look! here is a helpful guide for shipping an accordian!!!

read here for: the best way to ship an accordian!                                  

i know,i know,alot of people would just as soon damage the accordian,making it unplayable,especially if its someones in there household!all kidding aside,there are several things that you should know about shipping that accordian you just sold!first of all,priority type delivery service is suggested vs. parcel post,as the packages sent parcel post seem to get kicked to your curb,or your door!they just seem to take an extra pounding for being sent low budget!always,tell the buyer to have the instrument insured on delivery!that is the buyers best bet for getting re-imbursed for damage sustained on delivery!there are several key factors that lead to damages being incurred to the instrument during transit!first,just because the instrument has its own case,doesnt mean it should be protected becuase its inside of it!the major cause of damage to the instrument is when its jarred,dropped,tossed,slid,drop kicked,slam dunked etc. and the package takes that impact!the big problem arises because people dont package the accordian inside the box properly,allowing the accordian to take a double whammy when its impacted!the accordian must not be allowed to move inside the box,whether its in a case or not doesnt matter!you cannot allow the accordian to move within the box,popcorn foam peanuts is not enough!they allow to much give and airspace inside the box,letting the accordian move.when the accordian is packed loosely inside the box,and is tossed or whatever during transit,say,it is dropped from waist or chest high onto the ground,first the box hits the ground,the accordian then follows suit,hitting on that same side as  it hits the ground,what happens next?well the accordian not packed properly,well,either carom off that side initially impacted and richochet rebound thus taking at least one more blow,like such: down------>      back up<------ and back down------->,yep,a double whammy!to best safeguard against damage is:1}if accordian has a case,gently put some bubble wrap around the top of the instrument,just enough to make it a tight,snug fit inside the case.so if you pick up the case and move it side to side,you cant feel the accordian moving from side to side!also place some of that bubble wrap above the keys{keyboard side}and above the bass buttons.you dont have to cram it in the case,just loosely lay it in there,offering the accordian a little added protection,for its journey!the bass side is where a lot of the impact damage is administered because its the high side of the instrument and is also the heavy side and it gets hit first,and that impacting slam just crams all those little buttons down or messes up the whole alignment of the bass register!2}now,that the accordian is snug in its case,or if there is no case,get that bubble wrap,and you can get that stuff,or foam padding anywhere theres a mall,shopping center etc.you dont have to go and buy a roll,just get some behind any retail store that handles larger merchandise,they dont care if you grab they're discarded foam or bubble wrap!if you feel weird about that,ask them first!so,you got the bubble wrap,find a decent box that will hold the accordian remembering your gonna wrap that accordian with a layer of bubble wrap.put that bubble wrap around the accordian at least,one time,taping it where the bubble wrap end is,so its tight,not loose.3}find some foam,place it on the bottom of the box,place the accordian inside the box,stuff some foam down around all sides of the accordian,between the accordian and the sides of the  box.4}now,fill in  the open spaces around the accordian,so theres no way that accordian can jostle around from side to side!then place a piece of foam on the top of the instrument,now,close the box{top}and now your ready for taping it shut!you can use any kind of foam for the siding,bottom and top of the accordian inside the box,you can break larger pieces,whatever as long as you have all sides,bottom and top of inside the box lined with the foam,this is like an inner wall of insulation,so when the package is hit on any side it is insulated by that foam cushion layer!and if the accordian is packed snug in that box,you can tell by jostleing it around yourself,or rolling it over gently to see if you can feel or sense the accordian moving inside.if you dont feel it clunking from side to side when the package is rolled over,then youve done a good job of packing that accordian for shipping!

o.k.,lets review the 4 steps to proper shipping of that accordian you just sold:

1}bubble wrap above the accordian,inside its case,making sure you cover the keys and buttons,close the case.{if you have no case for the accordian,you can go directly to #2}

2}bubble wrap around the case,or accordian at least once,if not twice!taping it so it stays tight snugly fitted!

3}place foamon bottom of box,place accordian in box on the foam,take foam and insulate the sides of the box between the accordian and the box.

4}take foam,bubble wrap,cardboard,newspaper,etc. and pack it allaround the accordian filling in all the open space and air pockets inside the box,pack it in tight.place a piece of foam on top of the accordian,close the top of the box and tape it up and your ready to send that accordian on its merry way!

as long as that accordian isnt rolling around inside its case inside the box,then youve done all that can be expected to see that accordian gets to its destination just the same as it left you!and theres nothing you can do,if the carrier you use,has parcel handlers who practice there hitting,pitching,field goals or 3 point shots with the packages,except,get it insured!!

and there it is there,just what you always needed to know,about the  proper way to ship that accordian!