This is the smartest post I've ever read on FT. As someone else pointed out, it is extremely expensive to FedEx from Indonesia (to the tune of $500 USD) but what I can do is Aus Post a bag before I leave for DPS back to my house in the US, and it's about $30 and doesn't even take that long in transit. The Aus Post has 140 cm girth 105 and cm length limitations, so a typical checked bag will be too large, so I will need to just buy a super cheap extra carry on, bring two carry-on size bags with me on my trip from the US to SYD, and then before I leave for DPS ship one of them back.

Then I only have a carry on for the DPS-SYD flight, Delta will actually price out a DPS-SYD-LAX award ticket with my same flights so they at least think this connection is safe, I won't have to clear immigration at SYD, and I don't see any major risk in missing my flight from SYD to LAX. Right?