Tips From the Little Bear Banjo Hospital
	For Long Distance customers: Packing Banjos Packing the banjos for shipping can be tricky. The banjo itself should be swathed in bubble wrap, and placed in a carboard box that is then filled to capacity with packing peanuts, or wadded up newspapers.  In the end, though old newspapers are plentiful, the box will weigh more and cost more to ship.  It might be worth your while to buy the peanuts.  They box could be reused to ship 'em back to you. The trick is to make absolutely certain that the banjo is essentially suspended in a total bed of peanuts, packed tightly, and that there is no movement in the box once sealed. The most costly damage to a banjo in shipping comes when the package is jostled and the banjo moves in a way that whiplashes the neck, so that the peghead is strained.  The most vulnerable part of the banjo is the juncture between the peghead and the nut.  It's not impossible to repair a break at that point, but it is difficult and can cost a lot since it involves some strategic pinning and usually an entire neck refinishing.  Peanuts settle, so you'll have to tamp them down. I usually use a box that is two inches taller than the banjo -- one inch one each end.  The box should allow one or two inches in the front and the back of the banjo.  I also use brown packing tape, the kind you cut to length, wet, and apply.  Scotch-tape like packing tape is sufficient, but it doesn’t lend that strapping reinforcement to the outside of the package.
		John Bernunzio of Bernunzio instruments has a good explanation of how to pack a banjo on his website.					My own view of commercial packing services is that they never get it right.  Further, music stores rarely get it right.  I think you'd be better off packing the thing yourself. I would recommend insuring the banjo for an amount that represents the minimum it might take to replace yours with banjos of similar make and period of manufacture.  Make certain you have plenty of detailed photos for insurance purposes, just in case. I use the U.S. Post Office.  UPS can be costly for a heavier banjo, unless you have a corporate or business account with them.  They charge a princely sum for packing.  I'm not convinced they do a job sufficient to make certain that the banjo won't suffer whiplash.