how do you ship?

Swampwalker, that is tremendous service!

Due to an unfortunate experience with BAX Global delivering damaged
loudspeakers, I have not chosen to use them as a shipper.

However, I have had service equal to what you describe (including lower
prices than FedEx or UPS) from Team Worldwide.

It really is a flip of the coin isn't it? The bottom line is what does it take to get from point A to point B with the least amount of hands on. Deliver the package to the location as often as possible. Yes, it is a pain...but you subtract handling from the truck to the center. Ask the party to pick up also from the center if possible (though policies differ here). And visa versa for items sent to you. Eliminating variable in any situations will always decrease risk. Still a flip of the coin at the end of it all.

Vanermuelen- good point about limiting handling by p/u or deliver to station. HOwever, UPS and Fedex (and probably others) both use high speed, computerized sorting facilities with multiple elevations of conveyors. Occasionally, a box falls off a conveyor and falls to the floor. IMO, and its just MO, that's where most of the damage occurs. But the idea of p/u and delivery to their central station will remove the local driver/contractor from the equation.
Tvad- Thx, good tip. I'll look into Team Worldwide.

Here's some insight into what happens to your UPS package. Swamp, you are right about the sorting - those packages go through miles of conveyors sometimes and they are well above hard floors in a warehouse. That said, I've had terrible experiences with drivers with FedexGround handling packages poorly right at my door. Not all, but quite a few. Never happened with Express or USPS Priority (my personal favorite). UPS has been a mixed bag for me but largely I've had pretty good luck with them.

Interesting thread. I recently shipped a pair of Acoustic Zen Adagios from Honolulu to my sister in Seattle. I went to Fedex simply because the Kinkos/Fedex office is open 24 hours and has a convenient parking lot compared to the nearby UPS depots. I was told about the $500 limit on ground shipments (yes, there is "ground" service between the mainland and Hawaii, for both Fedex and UPS) and ended up using 2-day air to ship. Additionally, the Fedex staff insisted on opening the boxes and examinig the speakers before OKing the shipment with insurance ($4000 in this case). Strange how variable their policy (or at least its implementaion) is.

As for deliveries I greatly prefer Fedex. I have gear shipped to my office since the staff is there during business hours to accept and sign for deliveries. Important since residential deliver drivers from both companies have left packages at my front door or in my carport when deliveries were made to my home. More importantly, my staff has a good relationship with the Fedex driver whose route includes their address, so the deliveries are always handled well. In contrast, the UPS man has delivered boxes to the wrong address (next door) and sometimes left boxes at the front door or side of the building without getting a sig. Just lucky the staff noticed the merchandise before the boxes "grew legs." I guess it just goes to show that in shipping as in other businesses the individual relationships are at least as important as the company you deal with.