MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE  ·  Shipping since 1998
0800 096 38 39
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🎸 Musical Instrument Shipping • From the UK • International

Musical Instrument Shipping from the UK
Guitars, keyboards, orchestral instruments • Air & sea freight

Musical instruments shipped internationally require careful packing, correct declaration and an understanding of CITES regulations for instruments containing protected materials — tortoiseshell, ivory, certain rosewoods. We advise on documentation requirements at booking.

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Key considerations

Shipping musical instruments internationally — what to know

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Collection hours — UK mainland: Within M25: Mon–Fri 09:30–16:00 • Outside M25: Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00. Weekend collections applicable within Greater London only, subject to availability and surcharge. No weekend collections outside Greater London.
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Barrels & oversized items: Barrel shipments — commonly used for Caribbean and West African routes — are subject to a handling surcharge due to their size and weight. Please advise at enquiry stage if shipping barrels so we can confirm the correct charge before booking.
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Hard cases for fragile instruments — guitars, violins, cellos. Flight cases for keyboards and electronic instruments. Soft cases are not suitable for air freight.
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CITES documentation for instruments containing protected materials — pre-1947 ivory, certain rosewoods (Dalbergia species), tortoiseshell. Without the correct permits, instruments can be seized at destination customs.
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Declare make, model and value individually. “Guitar” is not sufficient. Brand, year, serial number and declared value are required for customs clearance.
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No lithium batteries in electronic instruments. Batteries can be packed and exported as declared dangerous goods — ask us. Remove battery packs from electric guitars, keyboards and stage equipment before shipping.
FAQs

Your questions answered

Can I ship a guitar or violin internationally?−
Yes — in a hard case with proper padding. Declare make, model, year and value individually. If the instrument contains any CITES-regulated materials (certain rosewoods, ivory), you will need CITES documentation. We advise at booking.
What about shipping a piano?+
Grand and upright pianos require specialist piano shipping services with climate-controlled transport. We handle smaller digital pianos and keyboards as standard air or sea freight. Contact us about piano shipping requirements.
How do I avoid customs issues with my instruments?+
Complete and accurate documentation. Declare the instrument specifically by make, model and value. Carry a receipt or valuation. For instruments with CITES-regulated materials, obtain the correct permits before shipping.
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Excess Luggage Co.
Musical Instrument Shipping from the UK • MetEx House, Hounslow • Since 1998
Excess Luggage Co. has been shipping specialist items internationally since 1998. Call us on 0800 096 38 39 for a quote before you commit to anything.

Ready to ship?

Tell us your UK postcode, item type, destination and when you need to ship. Clear quote before collection.

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Musical Instrument Shipping from the UK • Excess Luggage Co.
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