Whether you are managing logistics for a touring orchestra, relocating an employee, or sending equipment for an international exhibition, handling excess baggage at the airport can be a logistical nightmare. Shipping bags ahead or using a dedicated luggage courier is a highly efficient alternative to paying exorbitant airline fees. In this guide, we explain how to safely ship musical instruments and seamlessly send suitcases abroad using professional logistics networks.
Chantal has been writing about logistics topics for almost two decades and has worked for major international carriers.
Unaccompanied baggage refers to personal or professional luggage that is transported separately from the passenger. For B2B clients and professionals, relying on airlines for excess baggage poses risks such as delays, damage, or lost items.
Using a specialized luggage courier offers several distinct advantages:
Cost Efficiency: Airline excess baggage fees are notoriously high and often calculated per kilo at the desk. Shipping bags ahead is usually more cost-effective and provides predictable pricing.
Door-to-Door Convenience: Your luggage or equipment is picked up directly from your office and delivered to the destination hotel, venue, or branch office.
Tracking and Security: Professional carriers provide detailed, real-time tracking, giving you complete visibility over your valuable assets.
Musical instruments are sensitive, high-value items that require rigorous preparation before international transit. Temperature changes, humidity, and physical impacts can cause severe damage.
Follow these best practices to ensure your instruments arrive in pristine condition:
Loosen the Strings: For stringed instruments like guitars or cellos, loosen the strings slightly to relieve tension on the neck during transit.
Use a Hard Case: Always pack the instrument in a fitted hard-shell case. Soft gig bags do not offer enough protection for international shipping.
Immobilize the Instrument: Fill any empty spaces inside the hard case with bubble wrap or micro-fiber cloths so the instrument cannot move.
Double-Box for Export: Place the hard case inside a sturdy, double-walled cardboard box. Fill the gaps between the case and the box with packing peanuts or foam inserts.
Given the financial and sentimental value of these items, we strongly advise you to insure your package before dispatching it to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances.
When you send a suitcase abroad or ship musical instruments outside the European Union, your items must pass through customs. This requires accurate documentation to avoid delays or unexpected import taxes.
You will need to provide a commercial invoice detailing the contents, value, and purpose of the shipment. If the instruments or equipment are only staying in the destination country temporarily (e.g., for a concert tour or exhibition), you might benefit from an ATA Carnet.
Expert Insight: An ATA Carnet acts as a "passport for goods," allowing temporary importation of professional equipment without paying duties and taxes. You can find official guidelines on how to apply for this document through the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
In most cases, it is significantly cheaper to use a luggage courier to send a suitcase abroad, especially for heavy or oversized items. Airlines charge premium rates for excess baggage at the gate, whereas shipping ahead allows you to secure competitive B2B courier rates.
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To ship musical instruments internationally, loosen the strings, secure the item inside a hard-shell case, and place the case inside a double-walled shipping box filled with protective padding. Always include a detailed commercial invoice for customs clearance.
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Unaccompanied baggage is luggage, equipment, or personal effects shipped to a destination via a freight forwarder or courier service, rather than being carried on the same flight as the passenger.
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Yes, but it is highly recommended to use a TSA-approved lock. Customs authorities have the right to inspect unaccompanied baggage; if they cannot open it with a master key, they may have to break the lock to complete the inspection.
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Delivery times depend on the destination and the chosen service. Express courier services can deliver unaccompanied baggage within Europe in 1 to 2 business days, while intercontinental shipments to destinations like the USA or Asia typically take 2 to 4 business days.
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You can instantly check the shipping costs through our rate calculator. Enter the weight, dimensions, and destination country of your shipment, and you will see all available shipping options along with their respective delivery times. The calculator can be used to compare shipping rates for both export and import shipments.
If you need help calculating a shipping rate, watch the video below. Click on the 
button to play the video and the 
icon to view the video in fullscreen.
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Shipping costs are calculated based on dimensions (LxWxH in cm), weight (in kg), and the destination country. Both the actual weight (as shown on the scale) and the volumetric weight are considered.
The volumetric weight is the weight calculated based on the space your shipment occupies in the plane. The higher of the two weights (volumetric or actual weight) is used to calculate the shipping rate. You don't need to calculate this yourself; our calculator does it for you.
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You can use the discount code PP10 for 10% discount on the transportation costs of your first shipment. You can apply the discount code during the checkout process (instructions).
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Whether additional costs apply depends on whether your shipment stays within the European Union or is sent to/from a country outside the European Union. Below, you can see the additional costs for each situation.
Within the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to Italy (within the EU), there will be an additional 21% VAT on the shipping costs.
Furthermore, if your shipment stays within the European Union, you won't have to deal with any import duties or customs clearance fees because your shipment doesn't go through customs. Please note that the European Union is not the same as Europe.
View here all the countries that are part of the European Union. For example, Switzerland is part of Europe but not part of the European Union.
Outside the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to the United States, there will be no VAT (0%) applied to the displayed shipping rates.
However, there might be import duties levied by customs in the destination country if you send a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union. Typically, customs costs are charged to the recipient. This is known as Delivered At Place (DAP) in logistics terminology.
Customs is a government agency that levies import duties in certain cases to protect the local market. As a company, you can also ship using Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), which means any customs costs will be charged to you as the sender.
If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to contact us. Additionally, you can read everything about import duties, VAT, and the customs clearance process in this blog.
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A customs invoice is a form where all the goods you want to ship are specified. This invoice includes an English description of the goods, along with their corresponding value and weight.
The contents of your shipment must be specified per type of product you're sending to avoid delays at customs. A customs invoice is always prepared in quadruplicate in accordance with customs guidelines.
When is a customs invoice required?
A customs invoice is only required for shipments to/from countries outside the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - United States). If your shipment stays within the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - Italy), your shipment will not go through customs, and therefore, a customs invoice is not required.
Additionally, document shipments are not subject to customs, so if you're sending a document to a country within/outside the European Union, no customs invoice is needed.
Please note that not all goods can be shipped to every country. You can find a list of goods that cannot be sent via ParcelParcel on this page.
Do I need to create a customs invoice myself?
If you're sending a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union, it's mandatory to include a customs invoice with the shipment. We provide free support in creating a customs invoice.
You can easily generate a customs invoice through our shipping platform. The customs invoice will be automatically generated based on the content you specified during your booking.
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You can import just as easily as export via ParcelParcel.
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You can find a list of goods that cannot be shipped via ParcelParcel on this page.
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