I bought a mountain bike off of ebay recently and it was damaged in shipping. The front fork was bent and rear rim had a bend. The bike was packaged properly. About as good as you can expect.
- Bicycle box was used
- Bicycle specific plastic protectors on the hubs, derailleurs, and fork dropout.
- Stem/Bar removed from fork
- Everything (except wheels) liberally wrapped in bubble wrap
UPS denied the claim. Not sure if there is even a discussion here, but it's something worth considering when shipping a bicycle.