More good info; many thanks.
(what is LBS? going by the context it is used my guess is "local bike store" but wanted to be sure...)
Those of you who buy and sell frequently, what is the cheapest you've had a bike boxed and shipped more than a few states away?
Step 1: Those that frequently buy and sell, do not pay someone to box their bike. The cost of packing a bike, and the risk of it being done wrong, both make outsourcing this process risky and costly.
Step 2: Packing a bike for $20? Last bike I packed took almost four hours to pack.... If I could find someone reliable to do it for $20, I would be very happy to pay them. Realize on ebay, if you pay someone to pack it, and they do a poor job, the consequences are on you: you get the negative feedback, you get the claim, you get the headaches. Myself, I pack everything I sell on ebay. Not all bike shops are skilled at packing bikes either. With over 1000 transactions on ebay, and not one single negative feedback, I cannot risk it.
Step 3: Shipping a complete bike? $75 in the US +/-.
In my experience, shipping a bike for sale only makes sense if it is something high end, or just a frameset (cheaper shipping). Who is going to pay $100 plus for the shipping and handling, when they can just buy a MTB locally for $100 to $150. Local sale on lower value bikes.