Frequently Asked Questions
Payment
I don’t have a PayPal account (and I don’t want one!) – can I still buy your stuff?
Yes! We accept PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and most bank cards. All options are secure and safe. Or you can mail us your order with a check or money order to: Couch Guitar Straps, 2502 N Palm Dr, Suite J, Signal Hill, CA 90755.
Shipping
Do you deliver overseas and to other countries?
Yes, we ship around the world from Europe to Japan to Australia and a million other places all the time. If your country is in our scrolldown, it means we can get you your order no problem.
How much does my overseas shipment cost?
We now send all our packages by the United Parcel Service (UPS). One internationally shipped item usually costs about $28.00 for UPS Worldwide Saver for most places in the world (less for smaller items like wallets and camera straps). We ONLY charge for the actual shipping cost, not extra B.S. “handling fees.” We have found UPS international orders are arriving in as soon as 3 days! UPS also provides state of the art tracking and confirmation on your package and expedites customs, so for your money, you get a quality service, and strap. By the way, your best bet to get even cheaper shipping is to order 2 or 3 items because most orders this size get shipped in the same envelope — the charge stays the same whether you get 2 or 3 items. Hope this helps, we ship internationally all the time, just so you know.
My country isn’t listed in your scrolldown. Will you ship to me?
Yes! If you want a strap, we’ll find a way to get it to you! We ship (and add new countries to our list) all the time. Contact us and we’ll figure it out.
Do you deliver to a P.O. Box?
Yes! We send all our US packages by the United States Postal Service.
How much does your shipping cost?
Like we said earlier, we only charge based on an estimate of actual shipping costs, with no added “handling fees.” We also ship individual straps US First Class Ground, which means most single straps or belts ship anywhere in the US for less than 5 bucks. Dude, have you checked the shipping costs on other online sites lately? That’s a deal!
How long does it take you guys to ship my order?
At Couch our goal is to ship 90% of our orders within 24 hours of each purchase! (We usually ship 5 days a week here.) Of course, not every item is always in stock, and post offices have holidays... and sometimes we get up late because we had a gig the night before... that explains the other 10%, but even those go out really quick, almost always within 3 or 4 business days max.
How long do I have to wait to get my new Couch stuff? Can I track my order?
If you’re in the continental US, look for your order in about a week, often sooner. Once your order is shipped, we email you a tracking number. Generally, continental US orders take about 1–3 days to arrive once you get this message. International orders vary depending on your country and customs regulations, but most international orders arrive in 1–2 weeks. For more shipping information, please visit our Order Info page.
Product and Ordering Info
If an item says Sold Out, is it really sold out?
Yes... and no. Some of the Limited Edition Deadstock items can’t be re-made, because the material used was ‘found’ material and there is no more left! Usually if an item is sold out and we are making more, we’ll post an estimate for when it will be ready right on the product description. If you have questions about a particular strap, contact us for more info.
My belt was too small/big/just didn’t fit – can I exchange it? What is your return/exchange policy?
You most certainly can! If you’re not satisfied with any Couch product, send it back within 30 days of purchase, in like-new condition, and we’ll happily refund or exchange it at your full purchase price minus postage. No questions asked. To do so, please follow these simple steps:
- Please email us first, so we can be on the lookout for your return/exchange! If you have your order # or any email correspondence regarding the order, please forward that along with your note.
- Mail your returned item to us at:
Returns Department – Couch Guitar Straps
2502 Palm Dr. Suite J
Signal Hill, CA 90755 - If you have your original packing slip, send it (or a copy) with your item. This will help us expedite the transaction. If you don’t have the packing slip, please include a note (or copy of the email) telling us the name on the original order, date of purchase, what you are exchanging it for and the shipping address.
- Including a daytime phone number is always helpful in case we have any questions!
- We will ship your new belt back as soon as we get the old one, simple as that!
- Check our blog here too for belt sizing tips.
What length are your straps?
Fully extended, Couch Guitar Straps are about 63″ from keyhole to keyhole – which is about 2″ longer than your average strap (which we’ve found to be about 61–62″).
Adjusted exactly to the halfway point, our straps are just under 48″.
Adjusted all the way down with the adjustment buckle in the very front of the strap, the straps are about 36″. A lot of people also wear our straps “backwards” to show the riveted end piece in the front. This would put the adjustment buckle in the back for a strap adjusted all the way down.
Although we are not particularly tall here at Couch, nor do we play with our guitars particularly low, we find our longer straps still work well for us – there is a lot of room for adjustment and they will likely work great for you too! For more detailed info on strap length check this 2 minute video we made to help.
Will you ever make straps that are wider than 2″?
Yes. Most recently we’ve added a 3″ padded strap and it feels nice on your shoulders!
Can I get a custom strap?
We do make many custom made-to-order straps each day at Couch. If you have an idea, first visit our Custom Shop page and get an idea of what we do. It depends on whether we have the material or if it’s within the scope of our equipment and production process, so this will give you an idea of whether it’s worth an ask :-)
My band rocks! Will you endorse us?
Your band most certainly does rock! However, we’re a small company (of working musicians ourselves!) and do not have the capacity to endorse artists at this time. Rockers you see wearing our straps either purchased them directly from us, from a store that carries Couch, or received them as a gift from a friend with extremely good taste.
How will your vinyl straps affect the finish on my guitar?
At Couch we have made and sold thousands of straps over the last 15 years that have accompanied countless happy guitar finishes around the world trouble free. This includes our own beloved Rickenbacker 330 and ’90s American Fender Telecaster that have been using Couch Guitar Straps since 1999 and are in great shape. In fact, the only finish damage we report is on the necks from our hands playing them so much – that’s the point, right? Rock! Today most factory made guitars are made with a variety of polyurethane finishes which tend to be long lasting and safe from leather and vinyl guitar straps.
However, some vintage, small custom shop, and Gibson guitars have a finish that uses a nitro-cellulose lacquer finish. According to Gibson.com and Matheasguitars.com, these guitar finishes can be highly sensitive to a variety of everyday things including leather straps, sweat, cologne, alcohol, guitar stands and certain nylon and vinyl straps. Know your guitar finish. If you have a “nitro” finish you should know to take extra care of it on all counts including your strap – store it in its case, do not douse it with Brut or English Leather, do not store it on a guitar stand or wall mount, don’t pour beer or sweat on it (this can be a problem), and generally store it without any strap – vinyl or leather, Couch or any other strap maker – attached to it for extended periods of time, and you should be fine.
Will you make a strap for my ukulele (...or any other instrument other than a bass or guitar)?
Actually yes, we do make banjo and mandolin straps – see them here. Also, just so you know, our camera straps work great as banjo straps!
Will your straps work on my acoustic guitar or bass?
If your acoustic instrument doesn’t have two knobs, we will send you a custom nylon string to attach your favorite Couch strap to the headstock of your instrument. Simply request one when you order. Also feel free to check out the article in our blog that shows how to attach a guitar strap to an acoustic guitar.
Do you have gift certificates?
Yes! You can buy them right off our site – just look at the categories anywhere straps are pictured. Or just use this link.
Why don’t you make leather stuff?
We’re not into it.
What does ‘deadstock’ mean?
Deadstock refers to, in this case, vintage material that is no longer made. We generally define vintage as 1980s or earlier. This can refer to “New Old Stock” (N.O.S.) vinyl, or half-used rolls of vinyl that have been sitting on a shelf for years waiting for us to come along and turn it into straps. In many cases, it’s a “throwaway product” that we resurrect to make really cool straps! Once a certain color or style is gone though, it’s really gone.
Why aren’t you in Guitar Center?
Homogenization of culture sucks... even though we still shop there sometimes... and maybe because they haven’t called us yet. 562.595.6965