top of the guitar case with additional packing materials, such as packing peanuts, air cushions, or bubble wrap, after all the empty spaces around the guitar case have been filled with shipping supplies.

As even one open space without packaging protection can jeopardize the security of your guitar, make sure to take a moment to double check that you haven’t missed anything.

After making sure everything is correct, simply tape the box shut and send your instrument on its way! The only thing that will guarantee that everything you packed inside the shipment box stays inside the box is the packaging tape you choose, so make sure to tape up your box properly.

If you choose to cover the bulk of the box in shipping tape, good tape can also aid in preventing damage from rain.

Where Should I Buy Materials to Ship My Guitar?

If you frequently sell on eBay, you can actually access a fantastic source that gives buyers access to shipping supplies at discounted rates. For sellers looking for less expensive options to standard shipping supplies, this is a great resource.

eBay offers large wholesale rolls of bubble wrap, boxes for shipping, heavy duty paper, packaging tape, packaging peanuts, and a lot of other items.

Even if you’re a seller who doesn’t need to buy shipping supplies in bulk, eBay still enables sellers to shop competitively and get the precise goods they need in the precise quantity they want, without having to buy in bulk.

However, they don’t have as much of a selection or as good of prices as eBay does. Other stores that sell shipping supplies include The UPS store, WalMart, and Staples.

Even though all three stores sell shipping supplies like bubble wrap, packaging tape, and heavy-duty paper, finding a large size box at the UPS store is much more likely than it would be at Staples or Walmart.

Determine the Cheapest Shipping Carrier for Sending a Guitar

After you’ve packed your guitar, find out how much shipping will cost. You should pick the shipping company that will charge you the least amount of money because you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for shipping. In this case, that particular carrier is the US Postal Service, or “USPS” for short.

An ideal example of a smaller, heavier shipment for which USPS is recommended is a guitar. While FedEx focuses on business deliveries and niche shipments like frozen food, UPS offers the best rates for oversized shipments and emergency deliveries.

A Quick Price Comparison

Here are some reasons why USPS is the best courier for sending a guitar. Take the example of needing to send a Stratocaster from Los Angeles to Phoenix. It can be packaged inside a ULINE box measuring 50 x 8 x 20 Prime, similar to the one we’ve already mentioned. An average Strat weighs about 8 pounds, and with its hardshell case included, the total weight of your shipment comes out to 10 pounds.

Two comparable services here are USPS Priority Mail (from USPS), and UPS 2nd Day Air (from Both services provide about the same level of service and delivery time. In this case, UPS 2nd Day Air would run you $158.74 to send this package. USPS, on the other hand, will only charge you $57.45 at the Use the Post Office to ship the same box. That’s over $100 cheaper…and you’ll get an even better price when you use shipping software to buy your postage online!

Use Online Shipping Software to Get the Cheapest USPS Rates for Shipping Guitars

If you’re a fan of Tenacious D, this advice we’re about to give you is equivalent to snagging the Pick of Destiny: don’t go to the Post Office. Use shipping software instead to purchase online discounted postage.

You have access to the most significant USPS discounts, referred to in the business as Commercial Pricing, thanks to online shipping software providers. In fact, when you use shipping software, that same package from the example earlier will only cost you $46.89 to ship via You just made an 18% savings by using Priority Mail, and you got to keep the extra money for nothing. Talk about cranking up your profit!

The bottom line is that you should always purchase postage using shipping software. That will result in the biggest financial savings, and since you can print the postage from the convenience of your home, you won’t ever need to visit the post office again. Oh…and did we mention that the best shipping software companies are totally free?

Pro Tip: There are many different shipping software providers, some of which are significantly superior to others. Look at our Reviews page to see which one is best for you if you’re looking for a place to start.

Don’t Forget to Purchase Insurance

Keep in mind that guitars are delicate. Despite the fact that wood is a durable material and is used to make them, a guitar’s neck is susceptible to breaking if it is subjected to excessive pressure or sudden drops while being transported. Additionally, a lot of guitars are expensive items with a potential value of several thousand dollars. Since this is the case, we always recommend purchasing shipping insurance whenever sending out a guitar, no matter if you’re shipping a Fender Squier or a vintage Eric Clapton “Fool” SG.

You will always have the option to purchase insurance through a third-party insurance partner when you use online shipping software to purchase postage. If you accurately declare the value of your guitar and purchase the necessary protection, the majority of shipping insurance companies will reimburse you for the full cost of your guitar. In our opinion, it’s always worthwhile to spend a little extra money on insurance in case your axe is damaged in any way while being transported to its final location. If you don’t believe me, watch this video of Pete Townsend smashing a guitar on live television. After all, breaking a guitar by the neck is fairly simple if you exert enough pressure and force.

Six Tips for Shipping Musical Instruments:

1. Use strong instrument cases in good condition
2. Loosen the strings of guitars, violins, cellos etc
3. Use plenty of bubble-wrap to minimize movement, ensuring the instrument is completely covered to protect against damage
4. Choose the right-sized plastic packing crate or box
5. Label every package clearly to avoid loss or mishandling
6. Always insure your instruments

How to Ship Other Instruments

Shipping Drums

Since most drums lack cases, it is best to wrap them in several layers of bubble wrap before placing them in the shipping box or crate. There isn’t much space because you need the appropriate-sized box for each one.

When sending multiple drums, you can nest the smaller ones inside the larger ones after removing their heads and hoops, along with some crumpled newspaper or fabric for padding. The heads are then replaced and taped firmly. For small parts, use a different bag.

You must disassemble a complete drum set before sending it by taking the legs off and disassembling the rack tom stand. To prevent movement, wrap the rack tom components and insert them into the kick drum, filling in any gaps with crumpled newspaper.

Brass Instruments

It is best to disassemble and wrap each component separately because trumpets, trombones, horns, tubas, and other brass instruments have numerous different parts. Each component, including their cases, should be wrapped separately and protected with plenty of bubble wrap before being placed into the shipping crate.

Wind Instruments

Flute, clarinet, saxophone, and oboe cases can be used to store wind instruments. For protection and shock absorption, bubble-wrap the instrument inside the case as well as the case itself, and secure it with tape. If your instrument is being shipped without a case, wrap it in at least three layers of bubble wrap before placing it in the shipping crate.

Clear Labelling Helps Prevent Loss Or Mis-handling

You should clearly label your package to prevent your instrument from getting lost in transit, which should almost go without saying. Some professional musicians take more thorough precautions.

To make sure the package is handled properly during transit, you can also add labels with handling instructions. We frequently use the labels Up Arrows, Fragile, Handle with Care, and Keep Dry to indicate how the package should be handled and stored while in transit. Up Arrows also indicates how the package should never be tipped over or slung.

Always Insure Your Instruments

While you can never insure the sentimental value of your instrument, you can cover its monetary value just in case. We provide free cover worth 25 pounds on all UK and Ireland deliveries and 50 pounds for international deliveries as standard; however, if your instrument is worth more than this, this can be easily upgraded.

The less time they spend in transit, the better, as many musical instruments are delicate. Therefore, you might also take into account our option for expedited delivery.

If you require additional guidance for any reason or for the instruments you are transporting, get in touch with us.

And keep in mind, perhaps you ought to trust us with your priceless, antique instruments if the Rolling Stones—the greatest rock and roll band in history—do.

Conclusion

Packaging and shipping your guitar doesn’t have to be as difficult as it seems, whether you’re sending it as a gift to a friend or selling your instrument on eBay. Finding a box big enough to hold your guitar might be the most difficult part of shipping an awkwardly shaped, fragile guitar.

Many sellers, however, purchase larger boxes from the UPS store, including boxes big enough to hold instruments of all shapes and sizes.

The most crucial thing to keep in mind when shipping a guitar is to determine which parts, usually the neck, need to be protected the most in order to keep the instrument safe during the shipping process.

FAQs