Musical instrument courier

Whether you need to send a saxophone, cornet, trumpet, trombone, or any other instrument, our musical instrument shipping service is unbeatable. Overland Express are the specialists in musical instrument delivery and provide the most efficient and affordable delivery service for musical instruments, through the World's best couriers.

We also have our own insurance that fully covers instruments against damage or loss in transit.

If you are sending an instrument by courier, it is safe and secure, whether it is from an eBay sale, or one that you have purchased, we have a wide range of cost-effective delivery options to suit your requirements. We also offer a delivery and collection service when sending instruments for repair.

We have been shipping musical instruments within the UK, Europe and other Worldwide destinations for over three decades. So, you can relax in the knowledge that your valuable instrument is in safe hands.

When sending musical instruments, they must be sent in a hard case and well packed. For further advice on packing your musical instrument, please read our packing advice below.

If you are sending a guitar, please see our guitar shipping page. For sending violins, please visit here.

We partner with the very best names in the courier industry such as UPS and DHL, as we are volume purchasers from these courier companies, we obtain better prices to send instruments than are available to the general public and pass these great savings directly to you.

When you send a musical instrument with us, we can provide insurance up to a maximum of £20,000.00, simply select the additional insurance option during the booking process.

Use our 'Send a Parcel' tool above to see how much you will save when you send a euphonium, trumpet or any other brass or stringed instrument with Overland Express.

All of our musical instrument delivery services are fully tracked, door to door and can be collected from your home or work, as well as various drop off options.

Shipping musical instruments in the UK

We can collect and deliver your instrument from anywhere in the UK and offer many delivery options, including timed delivery slots and various drop off services.

How to ship musical instruments Internationally

These can be sent in much the same way as a UK delivery. These can be sent in much the same way as a UK delivery. The only difference is that a Customs declaration is required and you will need to attach 3 copies of the commercial invoice to the outside packaging. We supply all Customs paperwork for you free of charge. Please be aware that the receiver may be liable for import duty in the receiving Country.

How to Send a musical Instrument by Courier

Prerequisites:

Hard case
Cloth to wrap the instrument
Bubble wrap and polystyrene
Parcel tape
Large cardboard box

A cardboard box must be used for the outer packaging due to COVID-19 handling restrictions.

When you need to send a musical instrument by courier, there are a few precautions to take to ensure that your musical instrument arrives undamaged. Packing a musical instrument for shipping is straightforward and with a little care at this stage, will save any heartache later.

Packing stringed instruments

Firstly, loosen the strings of the instrument to avoid any tension in the neck and place a paper towel between the strings and the body, to prevent the strings from scratching the instrument during transit. Add some soft padding, such as cloth, to protect the instrument inside the case and pack any bows separately to avoid any damage. Bubble wrap can be used to fill any voids within the case, but do not allow the bubble wrap to make contact with the instrument, as the material in the bubble wrap can damage the lacquer. Once the instrument has been delivered, allow it to adjust to the local climate before unpacking it. For Cello's, remove the bridge and wrap it in soft packing material, and then place it under the tailpiece, making sure that it cannot move about, this will prevent it damaging any parts of the instrument.

Once the instrument is securely packed within its hardcase, wrap the hard case in several layers of bubble wrap and place in a larger cardboard box. Make sure that there is no movement within the box, you can add additional packaging material to fill any voids.

Packing stringed instruments

Packing brass instruments

First remove the mouth piece and slide (if applicable) and pack separately. Line the hard case with bubble wrap and wrap the body of the instrument with bubble wrap. The slide can be packed in a postal tube, often available free at the post office.

Make sure there is bubble wrap inside the bell to keep the rim from making any contact with the case and fill any voids with packaging peanuts, polystyrene, or bubble wrap, as this could result in movement of the instrument during carriage and possible damage.

Put additional bubble wrap around the horn, to stop it from moving around. It needs to be a tight fit within the case.

Once this is done, wrap the entire case in 2 or 3 layers of bubble wrap and insert the case into a large cardboard box.

You can fill any spaces within the box with packaging peanuts, extra bubble wrap, or crumpled up newspaper.

Finally, shake the box to check that the instrument cannot move around. If there are any spaces, fill them with extra packing material. Once you are satisfied that the instrument is safe and secure within the box, seal the box securely with parcel tape, applied in two directions and along the seams and attach your parcel label.

If you need a reputable courier for musical instruments, then look no further than Overland Express, enter your details above to get an immediate quote now.