If it's going air freight, it is going to go through the same conveyor systems. If you ship it UPS, it will get thrown off the end of the conveyor into a chute at fairly high speed and will hit the side wall of the chute and then drop down into the chute and then finally drop onto the conveyor below.

Pack everything so that you would be confident in throwing it down stairs or out of an upstairs window. Be confident enough to actually perform that test, if not then go and repack it.

Duct tape or rope around a package will ensure that thieves leave it alone and go for easier pickings. Make your package look really cheap and tacky (with the rope) to also discourage thieves.