Shipping a keyboard piano can seem like an intimidating task, especially for those who have never done it before. Our guide on how to ship a keyboard piano will help make the task delightful and straightforward. From choosing the right materials to determining the right shipping process, you'll have all the answers in one place.
Keyboard and digital pianos are expensive and fragile musical instruments that must be handled carefully while playing and transporting from one place to another. The transportation involves proper packaging and shipping of the musical instruments to avoid any damage or misplacement of any part during transit.
All piano keyboards are assembled at the time of purchase, which is a good way because if it has to be moved again to another place, the shipping becomes easier. It is also advisable to retain the box of the piano and its parts along with the foam pads.
Shipping and packing of the keyboard piano are usually the same. First of all, you need to decide whether you wish to move the piano on your own or you are going to get this done through movers and packers. If the moving distance is less, the shipping can be done quickly with professional help. And in the case of long-distance shipping, a professional, reliable shipping company or a courier service is essential.
Basic guidelines and tips for shipping the Piano keyboards
It is always a good idea to plan well before time and follow some essential tips for shipping of musical instruments. These are:
Shipping company and Courier services
Finding a few good shipping companies with reasonable rates and safe shipping experience is crucial.
Using a good freight or a cargo service is better as they can handle a larger shipment with more care. Another thing is to consider is the shipping cost they are offering. Usually, all shipping companies are careful while packing musical instruments as they are fragile and use good quality packing material and packaging techniques.
Along with shipping costs, another critical aspect is safe shipping, and they need to ensure that the keyboard piano can be delivered safely.
While selecting the shipment company, it is essential to discuss the declared value of the package, as it is the shipper's responsibility to take care of the shipment and compensation in case of any damage, loss, delay, or misdelivery of the shipment.
Packaging
Packaging is an other significant feature while shipping. From disassembling the piano to packing it for final shipping, it is a critical and tedious process. To properly seal the grand pianos, digital piano, and its parts, it is recommended to use excellent quality packing material and padding material to protect the piano from any damage during transit.
Before starting the packing process, cleaning the piano keyboard, especially the keys, is vital to avoid dust accumulation on the musical instrument.
The packaging material includes:
Bubble wrap:
Bubble wrap is a very reliable, suitable, and effective way of protecting your fragile and delicate shipment, especially the piano keys, as they can break or get scratched if not appropriately packed. It would help if you got a thick roll of plastic bubble wrap and heavy-duty packing tape to tie it tightly.
Foam pieces:
Foam pieces are usually kept behind the keyboard to prevent them from directly touching the wall or a hard surface. It keeps the instrument safe and avoids damage.
Packing Peanuts:
Packing peanuts are available in different shapes and are used to fill in the empty spaces in the packing boxes to prevent the piano parts from moving and touching outside the boundary.
Foam Corner Protectors:
As the name suggests, foam corner protectors are used to protect the corners of the keyboard to avoid damage. Sometimes these are used to save and guard the keys as well.
Bubble wrap, Foam pieces, packing peanuts, and foam corners are suitable padding materials for transporting musical instruments like digital pianos.
Original box of the piano keyboard and pedals: Retaining the original tubes of the piano keyboards and other parts, these boxes should be in excellent and sturdy condition so that different piano parts are packed nicely.
Empty box:
After properly packing the bubble-wrapped keyboard and the other parts, they should be safely kept in open cardboard boxes to ship them safely. After individually packing all the parts, they should be kept in a big box.
Markers, Stickers, and labels:
After packing the boxes, it is essential to label the individual packed boxes with stickers with details like the name of the piano parts, fragile/ delicate, side up or side down, full shipment address and location, etc.
Packing tape:
Packing tape is the most crucial piece of equipment used for bubble wrap packing and packing boxes.
The other essential types of equipment are Scissors/Knives for cutting purposes, measuring tape to measure the boxes (height and width), the keyboard, the keys, the pedal, and a weighing machine. It is essential to weigh your boxes before sending them to the shipping company as it can give you an idea of the shipping costs, and you should be aware of the weight of your shipment.
Shipment Details
Add all the dimensions related to your packaged keyboard piano- height, width, length, and weight. The shipment details should be accurate as usually the shipment company is particular with their processes and calculate the shipping costs on the actuals. The best way to ensure this is to write the exact specifications closest to the decimal point. The shipment details should also include the complete address and location of the receiver and the emergency contact in case the shipment is lost.
Shipping of Large Instruments
There are two options to ship the large musical instrument like an Acoustic Piano or a grand piano; one is through a freight service that will be solely responsible for packing securely and shipping the piano, which is quite challenging. The other more reliable option is through the piano companies specializing in moving pianos.
Packing Process for the shipment of the keyboard
The first and foremost step is to arrange all the boxes for packaging. Finding the right size boxes; there could be a possibility to cut a few big boxes to the required size. Count the number of packed instruments and prepare the packages for each part. Also, keep some space to add the foam packing material to protect the instruments.
Disassembling the keyboard is essential and quite tricky. Dismantling of the keyboard should be done per the manufacturer's product manual. Extra precautions must be taken in the case of digital pianos with console bodies dismantling the console from the keyboard along with pedals, legs, and music stand.
The next step is to wrap the keyboard and the keys. You should put two to three layers of bubble on the keyboard, and if required, put some small pieces of foam on the keys of the piano and the sides of the keyboard. Then using the packing tape, tape the keyboard neatly and smoothly. After you have wrapped the keyboard, fold the power chords, portable leads, and any other power cable nicely and cover it with at least two layers of bubble wrap.
Now to secure the delicate corners of the keyboard, use the foam padding material and foam pieces and tape it nicely in the corners using good quality packing tape. This padding material helps prevent any damage during transit.
After packing the keyboard nicely, we will take the cardboard boxes we arranged to fill. An important step here is to put one or two layers of foam pieces, packing peanuts, and other packing material in the boxes and then put your instruments in the empty box. Now put some more padding material, and seal the package nicely with the help of packing tape. Once the boxes have been closed, check thoroughly by shaking the box for any sound of something moving inside.
This step is optional; if your shipping services are secure and reliable, you can ship the individual boxes separately. If you wish, you may keep all the small boxes in a big portable wooden box to ship musical instruments.
Once the packing is complete as per the guideline, label the boxes with stickers with correct details like dimensions, weight, address of a location, fragile/delicate, etc. written on it.
While the packing has been done and checked, the next step is to ensure that the shipment is lifted carefully and kept in the transit vehicle; get this done under your supervision.
Make sure the official paperwork is complete before the shipment is sent, including the sender's address, the location, and the receiver's address, along with the emergency address and declared value, in case the shipment is lost.
Challenges faced while moving a Piano keyboard.
High Cost involved: A high cost is applied while moving a piano, including the packaging and shipping costs.
Transit Distance: If the distance is less, it will be relatively more straightforward, but if the space is more, there could be a possibility of damage in the transit.
Doors and staircases: This has to be kept in consideration that navigating through sleek doors ad stairs could be risky; the professional shipment needs to be very careful while moving through doors and stairs.
Shipment of delicate parts is always tricky and challenging. A slight mistake can prove to be a huge blunder. So it is essential to be very careful and take the services of professional people in their field.
Some natural factors like weather conditions, road transport, or a clearance department can also become a road in the block for the shipment.
The Crux
Shipping and moving a piano is not a one-day s work; it requires making a proper plan or a strategy. It may be expensive, but it is essential to ship the instrument with utmost care and the correct measures to reach the destination without any damage during transit.
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Harlan Kilstein began playing piano during covid with no piano background at all. He taught himself how to play learning what to do and what not to do.
Today he's an advanced intermediate player and can help you grow in your skills because he learned all this on his own.
