When I worked in a LBS, we'd unpack about a dozen bikes a day from boxes and seldom found any damage. But they came in a UPS truck with dozens of bike boxes together and we helped the driver unload, so they got treated well. One bike box among other stuff that makes several transfers might not. I used to pack my bike in a box and take it by plane twice a year from home to college (that was 1974-78). It got damaged once and the airline refused to pay since I didn't report the damage before I left the airport. Was I supposed to put the bike together and ride it around the terminal before taking it home? I rode with a slightly bent fork for the next 20 years (but there was a notch in the headset to compensate). Make sure you put a rigid spacer between the fork tips and dropouts when you pack a bike.