Several things to consider... as mentioned above, declared value and insurance are 2 different things. Whenever possible insure it. Declared Value has to do with the carrier's liability and concealed damaged is sometimes a hard fight to win when arguing with a carrier. With that in mind, double box it whenever possible. There are is a formula each carrier uses to determine what your "chargeable" weight is going to be. The greater of either the dimensional weight or actual weight will be your "Chargeable" weight. Ask them what their formula is for calculating dimensional weight. It will be something like L x W x H / 250 = Dimensional weight (FedEx uses a 139 dim factor). Whatever the greater of the 2 numbers you get i.e. Actual or Dimensional is what you're going to be charged at. Most of the time, adding an external box that adds a couple of inches to each dimension will only add slightly to the dimensional weight and is worth the peace of mind. If possible see if you can drop it off and pick it up at a local terminal. This takes the pickup and delivery drivers out of the picture. The fewer people that handle it the better your chances of it arriving intact.