Unfortunately recent changes in the fine print rules of FEDEX, UPS and other commercial shippers make it impossible to INSURE this instrument through them, although, if you ask for the insurance they will sell it to you, and if there is no damage, they will not refund the insurance, but if there is a claim, they will deny the insurance and refund the insurance portion of the shipping charges.  In my opinion this is grounds for a class action suit, but I'm not a lawyer.

So, the only insurance is a good packing job.  Loosen the stings and pack the guitar inside the case (with a letter inside including your name, address, phone # and why you are sending the guitar).  The guitar should have extra padding in the form of old soft towels around the head and anywhere else around the case if the guitar is loose inside.  You should be able to pick up the case and shake it without hearing the guitar ricochet around inside, but it should not be tightly wedged into the case.  Think of the guitar as an egg which is going to be dropped off the Empire State building.  Be sure to check for the case key (or other loose items) and make sure it is taped to an index card or in a sealed bag in the string compartment.  Loose case keys will scratch the surface of the guitar if they fall out of the string compartment and get between the guitar body and the case lining, something that commonly happens.

Likewise pack the guitar/case into a good cardboard carton (you can get a clean used one from a local music store).  Again, a bigger rather than smaller box is preferable with lots of padding/cushioning material.  Bubble pack, styrofoam peanuts, or crushed newspaper are preferable in that order.  Obliterate any previous marking/barcodes/labels and send it to me at the address below, which is a BUSINESS, not a residence.  In general, I usually ship via ground to save money, but if the weather is predicted to be bad (too hot or too cold) I'll ship via 2nd day or next day air, which is considerably more expensive.  A word to the wise:  under their fine print rules, they can, at their discretion elect to send an AIR shipment by GROUND rather than by air, even though they will charge you the extra "dimensional weight" rate for air shipments.  As long as it arrives in the allotted time frame, they consider it to have been properly delivered according to the contract.  So even with a 2nd day air shipment, the instrument might possibly be exposed to a day or two of excessive temperatures in a truck.  In general temperatures over 90 or under 20 degrees F are what I would consider to be excessive.

Finally, I prefer to do all shipping on Mondays so its not in transit over a weekend, and never during weeks when there are national holidays, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas or New year's day.  Be sure you let them know its being shipped to a business, NOT a home address.

If possible, email me a tracking number when you have sent the guitar off.  Once I receive it, I'll call you and we'll finalize the details.

In the interest of full disclosure, the new Federal Government regulations under the amended Lacey Act of May 22, 2008 make it a Federal crime to ship this instrument across state lines without a permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service, which will take months to obtain and requires paperwork declarations which are impossible to comply with (in my opinion).  As of today, I am told that they are not trying to enforce this law for domestic shipments, but please be aware that this is a verbal statement from the head of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and there is no exception or de minimus clause written into the law currently, so the prohibition remains the law of the land, subject to possible enforcement by Federal agents.  I have only heard of a few instances of Federal enforcement.  For the most part shipments by commercial carriers are arriving unfettered.  If you wish to review the FEDERAL requirements for compliance, please email me, I can send these, they comprise about 25 pages of legal language with links to the U.S. Government websites for compliance and permit applications.  I am not making this up, this is the law of the land as passed by Congress.

As a further addenda, as of February 11, 2014 by Executive order of the President of the United States it is now illegal to offer for sale or modify (repair/restore) any item of any age containing any part of ivory regardless of quantity unless it can be proven to be antique (over 100 years old) AND which has certification from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the form of Pre-CITES certificate of exemption issued by the USFWS.  You can review the summation of these new rules at this website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/02/11/fact-sheet-national-strategy-combating-wildlife-trafficking-commercial-b

Additionally, The state of New Jersey has now (August, 2014) enacted a law making it entirely illegal to offer for sale or even possess with intention for sale any item of any age containing any part of any animal ivory as defined by the New Jersey legislature, which includes but is not limited to:  Asian and African elephant, Mastodon, Mammoth, Walrus, Narwhale, Hippopotamus Sperm Whale, and/or other ivory bearing animals as defined by law.  This applies equally to individuals as well as established businesses, and there is no exception for minimal quantities nor for pre-CITES certified antiques.