I love assisting interstate and overseas customers, but here are a few important considerations for non-local customers.

• Packing/shipping/insurance costs should be calculated by the customer or the customer’s shipping agent. I am not a shipper and am usually unable to calculate such costs.
• I always recommend professional packing and shipping as cheap carriers and poor packaging are responsible for more destroyed equipment than any other cause.
• Know that owner attempts at packing usually range from bad to woefully inadequate and will likely result in damage or total loss.
• Insuring equipment against total loss is critically important.
• I will not use Sendle, Aus Post, Couriers Please, Startrack, Fastway (Aramex) or other diabolically bad (cheap) couriers.
• Some additional handling time to unpack, pack and transport equipment to a shipping agent should factored into the total cost.
• Some equipment types are less suited to shipping than others, the most fragile and least suitable being turntables.
• Our hourly rates are the same, but because of additional costs incurred in handling, shipping and insurance, total costs for non-local customers are often considerably higher than if the customer was based locally.
• Warranty terms are the same, but we are not responsible for shipping costs to and from Liquid Audio, so any follow-up work that might be needed and which is more likely given the ‘rigours’ of shipping in most cases must be borne by the customer.