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.
how do you ship?
i don't usually use (well, okay probably never) fedex, but a guy i just sold to wanted it fedex. so i took my preamp to kinko's to ship it and was told that fedex only insures up to $500? are you kidding me? i had this verified by fedex by phone. is this common knowledge? so how do you guys ship? i have always sent either usps or UPS and have never had a problem with either. as an aside, just last week i had some new Axiom HT speakers delivered to me. i watched as the fedex guy wheeled them up to the bottom of my stairs with a hand cart. then, as i am staring at him, PLOP goes my speakers face down on the sidewalk in their box. PLOP goes my speakers as he flips them end over end to the top of my 10 feet of stairs. luckily Axiom has great packaging so no harm done. but even from a customer service standpoint, WOW.