Priority mail comes with $50 insurance. Express Priority comes with $100. All UPS comes with $100. You can purchase extra coverage with all services. (about $2 per $100). You can purchase "signature required" with all services. The postal service will also leave packages on your doorstep if signature isn't required. While we all feel that quilts are valuable, Fed Ex, USPS and UPS all ship many items with very high values. After all, they do all the Amazon deliveries. Cell phones, computers, IPADs would be much easier to steal and sell than a unique hand made quilt. They are all safe services. I only use UPS because they guarantee a delivery date even with ground services and if you need to file a claim, the postal service is much more difficult to deal with. Use a good strong box. Don't cram a quilt into a small flat rate box if it's a "surprise". The receiver could slice through it while opening.

One more thing, The value of the package and contents are embedded in the bar code. Drivers NEVER know the contents or the value. They WILL know if signature is required. If you lie about the contents and later have to file a claim, you will have trouble getting your money. I own a UPS Store. We handle Priority Mail AND UPS. We always give our customers all their options and ship many high value and hand made pieces of art (including quilts). Loss or damage with any service is extremely rare, but it does happen. Millions of packages are handled every day with all services. All services use automatic transport and sorting in their facilities.

The folks at a UPS Store OR the Post Office should only be giving you correct information. Please don't assume you know more than they do. We are ALL only trying to get your packages delivered in the safest way.

Did you know that the post office will only pay up to the amount of materials used in making the quilt. They told me that the time in making it is not insurable.

Yes this is correct with all services unless you sell it and have the sales slip. But, if you insure it for $200, are there any of us that cannot produce receipts from JAF, MSQC, etc for pattern, batting, thread, fabric, etc totaling over $200?

Do NOT use UPS!! I shipped a quilt from FL to CA for my daughter's bridal shower. I shipped it because it was so large (124" square) it would have needed its own suitcase! I had it shipped to the business of the girl who was hosting the shower and requested a signature. It was only insured for $50 because who keeps receipts of the fabrics used or time?? Anyway I put it in a space bag which helped with the size and took it to the UPS store to be packaged & shipped. It would take a week to arrive and had to be delivered Mon thru Thursday only. They kept trying to deliver it at lunch time when the office was closed and after 3 tries was going to ship it back to Florida!! We would have passed each other somewhere over Texas!! Anyway the girlfriend begged them to hold it till Monday (this was over Easter weekend) & she would pick it up. It finally arrived for the shower but next time I might just get it's own suitcase and pay the baggage fee!! Or make it small enough to fit in a Priority Mail box!! So beware!

If you are using USPS for Priority Mail, you do have the option of selecting extra services, preparing the label, and paying for the shipment on-line. For me it is so much more convenient to do this in the comfort of my own home. The post office gives a modest discount in rates if you pay on-line. Then you can either drop it off at the post office or request free carrier pick-up. Our local post office has reduced the number of clerks so much that the wait in line is now excessive.

Note to the person above who indicated that their carrier had said the package was delivered and signed for. Does your recipient live in an apartment complex? Check their office. This happened to me just recently--I mailed a package to my neice who lives in an apartment complex on Westheimer Blvd. I had a bad feeling when I mailed it, but did include her apartment number--it got to the apartment complex and sat in their office from sometime around the middle of March to something like the 10th of April......after I had agonized over it all that time, I swore that I would never use the USPS system again, especially for such a complicated address.

When packing NEVER use a garbage bag. If your box should come open and the contents come out someone could think it is trash and throw it away. Use a clear bag only then put it in the shipping container. But a label folded inside your quilt, then out the quilt in a CLEAR plastic bag , label the bag. Finally put it in the shipping container , seal, and label the box. Then you can ship it.

I mail mine the cheapest way at the post office, no insurance. Pray to God, He has had my back every time so far! Thank you Jesus!