Here is a trick that helps get the quilts 'into the box'! Put the quilt in a garbage sack. The white 13 gallon size works great.
Next, using your vacuum cleaner hose, put the tip of the hose in the sack and hold the plastic gathered up around it.
Suck all of the air out of the bag, you might have to even hold the hose tip against the quilt. When all of the air is removed and the quilt is 'flat', remove the hose and immediately twist the sack closed. You can then tape the twisted end down to hold it and immediately put the 'flattened' quilt into the shipping box. Tape the box closed at this point because over a few hours the quilt will grow back to its size---however by that time it is nicely packed inside the box.
Having the quilt in plastic for the short time it is in transit will not hurt and the plastic gives extra protection from moisture. I always include a note to the recipient of the quilt to not store the quilt in the plastic bag.

great idea, ponyriver!

If you take donations off on your taxes, save the receipt for the postage. My accountant says that it completely right, also can deduct for the batting if you went to buy it for the Downy Quilts.
I always buy the bolt, so I can't deduct the batting...but I did on the postage.

I agree, the post office has boxes like the flat rate but are priority mail and it only cost me $6 to send the last two quilts.

Billy

Hey Fred Smith was my next door neighbor for years and I like the guy and all, but I would never ship Fed Ex and he knows it!

I had a SUPER RARE intake manifold for a small block ford destroyed by Fed Ex and after that I told Fred never again!!!

Billy

I just shipped 11 quilts the first of March. My DH used our Food Saver machine to shrink wrap them and I got all 11 of them in a box I had that the cannery uses to ship pears in. It's about the size of the biggest flat rate box...when pears are in it it holds 92 pears approx. or approx. 42 to 43 pounds. I got all 11 quilts in the box and it cost me $22.59 to mail them from the West Coast to Pennsylvania via US Postal Service and that was sending regular mail. It took a week plus a few days to get to Penn. If I had mailed the box Priority, it would have cost $44.59 or something like that. I thought the $22 was resonable for 11 quilts.

just sending 2 today by USPS flat rate and scheduled for pickup at my house tomorrow. Couldn't be easier!

The idea of sending a quilt by any method, is a very sore spot with me at the moment. I made a quilt for an auction at my grandchildren's school in Chestertown Maryland. I sent it with USPS, Priority Mail, with a return signature
request. That was three weeks ago....the quilt went missing and although the postal service says that it is checking, nothing has turned up. The auction is this Saturday. When my husband mailed the package, he was told that it could not be insured because we did not have an "official" document stating it's worth. I have since been told by the USPS that we could have made out our own. Trying very hard to be calm about this, but I am as mad as #@%! right now. I guess my next mailing will go back to UPS, I have used them before. :(

I sure am glad you asked this question. I mailed one USPS and it cost $8.00! I have two more to mail so I will sure check my options.

I'm glad you asked, too, as I have six to mail back and wasn't sure which would be the cheapest way. Also thanks for the tax deduction information. I don't usually keep the receipt, once I know they have received the quilt.