Since no one answered your original question of 
what to do in the situation. . . What I do really 
starts before I ever mail the cel, and that is: 
When someone requests that I ship something 
without insurance, I write to them explicitly to 
say: "Please remember that I am not responsible 
for items shipped uninsured. There will be no 
compensation if your item is damaged or lost. Are 
you sure you don't want insurance?" If they tell 
me they're sure after reading that, then should 
an item be damaged or lost (which has never 
happened), I would simply tell them that I warned 
them I am not responsible for the package.

For packing, I just wanted to add that I disagree 
completely with using the Priority boxes *as 
boxes* instead of flat. When I receive cels packed
in the opened out boxes, inevitably the box is 
mashed (crushing the cel against whatever *uneven*
packing was used to fill the rest of the box), the
cel came untaped from the inside and is rattling 
around, etc, etc. I *HATE* it when people ship 
cels to me in opened out boxes!! ~_~  I consider 
it a *BIG* risk to the cel.

What I do when I pack (which I've never had a 
problem with), is to take a flat Priority box, 
cut off the flaps that don't have the sticky tape 
on them, and then fold the remaining flaps 
completely over the edge of the package, sticking 
them there. This creates a flat package with 
reinforced edges. You'd literally have to snap it 
over your knee to bend it, and I also write "do 
not bend" in large print on both sides.

Of course, from what I've heard, there are some 
postal carriers who seem determined to bend 
anything. Despite what was said above, flat does 
NOT necessarily mean bendable documents -- photos 
and even *MEDICAL X-RAYS* are shipped in flat 
packages and also cannot be bent! If something 
says "do not bend" and your carrier bends it 
intentionally, you can report them. Writing "do 
not bend" on a package DOES mean something, 
that's why they have official stamps for it.

But once all is said and done, nothing competes 
with insurance. (*shrug*) Even if you don't 
insure a package for the full value, just the 
presence of that insurance sticker suddenly makes 
everyone more attentive to "do not bend".

Many Sharp Smiles,
--Drac