Well said sedond! I think many of us have come to take for granted the great shipping powers that be. I work for a scientific instrument company (similar issues to Hifi gear in regards to shipping) I receive equal #'s of damamge claims for both Fed X and UPS. Considering the thousands of packages we ship every year, 99.98% arrive unharmed and on time. That's pretty good odds and service. Protect your Johnson, opps I mean Conrad Johnson! Good packing is a must. I have noticed that items I have purchased from dealers on this site are sent with the mimimal packaging possible if any at all. The boxes they use are usually from some other product, and have minimal if any peanuts, etc if any at all. On the other hand ALL the items I have purchased from individuals in the classified have come packaged much better. I wonder why this is? Could it be that individuals selling their goods would care more if the item arrives undamaged? I think so. I am concerned that the dealers don't care enough. They seem to figure that they have the buyers money, if the buyer receives damaged goods the buyer will have to follow up with the shipper if the dealer is not willing. It costs extra money to package items well. I know because we spend big bucks on special packing materials, approved boxes for shipping, etc. Therefore we get very few claims for damage. Insist that gear is double boxed, fully insured and there are a few terms you should be aware of. There is FOB destination and FOB origin. Destination is where the title for the goods becomes the sellers once it leaves the dock (origin) In this case the buyer is responsible for following up with any claim. FOB Destination means that the buyer does not accept title until it is delivered and signed for. In this case if the box is all banged up or physically appears to have damage on the outside of the package, do not sign for it and the seller will have to follow up for claims for damage. I am not even sure if this applies now that I think about it. Our company will follow up with any claim and replace any item free of charge if for any reason the buyer is not happy. How many HIFI dealers are willing to do this? Hmmmmmmm?