Shipping a guitar from US

victorfernando

New member
May 29, 2011
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Hi guys, I'm an american studying medicine in San Pedro de Macoris. I was wondering if you guys would offer some advice. I want to buy an electric guitar online and have it shipped here. The guitar is expensive, in the US$2000 range. What are the best methods I can use? Will I have to pay customs? thanks!
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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Yes, you will have to pay customs--probably a lot of money. Anything over US$200 is charged and it seems to be whatever the customs official thinks the traffic will bear.

The best way to get it here is to have somebody coming here bring it. If they bring it as their personal instrument there will be no customs charge.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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Ken has given you very good advice. It would probably be less expensive for you to fly to the US, pick it up and bring it back with you than to pay the duty and shipping charges to have it shipped. I had a cheap electric guitar valued at under $200 shipped and it made it just fine using TransExpress, but that duty would be an issue for something with at $2,000 value.
 

amparocorp

Bronze
Aug 11, 2002
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i travel in and out of the DR with a very expensive violin, very, expensive. in NYC the idiot from homeland security opened the case upside down and it damn near fell out, even after i told the fat unemployable woman not to do that. in ft. lauderdale FL they thought i had a machine gun, until they x-rayed the thing and then told me they had never seen a violin go through security. get the guitbox (elvis' words, 1964) to miami and then find a cheap flight up and back for the weekend. this could be cheaper than shipping, no import duties, etc. but you are not going to get that guitar here for 100 or 200 bucks, unless a friend is coming down for a visit. as soon as you step on the plane, hand the guitar to the flight attendant, tell them it's delicate, and they will store it up-front until you get off the plane.
 

wrecksum

Bronze
Sep 27, 2010
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Agree with the others.
Go and collect it yourself or have someone bring it for you. I bought a new Guitar last year and brought it hand baggage on AA. The customs didn't even look at it when I arrived. There was actually another guy on the plane with his guitar and he went straight through as well.
 

mountainannie

Platinum
Dec 11, 2003
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elizabetheames.blogspot.com
And, for what it's worth, I bought an accoustical guitar on ebay a couple of weeks ago.

Shipping and customs from my Jetpack Miami mail forwarding address to here was 1500 pesos.

It was packed very well in styrofoam, and arrived in perfect condition, including the box.

did you have an invoice for the guitar? or did they do if by weight?
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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Cost using TransExpress to ship a guitar similar to a Fender Stratocast in June, 2010

Back in June of 2010 I had a guitar similar to a Fender Stratocaster solid body electric guitar shipped from the US using TransExpress and the price was $RD 1,707 (about $46.14 US) for the shipping. I did not have to pay any customs dues because the invoice value was less than $200 US. The guitar arrived in perfect condition. I would not send an expensive instrument this way both for safety and cost reasons.