Any suggestions? Well, TomHeartsTacos, I suggest you eat a taco. It always makes me feel better. Trust the facilitator, don't trust the facilitator. Could go either way. Flip a coin and eat another taco.
Lot of good advice from experienced people. I am curious how you found this local mechanic/facilitator and what vetting was done. Scooper's advice makes the most sense to me, but recognize there are some honest people crazy about bikes. Some dishonest ones, too, not to mention bunglers. Some people also have jobs and/or a family and are running around town looking for a good box and tape. That said, $38 to pack & ship is awfully cheap. I agree with wrk101, maybe too cheap. A steal for you! When I see really low shipping estimates it often makes me suspicious about the seller's competence in shipping the bike--like, "have they done this before?" That a middle-man is willing to do that may be a red flag. Again, back to Scoopers advice, I think this makes the most sense for everyone. For a $600 bike that I really wanted, I'd pay twice $38 to have a shop ship it rather than a stranger (who may be a fantastic and capable person), plus $20+expenses toward cutting my potential losses with said facilitator.
I know it's like choosing between children, but...favorite taco?