Take a picture of quilt before you send...for proof. Delivery confirmation with USPS tracks when pkg arrives at each post office and when it leaves. The insurance with the black label ... under $201 ... can be tracked by the post office ... not by you on line. Do the vacuum pack as already suggested to put in "if it fits, it ships" box. Retired USPS employee.

Also a good idea to put inside the box something with an address on it. If the box or label get mangled, this way they can still find where to send it.

I don't usually ship quilts. I do like the flat rate USPS boxes, but I also like the tracking that UPS offers.

Something seems out of line, I have sent 5 or 6 six quilts in the past 5 months( yes some after the $$increase) , and none have ever cost me that much, and I am sending top , batting, and batting for full size quilts.
Go on line to the Post office site and check it out for your self. As long as you know the weight , size of the box and zip code you can double check.

I just sent a quilt to my mother and the box was 16 1/2 lbs. Mailed it priority with $200. insurance and it was $21.48 to ship. I mailed it on Tue. and she had it Fri. Mailed it through the post office.

I live in Indiana, and send my quilt tops with backing to Washington State and Oregon to be quilted. I have used UPS and the Post Office and never had a problem. The last quilt Charisma quilted for me was a large one and it only cost $17.00 to send it back to me. I thought that was very reasonable. It was sent priority mail.

Take a picture of the quilt before mailing and call it 'original fabric art.' An appraisal would be nice if you think it is worth it. A quilt equals a blanket as far as any of the shippers are concerned.

ali

I've sent over 25 quilts thru the post office in the last 2 yrs. NEVER had a problem. I do NOT put on anything that it's a quilt...........the few times I've gotten insurance, I said it was "fabric".....:) I just recently sent a king size quilt from Bend, Oregon to Yuma, AZ for less than $20.00. '

Oh - I had advice from a friend when I started sending the quilts ------ I NEVER take the boxes to a store that sends it for me. I got directly to the Post Office. Just saying.....................

Ok, it's been almost 14 years since I mailed a quilt. I sent one to a PPO address in 1998. What I did was box it up, had it weighed, and opted for standard shipping. I then had it insured for more than the quilt was probably worth as far as materials were concerned. It cost me around $20 for everything. Well, about 1 month after I mailed that quilt, I accidently contacted the recipients girlfriend. Hmm, not good. The quilt ended up thrown into the Mediterannian Ocean along with a wedding band when I said, "I want a divorce". What a waste of a beautiful quilt!!

and don't list quilt as the content.....use word "textils" instead. Quilts are often stolen. This advice from a lot of people who regularily mail quilts.
Also weigh and check on line for the shippers cost. Then you will know which is less expensive.

The UPS store charges (lowest price) $13.50, but you have to put it in as small a box as you possibly can because that also figures in. Insurance can make you feel better, but to collect you have to have receipts for everything you have in it and they do not give you anything for your time. Not really worth it for me. I did get a delivery confirmation on the last ones I sent out though. I like UPS because I can track it. USPS is lax about their tracking info. Good luck!!