 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Klose ★2017
Date: 2015-05-01 05:21
Hi,
I need to send my wurlitzer RB clarinets back to Germany for maintenance. Could someone here tell me how to do this better? I just want to make sure my instruments can pass through the customs smoothly. What kind of documents should I include in the parcel? DHL is the best choice here, isn't it?
Thanks a lot!
Lee
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2015-05-01 18:24
I've shipped instruments all over the world, and I've found that the good old US Postal Service generally has the best rates, and they've never lost or damaged anything that I packed properly. Every post office has the Customs form you need to fill out, it's easy.
I would suggest making a copy of your shipping label and placing it inside the box (or even inside the instrument case), should the outer label on the box somehow get damaged, which is unlikely.
Careful packing is the key. Bubble-wrap is your friend, use it liberally. Tape up the outside of the box so that seams can't open, nor allow any water to get in.
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2015-05-01 18:26
If you don't need insurance, USPS is most affordable. Just specify a value of $50 and mark it as gift and it will pass through the customs.
If you need insurance it is a whole different matter.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2015-05-01 18:42
Insuring a shipment with the US Postal Service is not a problem at all, nor is it expensive, I do it all the time.
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2015-05-01 19:35
David, isn't the upper insurance limit to Europe $650? The problem with insurance is also that the customs will charge 25-35% tariff of the value when the package enters the EU.
Post Edited (2015-05-01 19:37)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2015-05-01 20:20
You may be right, Johan, I haven't checked the USPS policies on insurance recently. I'd suggest the original poster go to USPS.com and see what it says about insurance.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2015-05-03 01:10
I work on Wurlitzer clarinets. I'm sure other techs would also do a good job. However, I don't work on many German system clarinets.
Steve Ocone
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2015-05-03 18:02
I agree with Steven. In order of preference, I would:
1. Get to know a highly qualified repair person within driving distance. Then you avoid shipping entirely and have the chance to play the instruments before they leave the shop.
2. Ship the horns to one of the highly regarded clarinet specialists in the States. You avoid some of the hazards of shipping (box gets thrown fewer times) and you avoid customs in either country taking an undue interest in your package.
3. Make an appointment and take a vacation to Germany. Why not? The instruments would be with you (you have to have proof of ownership or get a form at the customs office at the airport before you leave) as personal property, and you'd have a blast.
4. Ship the horns to Germany as a very last resort.
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Author: clarimad
Date: 2015-05-03 18:29
In the UK few carriers will insure shipped musical instruments and the restricted items details exactly what can be sent. UPS will ship instruments as will Royal Mail. It's better to pay the insurance cost as in the event of a loss it will cost much more to replace the instrument!
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-05-03 22:59
The problem is that if you insure the item to their full value this can cause problems with customs/taxes etc. The principal oboe of the APO told me some years ago that when he ships his oboe to USA for repairs he doesn't insure it to its full value for this reason.
If I were to ship items as expensive as a pair of Wurlitzer clarinets, to have them fully insured I would have to have documents proving that I owned them in order to get the BACK INTO THE COUNTRY without having to pay extra tax of 15%. It is some years since I shipped an expensive instrument internationally (I bought a pair of festivals from Australia a few years back, and avoided this by getting a friend to "courier" them as they were conveniently able to pick them up) and the rules seemed to change every so often (for instance, at one point in NZ you needed an "export certificate" to post things overseas once they past a certain value- this caused a huge problem when i was trying to send a box of expensive mouthpieces BACK to Brad Behn.... but then they changed that rule as it got too ridiculous for them to police).
Shipping is not a problem, it is the "insuring to full value" that's the problem.
d
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Author: Johan H Nilsson
Date: 2015-05-03 23:00
clarimad wrote:
> It's better to pay
> the insurance cost as in the event of a loss it will cost much
> more to replace the instrument!
Whether it is rational depends on your economy. Insurance has a cost. The risk that a package disappears is maybe 0.1%. But the insurance is maybe 3% of the value. If you can handle the value loss, you should send packages uninsured, especially if you send packages regularly. Insurance should only be protection against situations you cannot handle.
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2015-05-06 23:35
I've played Wurlitzer Reform-bohm clarinets for 14 years.
I've always had their techs in Neustadt Germany do the work.
I know from personal accounts that if someone else works on the instruments, Wurlitzer will possibly refuse to work on them. There is a lot of pride in their work and some proprietary designs that a local tech will not necessarily know. The late Jimmy Yan was the only person that I knew of that Wurlitzer allowed repair work here.
No offense to any technicians here on the board, however I would recommend you send them back to Wurlitzer.
Contact Bernd Wurlitzer as to their preferred method of shipment.
They shipped to me using DHL in the past. but they have recently switched to UPS.
Robert
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Author: Klose ★2017
Date: 2015-05-07 04:15
Hi Robert,
Thank you for your kind reply.
My concern here is the German customs. Normally how do you send your instruments to Germany? And Did you meet any trouble with the customs (e.g. a duty charge)?
With Regards,
Lee
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Author: rtaylor
Date: 2015-05-07 18:43
Hi Lee,
I think the best resource is to call Bernd Wurlitzer and ask how best to ship them. They deal with this all of the time so they are the most up to date on customs regulations.
I haven't sent them over to Wurlitzer but I have received them back from UPS.
I've been lucky in that I was able to take them directly to Neustadt myself by coordinating the work with a trip to Germany.
Robert
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-05-07 20:32
I am glad that when my Toyota Prius needs service, I don't have to ship it to Japan, or take a vacation there and carry it in my luggage. Even if I would really really enjoy the vacation. If that was the way it worked, I'd choose another brand of automobile. Justsayin'.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2015-05-07 22:56
"if someone else works on the instruments, Wurlitzer will possibly refuse to work on them"
That's not pride- it's arrogance. If that really is true, given the increasing number of high-quality German clarinets being made by other makers today, I'd think Wurlitzer should consider changing their attitude.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2015-05-07 23:00
On that topic:
A colleague of mine recently sent his Wurlitzer clarinets to Jochen Seggelke to get the intonation improved. For the first time in over 20 years, his Wurlitzer clarinets finally have acceptable intonation.
I'm sorry, but there really is a limit to how much you can ride on past achievements...
Post Edited (2015-05-07 23:02)
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