Shipping with either UPS or FEDX ground is the same- damage when things are loose and can be stacked or tossed. Things on pallets fare better, but only marginally so. The thing about insurance with UPS or FEDX is if you pay insurance but don’t follow the packing regs, they will deny payment. So buying insurance does not protect you.
THose UPS offices that are also mailbox places? They are not UPS they are a private business and just get UPS pick up. They have NO IDEA how to pack an expensive thing or a heavy thing. They are a business of shipping, not packing. If you want to get real UPS service go to the REAL UPS office- usually near an airport or in a major facility. UPS main offiices don’t know how to pack things either so don’t count on them. DO it yourself. You need 2 inches between whatever you ship and the outside of the box for the entire trip or the insurance doesn’t work.
Packaging- I see expensive stuff sent to us for repair improperly packed constantly. NEVER use peanuts as peanuts settle and whatever is floating in it settles to the bottom of the box, now sitting directly on the bottom cardboard and subject to whatever strikes the bottom. DON’T use styrofoam! It turns to dust and coats everything in the box with styro dust. If anything on your item is sticky or tacky, the dust will stick to it forever.
Always use the box within a box method (as mentioned above by the UPS driver) and use chunks of foam or bubble wrap between the boxes.
If all else fails use bubble wrap, the big bubble kind (not that tiny bubble kind they sell at office stores). Wrap the thing you want to protect with 6 inches of bubble wrap on all sides and turn it into a giant ball if you have to! Then put that in a box and not the crappy cardboard at lowes or Home depot, (that stuff instantly comes apart) go get real cardboard boxes at UHaul. Using two of them, box within a box and bubble wrap between them to 2-3 inches works well.
Rant over.