Originally Posted by
coolcoil
My curiosity was piqued, so I used the calculator on the UPS website to get an estimate. Assuming your final package is 24 X 36 X 4 and 15 lbs. after wrapping and you declare a value of $2000, the cost to ship from San Francisco to Philadelphia (just picked a zip code that I knew) is $64.91. $18.00 is for the insurance. That's ground service, so probably 4 days to get it there at worst.
Except UPS likely won't pay that $2000. Generally items of intrinsic value have vey limited liability for carriers. As carriers pay repair or replacement, if you can't replace then they'll pay you for whatever the frame and paper are worth. Not the sentimental value. You would likely need insurance on the item through your homeowners to cover the item fully.
Suggesting that checking something with an airline is a better idea for safely moving an important item across the country than insured shipping is insane.
You can roll your eyes all you want but clearly you didn't think this through. First, you can't insure the item with the carrier any more than you can with the airline. There are 3 steps to this. First is the packaging, second is the transportation, third is coverage should something happen.
For #3 if you have insurance or you pay to increase the carrier's liability then you've essentially got the same coverage no matter shipped or checked. As a side note, it's best to insure and use whatever additional liability you can get the airline or carrier to pay to cover and increase the deductible on the insurance.
For #1 you want it packaged properly whether you ship or check. So again that would be the same.
Now it just comes down to the transportation. If you ship it the following is likely. It sits until it gets picked up by the driver. Then it rides around on their vehicle with other packages. Then it gets into their sorting system and either loaded into a trailer or aircraft container with 100's of other packages. Then it gets unloaded and moves through at least one automated sort. Then it gets reloaded into another trailer or aircraft container. Then it is sorted to another vehicle and rides around with other packages. Multiple points of contact, multiple chances for something to happen.
If the packaging is good enough to survive all that, which it certainly can, what makes you think that it won't survive checking it at the airport, being placed in the cargo similar to skis, golf clubs, assistive devices, etc, flying non stop across the country, being unloaded and brought to the baggage claim area with other such items? Far fewer chances of something happening.