[Patrick Butler]

I have never read a report contrasting the package damage rates for
USPS, UPS and FedEx, but would suspect they all have relative low rates when the item is properly packaged. For long guns a dedicated double-walled heavy cardboard gun box and bubble wrap is a must. For high-end guns you can also buy an inexpensive hard plastic case and send that inside a cardboard box. Some auction houses use this method.

I like USPS Registered mail, as the basic cost is low and it is hand carried from one locked area to another. It takes longer (five working days from coast to coast), but due to the high security the insurance is very inexpensive and has a limit of $25,000. The one pain is that you need to cover all box openings with brown paper tape. When the package is accepted they then stamp the tape every six inches. There are also restrictions on hand guns, and (this is from memory) you must be sending to an FFL, have an FFL or have a C&R and be sending to a C&R. The regulations and rates are all online-but hard to find as they do not exactly push this low-cost service.

As for UPS claims, I bought a vintage slot (about 100 pounds) which arrived broken. It was delivered by one guy, and the truck had no lift. I reported it to the sender, emailing him photos, and he called UPS who sent an inspector out from an office two hours away and also took a lot of photos. Be sure to take you own photos and save all of the packing. The sender told me he was fully compensated by UPS.

Last, I would avoid sending any long guns over Christmas, when all the shippers hire extra help as they are slammed by millions of packages.