TromboneChat

I am swapping horns with a guy in Oregon and I live in SC, which is about as far apart as you can be in the USA. So I have to ship a Getzen 1062 in that huge case 3,000 miles. Any suggestions for a cheaper way to ship other than UPS or Fedex that is also reliable? And, no, I am not taking to to Greyhound.

I ship almost exlcusively by USPS. I shipped a trombone from WV to CA last year for around $35

For me the extra cost of UPS is worth the piece of mind when shipping something for over a thousand dollars. USPS is a good alternative you just need to pack VERY well.

As long as your box isn't an "oversize" box (more than 108" length/girth), I find USPS rates to be very good most of the time.

Just be sure that after you have it packed up, you'd feel totally OK dropping it from any angle from about waist or chest height.  Make sure to instill that into the other part who is shipping you a horn.

That means make sure the bell & slide are secure inside the case, but not totally jammed in, and that there is cushion around all of the case.  It's going to be a pretty big box you end up with and I'm almost certain you won't be able to ship it USPS with insurance for any less than UPS and I trust USP more - they have no damaged anything in transit of mine, but USPS has - twice.

Ended up shipping Fedex Ground in a UHaul garment box. $130 with no insurance. I packed it well and hoped they wouldn't mess it up. It arrived safely in 5 days. Fedex charges $3 per $100 of declared value for insurance, which to me seems high. At one time UPS was .30 per $100, but I guess that has been a long time ago.

Ended up shipping Fedex Ground in a UHaul garment box. $130 with no insurance. I packed it well and hoped they wouldn't mess it up. It arrived safely in 5 days. Fedex charges $3 per $100 of declared value for insurance, which to me seems high. At one time UPS was .30 per $100, but I guess that has been a long time ago.