I'm surprised the embroidery arm doesn't come off. I have two Brother emb machines and both have removable arms. Have you checked the manual to see if it comes off? I would NOT use peanuts for packing. They don't keep anything from shifting. If you have to pack it consider taking it to a UPS or FexEx store and ask them to pack it. If you do it yourself, use plenty of padding and make sure the machine is stable and doesn't shift around. How you would pack it with the emb arm attached is probably going to be a problem.