Shipping damage

Did you consider asking the shipper whether you could inspect the inner box (your comment of an "outside box" implies there is an inner box) or, if there was only one box then inspect the item itself, prior to refusing the shipment? I have had drivers from UPS or FedEx allow me to do that rather than incurring the hassle of returning possibly undamaged goods to their distribution center. In each case when I inspected the item (I believe only two times) it was undamaged. In a separate instance, a B&W M803 tweeter was damaged and the dealer sent me a new tweeter.

I'm with Czarivey on this one. I've been shipping Vintage Drums via FedEx since 1999 without a single incident of damage. I've received drums shipped UPS, however, with less luck. I pack very well, using multiple layers of bubble wrap rather than the more common plastic peanuts, which simply move out of the way when pushed.

"plastic peanuts, which simply move out of the way when pushed."
+1000 on that, Bdp24. Tightly packed peanuts are good between an inner and outer box, but are totally useless at protecting something that is much denser than they are, which will move "through" the peanuts upon impact. Remember the packing should be sufficient to protect the item from a 6' fall onto concrete.