- Home
- Packing guide
Guitar
How to pack a guitar
Without suitable packaging, even if the courier is careful, transport can cause damage to your guitar. This page outlines the steps to protect a guitar before transport.
Why packaging is essential
An object that’s not well protected can arrive scratched, damaged, or broken, even if the carrier is as careful as possible.
With Cocolis, your items travel with individuals or professionals on journeys they're already making. They are handled during loading, in transit, and unloading—each a moment where good packaging makes all the difference.
An object can arrive scratched, broken, or incomplete. These situations are rare but avoidable and almost never happen when an item is properly packed from the start.
Prepare your guitar before packing
Check the condition of the headstock and neck before packing—these are the areas most likely to get damaged. For an acoustic or classical guitar, check that the soundboard does not have any cracks. For an electric guitar, remove pedals and keep cables separately. For a luthier-made guitar or a valuable instrument, take photos of it from all angles before shipping.
This is also a good moment to gather your materials and plan the right protection for each part. Good packaging preparation happens before you start, not as you go along.
Steps to pack a guitar
- Loosen the strings slightly before packing—not completely, but enough to reduce the tension on the neck during transport.
- Put the guitar in its hard case if you have one—this is the ideal protection for an acoustic, electric, classical, or folk guitar. Make sure all latches are secure and in good condition.
- If you do not have a hard case, wrap the neck and the headstock separately with bubble wrap—these are the most fragile areas. Then wrap the whole body of the guitar.
- Place the wrapped guitar in a box that matches its shape, with padding on all sides—the guitar should not move at all inside the box.
- Mark "FRAGILE" and "DO NOT LAY FLAT" on the box.
Good habits to know
The essential points to avoid problems during transport
Adapt packaging to the item
Packaging isn’t universal. Take into account the fragility, weight, and shape of your guitar to choose the right protection – the main thing is that the item is well protected during transport.
Don’t seal the packaging too soon
Leave your guitar visible when the courier arrives. They must be able to check its condition before taking charge and take photos with and without protection. Seal the packaging only afterwards.
Take photos before shipping
Photograph your item before and after packing. In case of a problem, these photos are your only evidence of its initial condition.
Inform about special requirements
Some items have specific requirements: must be kept upright, particular handling direction, extra fragility. Clearly inform the courier about these before departure.
Never stick tape on surfaces
Brown tape can leave marks or damage finishes. Never stick it directly to an item – always use an intermediate layer.
Frequent mistakes & things to watch out for
Some mistakes happen regularly and explain most damage on arrival.
The headstock—the part with the tuning machines—is the area most likely to break during transit, as it sticks out and takes impacts first. Even in a hard case, make sure the headstock is well padded and cannot move. If you are without a hard case, use extra bubble wrap protection around the headstock, and reinforce it with cardboard.
Transporting guitar with Cocolis
Simpler, more human transport
With Cocolis, your item doesn't go through a warehouse, isn't passed from hand to hand and doesn't endure multiple re-loadings. It's delivered directly from point A to point B, in a single trip, by an individual or professional already making the journey.
In reality, it’s often someone like your neighbour or cousin making the trip for their own reasons who takes special care of what they're carrying. It's not a courier under pressure to deliver dozens of parcels a day. This difference means a lot in how your item is handled.
Fewer handlings also means less risk. But your item will still be loaded and unloaded, and a sudden brake can happen: correct packing is still essential to protect sensitive areas at these key moments.
Practically, packing doesn't need to be designed to withstand a whole logistics chain. It just needs to provide effective protection for a single journey—which is achievable by everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Other packing guides
For further advice, you can review packing guides for different types of item.
Send a guitar with no nasty surprises
Post your listing in minutes and receive transport offers suited to your item.