Is it safe to post valve amps? There is a Fender valve amp going cheap on E-Bay around my local area and I can only have the amplifier posted to my house. I am sure there is no liability if anything turns up damaged.

_________________

Fender Highway One HSS Stratocaster '09
Modified Fender Champ600
Honer Special20 Harmonica

Use fedX or DHL. Dont use the postal service.

Better still go and pick it up, should be a fun trip.

_________________
No no and no

Hi Strat0Blues: amps get sent mail order. But I have no idea how they arrive safely. I'd never buy an amp that way: a tube amp is temperamental enough as it is, without subjecting it to the tender mercies of "delivery guy"!

Purchasing on Ebay I'd only ever do a "buyer collect" on an amp, for this and several other reasons...

Good luck - C

Better to pick it up. If it must be shipped suggest that the shipper number the tubes and sockets. Pack the tubes carefully in a seperate box within the amp box and ship it that way. Still no garauntee that it will get there safely.

Should be no problem. Have him wrap the tubes in bubble wrap separately and make sure the package is fully insured.

Hey, Strat0blues, I've had valve amps shipped to me with Australia Post before with no problems whatsoever. Have the person sending it wrap it securely and it should be fine. If you're concerned, pay for them to send it via registered post and and they'll be able to choose insurance. I've organised courier pickups using SmartSend.com.au with good results, too... all the sender needs to do is agree to be present so that the couriers can come and pick it up.

Whichever method you use, postage (including insurance) probably won't run to more than about $25. Unless it's unusually heavy.

I've also bought plenty of valves through the post from all over the country, and they've always turned up in good condition.

But, as nikininja said... the pickup is always a fun way to go if it's feasible. it's just that "local" in Australia can mean four or five hours away! (travelling at 100km/h, not just stuck in traffic )

Thats the fun bit i had in mind. 5 hours of desolate, abandoned roads and no one else in the car. Sounds like bliss to me. Just dont break down.

_________________
No no and no

Carvin sends amps everywhere using UPS or FedX direct to customer and some nice tube amps at that and they get there save.

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Well there is some good advice here, thanks. As for the local pickup, well the seller is being harrassed by someone on e-bay and since I only joined e-bay this month, the seller is a but paranoid about me going around there house, oh well. I will definately take some time to consider my options here, although it would be allot easier just to go around and plug in to this amp.

_________________

Fender Highway One HSS Stratocaster '09
Modified Fender Champ600
Honer Special20 Harmonica

My only experience was with a Grant Audio tube pre-amp, but shipped via Canada post and then handed off to the US postal people. It came from Toronto to Vancouver, then to Seattle and finally to LA and everything arrived in good shape. I noticed that as several have suggested, the tubes were not in their sockets but bubble wrapped and imobilized in the box.

Other than that, I've driven my Champ (circa 84 model) across the country a number of times. Not the same as the PO to be sure, but I have an Escape, not a luxury vehicle and I don't drive slow. The Champ has survived 6 years of coast to coast (both ways) bouncing around without any padding or packing at all.