[Xringshooter]

Armabill,

I don't know what the upper figure for insurance with USPS is but I believe it is based on how much you want to pay. I just returned a rifle I refurbished for my nephew (Remington Model 8 made in 1907) via UPS and insured it for $2500 and the charge wasn't that much. My total charge was about $22.00 (ground, insurance, and tracking) from PA to TX. When he shipped it to me (via USPS Priority Mail) the cost was just shy of $37.00 with an insurance value of $2500. He received it in 3 days, Priority Mail would have been 2 days (according to USPS).

I typically will use FedEx or UPS because it is cheaper (but not necessarily more secure). Unless you ship something overnight with UPS or FedEx it can sit around a distribution point and a description is on the label (per their regs) so more chance for theft. USPS Priority Mail or higher is much more secure (as per USPS regs on how it gets handled) and you don't have a description on the package. I have purchased handguns from another FFL and they sent it USPS with no problems at all.

I do not advocate any specific type of shipping. I use what will be the most convenient for myself or what my client dictates.

All that being said, most people use FedEx or UPS but the law just says commercial shipping. If there is a package delivery service you use, or a trucking company you can use them, it's just that the big two do the most, thus that is who people think of first.