Fedex or UPS?

UPS is the devil! I have had two really bad experiences with them, especially if you use their "UPS Store" to ship. They use this as a cover since they are an "independant business" and not UPS proper. They managed to bend the legs and mess up the finish on a Billy Bags rack I bought. From what I can tell they dropped it off a truck, ran it over, took a forklift to it, and then dropped it from a helicopter to my door, and I never saw a dime from them. FedEx ground home delivery is also a bit dicey with heavier stuff, the lighter stuff I have had no problems with. If you can send it to a business address as this tends to end up better for all, they do handle things better it seems that way. Best advice, insure for more than selling price, pack well, ensure they know the contents of the box, and hope for the best.

I've used UPS more than FEDEX because thay're generally more convenient. The will beat packages to death though, and have ruined an amp, and set of speakers that were shipped to me. I think FEDEX is probably similar, just haven't used them enough for them to do the same for (to) me.

The key is to pack it well. I always do the following:
1) wrap the unit with a plastic bag to keep dust/moisture out.
2) Pack it first in the Mfg packing and box. If I don't have it, I support it very well either using bubble wrap,folded cardboard, or solid styrofoam sheets, and pack it inside a sturdy box. Never use styro peanuts. Make sure it is supported on the corners, or some part that's solid, and that switches, knobs, connects are not carrying any load. Make sure it's packed tight inside the box, tape it up well.
3) Pack the first box inside another larger box. Support it with good cushioning. Preferably bubble wrap, or styrofoam sheets. If there's a large gap/space in the second box I may use peanuts, but I usually put the peanuts first inside plastic garbage bags and tie them up and pack the bags into the spaces. Peanuts alone will shift, especially with a heavy item like and amp.

If you pack the item well, it doesn't matter a lot who the shipper is. I pack my stuff assuming that it will be dropped 10 ft off a truck, kicked, and smashed by a forklift.

DEFINATELY Fed Ex Ground!
and NEVER Fed Ex Home, FedEx Home is a sub contracted company and NOT good, its odd to me the people they hire,, they must look for "winners"
The last guy took the time to leave a call tag, but not my EAD Theatervision P,, which is great,, except i was HOME at the time he was here! lol
Sure woulda been nice if he had knocked on the door.
I would like to personally thank him for making me put 2 full days to waste.
Who Trains these people? Delivering the same package twice makes for,, twice the work? odd.

Well gee, let's see. I've had 2 sets of loudspeakers damaged by UPS and just lately, I was o receive another set of loudspeakers dec 21,,,, which I did. 1 out of 2 floorstanders that is. Instead of both coming to the Northeast, UPS decided that 1 should be delivered to an unknown soul in Savannah, Georgia. To UPS's credit, they were right there the next day for repickup on Dec 27. That's were the credit stops tho cuz instead of heading to the northeast, UPS figured the package should go to Colorado first. Scheduled delivery was to be Jan 7 until of course that date had come and gone in which case Jan 12 was picked for a new delivery date. I'm afraid I tend to lean toward Fed-Ex here,,, especially now that I know the real reason why UPS has brown trucks. ;o Regards, Robin

Its a crap shoot. FedEx over night has been the best for me. Had a 125 lb amp sent to me. FLS dlivered a skid of 250 lb speakers no problem. Contributing factors to damage are poor packing, how many times the item is handled before it arrives and unfortunately luck. It does cost more to ship next day, but it will cut down on man-handling. Alway check the rating of the boxes you ship in. If you ship a 100 lb item in a box rated at 75 lb it may not be covered if damaged.