Shipped over 500 pins with legs on with STI (formerly NAVL) for decades and had fewer damage claims than I can count on one hand. When done properly (I've posted it here multiple times) it is as safe and economical as you can expect for a big, expensive wooden box full of electronics. Average cost these days is $375.

Cardboard between the head and rails and around the legs would have prevented that. The former should always be done.

Of course it's not the same truck and crew. Shipping doesn't work that way. Even if you move your entire household belongings 1000 miles away as I just did...they empty and load multiple times. It's the complicated world of shipping logistics to keep costs down (supposedly). If you want something delivered long distance by the same person/vehicle that loaded it you're either going to need a lot of money or luck. There are some guys here that move games as a side job but there are risks involved there as well. As for games shipped on a pallet, believe it or not I have had a much higher rate of damage that way for one reason: forklifts. And yes they will sometimes use a forklift on games with legs on, but most of the time forklift operators in warehouses have the forks set a foot or so off the ground. If they swing around and hit a pinball leg it's not a big deal...but if they swing around into a palleted pinball it's going through the cardboard (and possibly crate) and hitting the cabinet.

But yes, I agree people should do whatever they are most comfortable with. My input on the matter is backed by 20 years of experience so take it for whatever that's worth.

Double post.