How much would it cost to repair a guitar

[Xylitol]

Anyways, I bought a guitar on eBay that had no cracks
The person shipped it in a large brown cardboard box that said fragile on both sides. The guitar was covered with a light styrofoam padding and around 3 inch thick hard styrofoam were placed around the inside of the cardboard box. Between the styrofoam and the guitar/styrofoam there were crumpled papers to act as cushioning.

Needless to say, UPS brought it with a small smash on the top of the guitar

(Will put up pictures)
There are like 5 small chuncks of the hardlayer of the guitar that fell out. It's about 2 inches long and half an inch wide.

I was wondering that if I were to get this repaired (Becuase UPS will pay me the amount for repair of what THEY think), how much would it cost me?

 

[orakle]

It'll never be the same. Tell UPS to buy you a new guitar.

 

[nsafreak]

Depends on the guitar but I agree with orakle tell UPS that they get to pony up the money for a new guitar.

 

[thelanx]

You mean pieces of the finish came off, or pieces of the wood? Also, where on the guitar did they fall off from.

 

[UncleWai]

Originally posted by: Xylitol
Anyways, I bought a guitar on eBay that had no cracks
The person shipped it in a large brown cardboard box that said fragile on both sides. The guitar was covered with a light styrofoam padding and around 3 inch thick hard styrofoam were placed around the inside of the cardboard box. Between the styrofoam and the guitar/styrofoam there were crumpled papers to act as cushioning.

Needless to say, UPS brought it with a small smash on the top of the guitar

(Will put up pictures)
There are like 5 small chuncks of the hardlayer of the guitar that fell out. It's about 2 inches long and half an inch wide.

I was wondering that if I were to get this repaired (Becuase UPS will pay me the amount for repair of what THEY think), how much would it cost me?

Sounds like it's the fault of crappy packaging. Fragile sticker on a package is like putting makeup on a fat chick, the effort is futile.
You should try to find a resolution with the seller and blame him for it.

When I bought my guitar online, I made sure it came with a hard shell case ever though I paid some expensive shipping.

 

[Vegitto]

If it's the laquer (or whatever you Americans call it ), no biggie. You can have that repaired. Not too expensive if you're not talking about a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul (or in that price range). Since you said it came in a cardboard box, I don't think that's what's happened .

If it's the wood, have UPS cough up some dough.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Well Im only 15, partake in underage drinking in the Netherlands, wear my jacket half off my body for hours and smoke cigars, so what do I know about repairing guitars?

 

[altonb1]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Well Im only 15, partake in underage drinking in the Netherlands, wear my jacket half off my body for hours and smoke cigars, so what do I know about repairing guitars?

Yeah, so you were 9 when you joined AT?



I agree that this issue was caused by the seller. The packaging was not adequate nor does writing FRAGILE on a box make any difference, other than the UPS delivery guy will "act" gentle with it when it is time for delivery. Otherwise, the box gets tossed around just like every other box that is shipped.

 

[CptObvious]

From what I've heard, UPS rarely pays for this type of damage. They will categorically deny any claims for 'insufficient packaging'. I went through this hell about a year and a half ago with FedEx, and I've heard UPS is much worse. FedEx finally paid when I threatened to contact my state's attorney general office and the FTC for their claims inspection practices.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Vegitto
If it's the laquer (or whatever you Americans call it ), no biggie. You can have that repaired. Not too expensive if you're not talking about a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul (or in that price range). Since you said it came in a cardboard box, I don't think that's what's happened .

If it's the wood, have UPS cough up some dough.

Probably Lacker or something stupid

 

[Xylitol]

So the only solution is buying a new guitar if UPS denies it being their problem?

 

[SludgeFactory]

I have no idea what kind of damage you're trying to describe.

Guitars have no hope going in a single cardboard box through UPS. The seller never should have tried that. They either need to be double boxed or shipped in a hardshell case inside a box. UPS is likely going to stonewall you if you try to make a claim with them; give it a try, but the next step would be to see what the seller is willing to do to compensate you for his packaging failure.

 

[Fritzo]

Guitars have a few different types of finishes, so it depends on what it has. If it has a "dipped" look, where the paint is very smooth and almost looks like plastic, this would be a polyester coating. This is very difficult to repair, and you can almost always see where it was repaired.

If it was a laquer finish, these are easier to repair (Gibson has pens available for it's models).

Other types of finishes are less common, so will cost $$$$ to fix.

 

[imported_Imp]

First thing's first: packing guitar in cardboard = retarded. I'd kill anyone who'd even suggest I put my own guitar in anything less than a hard case to transport (I wub mu Strat).

Now, you would be amazed at what luthiers can do. Bring it to a guitar repair shop and ask thm what they can do. It may cost you for an inspection, and repairs will not be cheap. However, just search the internet for guitar repairs (broken necks, cracked, etc.). The before and after pictures will amaze you.