"$2.50 More" ("X-Men: First Class")
I'm no stranger to mailing and receiving packages. Artwork, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" episodes, comics, the occasional E-Bay purchase... I doubt a month doesn't go by when I'm not shipping something in a box or vice-versa. So, believe me when I say if there's any way possible, never use ground delivery! Going the cheapest route is a mistake; especially if you live in an apartment building or a shady part of town. When you send it 'ground', you're taking a huge gamble.
I wish I were making a joke, but I'm not. This is me putting on my serious face. I've lost more boxes sending it ground than I even care to remember. And the cause? I've lived through them all. The delivery service losing track of it, a dishonest neighbor swiping it off my front door when I'm not home, a package arriving months later looking like hell (my guess it washed up on a desert island with Tom Hanks and a bloody volleyball). If there was a book written about every disaster which could occur, I could easily take up a chapter.
No, if your package is of the utmost importance the best thing you can do, nay the only thing you should do, is spring for the extra $2.50 and travel it first class. I'm not saying you must go full on crazy and pay a fortune for next day delivery. I'm not even saying the three additional quarters for 'insurance' is needed. If that's what you really want to do; that's your decision. But heed the words of this old soul. If faced with the choice between being a nickel-nurser with ground or a reasonably safe-minded person by using first class; always go with the latter. It's so much less stressful. - Jake