Shipping your instrument.
Safely to Riga.
A professional guide in six steps.
We regularly receive instruments from soloists and orchestral musicians worldwide. Your instrument is an extension of yourself, so follow this guide to make sure your clarinet arrives safely at our workshop.
Six steps to a safe arrival.
Careful packing protects the keys, the tenons and the wood from knocks and temperature changes in transit.
The case-in-box method
Never ship a clarinet without its hard case.
- Secure the instrument: the joints must not move inside the case. Fill any gap with acid-free tissue paper or thin foam
- Shake test: close the case and shake it gently. If you hear or feel movement, add more padding
- Bridge the keys: a small piece of painter’s tape or key wedges over long keys (e.g. E/B, F♯/C♯) stops them bouncing in transit
Double-boxing is non-negotiable
- Outer box: a new, heavy-duty corrugated box with at least 10 cm (4 in) of space around the case
- Insulation: fill the gap with packing peanuts, crumpled heavy kraft paper or large bubble wrap. No thin newspaper: it compresses in transit
- Seal: H-taping on all seams and corners with heavy-duty packing tape
Choose an express courier
Express services keep the time in transit and in unheated warehouses as short as possible.
- DHL Express: our top recommendation for Europe and Asia, with excellent tracking and careful handling of musical instruments
- UPS / FedEx: reliable for North America. Always choose a Priority or Overnight international service
Customs & paperwork
Shipping from outside the EU? Use the customs details below to avoid unnecessary duties or delays.
Notify the lab
- Email us your tracking number
- Put a short note in the box with your full name, return address and phone number
- We let you know as soon as the parcel arrives and has passed our intake inspection
Send it to Riga
Use the workshop address below. Ship on a Monday or Tuesday if you can. Once your instrument has arrived, we email you the invoice; work begins as soon as payment has cleared.
Paperwork made easy.
Latvia is in the EU. When you ship from outside the EU, these details on the customs form help avoid duties and delays. Copy them with one click.
Musical instrument (Clarinet) for professional repair and return. Temporary Export.9205.90Wind musical instruments.
Replacement value – for repair onlyState the replacement value for insurance and make clear the instrument is sent for repair only.
Our workshop in Riga.
After drop-off, email us your tracking number. We confirm as soon as your instrument has arrived and send you the invoice. All repair work is paid in full before it begins.
The Clarinet Lab
Bernd Schille-BraendliKr. Valdemara iela 149
LV-1013 Riga
Latvia
Tel. +371 22 303 096
Ship early in the week.
Avoid shipping on a Thursday or Friday. Ship on a Monday or Tuesday, and your instrument reaches our workshop before the weekend instead of waiting in a cold sorting centre over Sunday.