Shipping boxes

[floyd floar]

I was wondering if any luthiers or retailers that post here (or anyone else) might be able to tell me where cardboard shipping boxes for mandos and guitars can be purchased. My local music retailers are loath to sell or give away theirs. Thanks for any input.

[SternART]

I've found them at UPS stores or Mail Box etc kinda places. They have a variety of sizes for sale.
I usually figure a bit bigger is better.......sometimes you need to cut down or modify the box a bit for the "perfect" size.

[floyd floar]

I've found them at UPS stores or Mail Box etc kinda places. They have a variety of sizes for sale.
I usually figure a bit bigger is better.......sometimes you need to cut down or modify the box a bit for the "perfect" size.

Thanks SternART, I've tried the local UPS store. The $30 price for cardboard was a bit much for my Scots/Yankee blood. I may have to go that route, though.:(

[Folkmusician.com]

Every region should have a supplier for boxes. These usually come 10-25 per bundle and cannot be purchased individually. In our case, we work with several resellers and the occasional direct order (there is a rather small savings if we buy by the pallet). We do not order less than 100 at a time, and usually more.

If you only need a couple of boxes, you are probably stuck with scavenging or paying a high price.

This is just a guess, but I would think that $6 would be about the going retail rate for a mandolin box.

[gregjones]

Toyota fenders come in boxes. The front fender for a Camery makes a nice size. Check your dealer's body shop for a free box or two.

[SternART]

Floyd......much cheaper here in the Bay Area.........sounds like your local guy is taking advantage of you.

[H.P.]

Visit a furniture store. I have made great guitar shipping boxes from used mattress boxes. You just have to do a little "engineering." Buy really strong reinforced tape for your box with all the money you save not dealing with UPS.

[jim simpson]

Flat panel tv's come in all sizes. You may be able to pick one up at your local tv store for free.

[barney 59]

If your local music store(s) won't let you have them check out their dumpster and or recycling bin---every music store I know of gets shipments regularly and they come in boxes--- but they don't sell them in boxes they sell them in cases, which, by the way, come in boxes. It sounds to me that they just don't want to be bothered. The music stores I frequent are happy to give them away and one store I know actually sets them outside their door so guys like me will come along and take them. or...try the dump...with the downturn in the economy cardboard recyclers can't get rid of the stuff.

[man dough nollij]

I've needed one twice in the last year for shipping sold instruments. The first time the music store was happy to give me any box I wanted. The second one charged me five bucks. I think if you can't get a reasonable deal on a box, I would go to a bike shops. Bikes come in fairly sturdy cardboard boxes that can pretty easily be cut down to instrument size, and they will be glad to give you one.

[Aran]

I shipped a mandolin to the States last week from Ireland and put into a box that I found that was way too big.

The mandolin was in it's hard case.

The case was wrapped in a type of giant bubble wrap.

And the box was thick cardboard.

Report so far is that it arrived in no worse condition than when it left our rainy shores.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I traded in my Weber Beartooth for my Lebeda special back in January. I had to wait while the Lebeda in it's box arrived before i could send the Beartooth down to TAMCO in Brighton UK. Trevor,the owner of TAMCO had difficulty in finding a box at his end.. I tried my local stores,but these days,in order to cut down on waste,much of the goods are delivered to the stores in re-usable plastic crates. Finding a suitable box for an instrument case is indeed hard,
Ivan

[grassrootphilosopher]

Your average music shop might want to get rid of a box that their stuff came in with. Maybe some shop in a mall may have boxes that they may want to discard... (I never had to ship anything but this would be, where I´d go before thinking about spending money on buying a box)

[Jim Garber]

My local music store does have boxes but often they are ones from electric guitars which are usually not deep enough. Acoustic guitar boxes are deep enough for mandolins but need to be cut down.

For guitars I usually check with my local bicycle store esp in this season. Many of those are quite nice size for shipping a guitar even in its case and the store usually is recycling or throwing them out anyway. Always best to ask them to save them for you and check in often. I have many times got there the day after they threw a bunch out.

[floyd floar]

Thank-you everyone for the great responses. Mandolinists must be the most resourceful and helpful of all the playahs!

[Mandobar]

uline.com

you have to buy at least 5, but you might check with music stores like A Sound Choice in Branford or perhaps Acoustic Music.Org in Guilford. things are a bit slow right now for music stores so they may not have any new boxes.