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Shipping Expensive Speakers? WATCH OUT

Be very careful if you have to ship expensive & heavy speakers these days.
BAX Global now only insures up to only for $500 for damage.
UPS freight will insure for up to $50K, but speakers must be new & crated & only with a "managers approval".
Moving companies will insure @ $10 per $1K value, but must be crated (if you put your trust in them).
Unless you have "your" speakers on your home owners policy (& you had better check with them first), it could get very hairy.
Just a heads up as I was about to ship 550 lbs. @ $25K value last week & ran into this situation.
Most companies will insure for full value if lost, but not for the damage (that they themselves do).
To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
All the best
Paladin
128x128paladin
oregon
828 posts
 
Thanks for the heads-up, Palladin. I'm about to ship some crates.
If I have these insured through my home owners policy, they will be covered, even if shipping outside the US?
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
My understanding is that the shippers have contacts with third party insurers you can use. .
pbb
1,140 posts
 
For all intents and purposes, I consider shipping large used speakers a virtual impossibility. I have been looking for used Vandy 5As within driving ditance of my home for some time. Problem is I have to find the time to drive out to where they are located, they have to fit in my station-wagon (which means ditching the boxes, something I don't really want to do) and, to top it all off, they have to be well priced.

Large speakers shipped from a private seller are a problem.
mariasplunge
174 posts
 
Paladin, in your estimation is it best to ship new speakers from the manufactor via UPS? I'm getting the Merlins direct from Bobby who is recommending BAX. Should I go UPS though?

Thanks!
photon46
1,088 posts
 
I wonder if it might be worthwhile to investigate using the services of a fine art /antiquities specialty shipper. They aren't cheap, but they are careful and they know how to handle fragle/delicate/valuable cargo. Fine Art shippers aren't available to all parts of the country and you ship on their scheduled runs to a given geopgraphic locale, so you have to wait a bit longer for service. Try someone like shippingmadesimple.com (Transport Consultants International.)
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