Once you have sold your instrument to someone, you’ll need to get them shipped off to the customer as quickly as possible – they’ll be excited to receive them.
Packaging is critical to ensure that the item that you are shipping makes the journey safely. Bubble wrap or foam wrap is an excellent choice to protect any items that are easily damaged.
Paperwork
One major consideration when selling bagpipes out of country is whether your pipes have ivory mounts. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) includes bagpipes that have ivory mounts on their list of products that cannot be shipped internationally without a CITES form. This is a subject of its own that we will delve into at another time, but the main takeaway is that you should look into this in more detail if you have ivory mounts on your pipes.
You will also need to include a bill of sale with your shipment showing the seller, buyer, description and purchase price.
Shipping Options and Shipping Costs
You will have a number of shipping options depending on your location. Couriers and postal services offer different benefits, although I have found that using postal services like Royal Mail, USPS or Canada Post are the best way to keep the overall costs down. Most shipping companies offer shipping options like – Non-tracked Package, Tracked Package as well as insurance. Be sure to ask your buyer what they’d prefer.
Duties & Taxes
Depending on which country that the shipment is being sent to, there may be duties and taxes or duties owing when the shipment arrives. Used items typically don’t have the same level of duties and taxes as new, but you should check your region so no one is shocked when they arrive at their final destination.
Insuring the Shipment
It’s important to insure the item for the proper valuation. The buyer will effectively determine the insured value – so be sure to ask what they’d prefer.
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