[KTL]

Not trying to pile on the peanuts hate, but I have to agree. I have saved those things over the years and put them in garbage bags in my basement stockpile of shipping materials. I just can't find a good use for them- I have two large black trash bags full. They're messy and don't protect well.

Only time i'd use them is if you bag them up (double bag) to create a peanut pillow. Putting them into a box loose doesn't do much to protect stuff.

I would pack a case in a box that is double boxed or single box with a liner of thin wood. You want to avoid punch-thru for sure, since there are many surfaces of the case you don't want damaged. Best to snugly bolt the case together to minimize the number of exposed surfaces and studs.

I personally would only ship FedEx. UPS is notoriously bad in my experience when it comes to damaging boxes. I get so many mangled boxes from UPS and I just don't understand it. FedEx boxes are usually unharmed, but I do on occasion get one that is a bit beat up.

A box with cut-in hand holes goes a long way toward making your box easier to handle and less prone to being "chucked" by the handler. This is especially important when we're talking about large, heavy boxes.

Overpack to the point of absurdity. This is one place you don't want to skimp. Use any packing material you can think of to protect your precious case. Wads of heavy paper (forget newspaper- it ain't much better than peanuts), styrofoam, foam padding (like a foam pillow), old bath towels, multiple layers of bubble wrap, roll bar padding, those annoying air packs that are often used nowadays