How Much Does it Cost to Ship a Guitar?

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Shipping is often a straightforward process, but there can be a few items that are tricky to ship.

These can include items that are especially fragile, like glass, video game consoles and instruments. As a result, it’s important to know how to ship these items efficiently.

Furthermore, understanding the cost involved when shipping something like a guitar can be hugely helpful.

Guitars come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that can affect the price you have to pay when shipping. We’re covering that and more here so that you can get the job done.

The average price of shipping a guitar can range from $30 to $70. It all depends on how fast you want it to arrive at the destination. UPS and FedEx are more expensive but your guitar will arrive faster with less damage.

What is the Cost of Shipping a Guitar?

There are a number of factors involved in shipping a guitar. Because of this, the price is going to vary depending on the situation. Some may find that it isn’t too pricey, while others may discover that it’s more expensive than they might have expected.

You’re going to need to know the weight of your guitar, to begin with. Naturally, heavier guitars are going to be more costly to ship than lighter options. Additionally, you’ll want to know the size of the final box that the guitar will be shipped in.

The price can also fluctuate based on where it’s being shipped from and where it’s traveling to. A greater distance is likely to come at a higher cost. On top of that, the weight of the guitar case can also add to the overall weight of the package.

Typically, the cost of shipping a guitar can vary from around $30.00 to upwards of $70.00. However, the shipping service you use can also play a role in the price you end up paying. Naturally, services like UPS and FedEx are likely to be more expensive than USPS, but they may also get the job done more efficiently in some cases.

How to Efficiently Ship a Guitar

By following these steps, you can get your guitar shipped without too much of a hassle. It’s essentially just a matter of making sure the guitar gets to point A to point B in good shape. Naturally, guitars can be fragile, and even a small bit of damage may affect the sound.

Prepping the Instrument

Before you get the guitar locked away in its case, there are a few steps you’ll need to take to ensure that it gets where it needs to go safely.

To begin with, you’re going to want to relieve any tension that is on the neck. That means loosening up the strings a bit. Don’t worry about loosening them too much; the idea is just to avoid extra tension that might result in damage to the guitar neck.

Next, wrap something around the guitar headstock. This area is easy to damage and highly susceptible to it, so just make sure to get some bubble wrap around the piece to keep everything safe. While you’re at it, make sure to get the tremolo bridge or any other parts that may be movable secured.

Finally, use some of your chosen material to slide in between the fretboard and the guitar strings. This added measure will avoid damage to the fretboard while it travels.

Packing it In

At this point, you’ve got through the most complicated part of the prepping. It never hurts to check over your work at this point and just make sure that the guitar is going to be able to ship safely. You never know how rough shipping can get, so it’s better to stay on the safe side.

Once you put the guitar in the case, you’re going to want to keep it from moving while it’s being transferred. Otherwise, the knocking around may result in damage to the instrument, which is something you want to avoid, as it can be costly.

To avoid this, make sure that any space in the guitar case that is empty gets filled. You can use more bubble wrap for this, newspaper or anything else that will be gentle on the guitar while holding it in place. When that is finished, you’ll be able to close up the case and start packing it into the box.

Boxing it Up

Packing up your guitar case into a box is about the same process as getting the guitar into the case. In fact, it’s a bit easier as you won’t have to worry about as many nooks and crannies that need to be filled. Instead, it’s just going to take more of your materials as the space will be larger.

Remember that it’s going to be better to use more of your materials rather than trying to get away with less. This will help to make sure the guitar gets where it’s going safely, which means you don’t have to worry about refunds or replacements.

When you’ve got the guitar packed away, make sure to tape up the box well. Then, ensure that the address on the box is clear and easy to read, so that it can get to the correct destination.


There are a few tips that can be helpful when you’re shipping the guitar. To begin with, it can help to make sure that the shipping service employees know that it’s a fragile package. That way, you can be assured that they will label and handle the package with care.

Additionally, it never hurts to get a tracking or delivery notification number. That way, you can track the package and make sure that it arrives at the destination on time. It’s a great way to give yourself or your business a bit of protection.


While shipping a guitar can seem like an intimidating task, it’s really not terribly difficult, once you have a handle on what shipping cost to expect and how to handle the shipping process. Whether it’s your first and only time or you ship regularly for a business, it never hurts to be prepared!

About the author


My name is Glen. I've been in the audio world for over 15 years. I love reviewing audio equipment and solving audio related problems.