There are no special services with eBay Delivery dedicated to shipping fragile objects. Paying extra care in the preparation of shipping a musical instrument is very important. Musical instruments are expensive and delicate, it is crucial to dedicate some time to read our instructions carefully when packing any type of musical instruments for shipping.
Tips
Always use corrugated cardboard boxes, to protect the items from shocks and maintain stability, even if they are stacked one on top of the other.
Use a matryoshka style packaging (box-in-box) to provide additional stability to your items.
- Stringed instruments (violin, a viola, a guitar, a mandolin, etc.): loosen the tension on the strings, to reduce the pressure on the neck of the instrument. Always make sure the neck is well protected.
- Percussion instruments: place the smaller pieces into the bigger ones, using a matryoshka style packaging (box-in-box), to optimise the space and to avoid sending large parcels. Please note that each piece must be wrapped individually and they must be well protected to avoid any collision with each other.
- Wind instruments: wrap the moving pieces separately, and fix the keyboards with rubber foam.
- Keyboards and synthesizers: these instruments are heavy and fragile, with electronic components. You must fix the keyboards, using foam rubber. Do not forget to turn off the device and pack the power cables separately.
Handling instructions (handle with care, this side up, fragile, do not bend/fold, do not stack, etc.) do not guarantee any special treatment. The item is handled by automatic machinery and must withstand a free fall of at least 80 cm.
Items must be transported in packaging approved and accepted by the selected carrier, and according to our Packaging Guide. For fragile items it's required the use of parcels with particularly strong packaging, that allows them to be immobilised inside the box.
Packaging materials
- Original instrument case, which must be hard and padded inside. If you don't have the original case, you can use a corrugated cardboard box.
- Mouldable foam.
- Polyethylene foam.
- Polyethylene sheets.
- Polystyrene sheets.
- Plastic bags.
- Expanded polyethylene - corners and profiles.
- Filler chips.
- Packing tape (resilient & good quality).
Packaging instructions
- There must be at least a 5 cm space between each piece.
- Disassemble all the moving pieces and wrap them with at least 5 cm of polyethylene sheeting that adapts to the shape of the objects.
- Place the moving pieces inside a plastic bag.
- Do not leave corners or protrusions/bulges of the items exposed.
- If the instrument case does not contain enough shock absorber material, add mouldable foam or polyethylene foam to the empty spaces.
- Use expanded polyethylene to protect the internal borders of the case/box.
- Place polystyrene sheets on the top, bottom and sides of the box.
- Cover empty spaces with filler chips.
- Close and seal the cardboard box with good quality and resilient packing tape.
Coverage
In the event of damage, our Claims Department will only consider claims where the items have been transported with sufficient protective material. Any item that is transported without respecting our Packaging Guide will be excluded and ineligible for any compensation otherwise awarded.
Lastly, we remind you that the extra protection does not cover any instrument loosening, as the goods are always subject to vibrations during transportation.