It's good to resurrect this post, as we obviously ship a lot of gear in this hobby.
As someone who's worked in importing and manufacturing high-end audio gear, I've made a lot of shipments. Here is where I've landed as a result of my journey.
1. USPS Priority Mail. If at all possible, this by far stands out as the preferred shipping method. The Post Office gets a bad rap, but they're the cheapest, fastest, safest, and best overall. If you ever file a claim, they are the easiest to deal with, and will pay out. ALWAYS ship tubes and small items this way. Also best for shipping between USA and Canada. Not practical for larger items
2. FedEX. Either Express or Ground. Best method for shipping any item too large for USPS Priority Mail, or as they used to say, "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight." Faster, cheaper, safer, and far more friendly to deal with than UPS. Night and day better handling of claims than UPS, though also night and day better if you have your own company / account with them, as opposed to being an individual
3. UPS. AVOID. The slowest, most expensive, most apt to damage, and worst method of the major carriers. Couple that with the normal refusal to pay out a claim, especially, for expensive items. And if you don't want to follow my advice, PLEASE don't ever use them to ship between Canada and the USA. They get your shipment hung up in Customs, take forever to clear it, charge the by far the highest brokerage rates, (again) have the highest rate of damage coupled with the most steadfast resolve to honor your claim, then bleed you as subsequent bills trickle in for months for additional charges related to the misery you've just endured
As someone who's worked in importing and manufacturing high-end audio gear, I've made a lot of shipments. Here is where I've landed as a result of my journey.
1. USPS Priority Mail. If at all possible, this by far stands out as the preferred shipping method. The Post Office gets a bad rap, but they're the cheapest, fastest, safest, and best overall. If you ever file a claim, they are the easiest to deal with, and will pay out. ALWAYS ship tubes and small items this way. Also best for shipping between USA and Canada. Not practical for larger items
2. FedEX. Either Express or Ground. Best method for shipping any item too large for USPS Priority Mail, or as they used to say, "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight." Faster, cheaper, safer, and far more friendly to deal with than UPS. Night and day better handling of claims than UPS, though also night and day better if you have your own company / account with them, as opposed to being an individual
3. UPS. AVOID. The slowest, most expensive, most apt to damage, and worst method of the major carriers. Couple that with the normal refusal to pay out a claim, especially, for expensive items. And if you don't want to follow my advice, PLEASE don't ever use them to ship between Canada and the USA. They get your shipment hung up in Customs, take forever to clear it, charge the by far the highest brokerage rates, (again) have the highest rate of damage coupled with the most steadfast resolve to honor your claim, then bleed you as subsequent bills trickle in for months for additional charges related to the misery you've just endured