My horror stories have been with FedEx not UPS but I think each shipper has its problems. My local FedEx delivery guy once forged my name on the delivery slip because the package was too heavy to take back to the truck! It was the 85 lbs ATI amp noted in my signature that was too much trouble to deliver properly. When I confronted the local FedEx supervisor after seeing online (I was at work at the time) that I'd accepted and signed for the delivery at home they deferred to the driver. He was a joke and said if the amp had been stolen from my porch he'd would have taken care of it. What a bunch of BS! I won't ship via FedEx as a result.

On the other hand I have spoken with my local UPS driver and let him know I get deliveries of rather fragile items on regular basis. We acknowledged there was nothing he could do until it is on his truck but he would take appropriate care with my deliveries.

I couldn't agree more with Bestban4thebuck's advice on taking pictures during packing regardless of the shipper. I'd also recommend taking pictures as you open a package. I have purchased a number of vintage Pioneer components over the last year or so and only 2/3rds of them have arrived undamaged. A vintage tuner was dropped by FedEx so hard it bent a 1/4 inch aluminum faceplate, bent knobs and switches and broke the glass. The photos I took as I opened the package convinced the seller to submit a claim and get FedEx to pay up. Just today I received a vintage receiver with a bent tuning knob/shaft and cracked glass. This one may be hard to pin on FedEx as the item was poorly packed but it obviously bounced around inside the box because of the way it was handled.

For my ebay purchases I contact the seller and offer to pay extra for shipping if they will double box, wrap the item in bubble wrap and pack the item so it absolutely can't shift up/down or side/side in the inner box. Most won't do it and say they've never had a problem with whatever shipper but a couple have and it was worth the extra $10 to $15. In one of those cases the box had obviously been dropped but the component was fine.

Now I'm off to take more pictures of my damaged receiver in hopes of getting the seller to refund me part of my purchase price. Wish me luck!