Face-to-face is a great idea. I was very nervous when I shipped a firearm out west. My FFL advised me to make the package look like anything but a firearm. He recommended golf clubs. Had package tracking. If memory serves me, the package was either delayed or somewhat misplaced for days. Maybe even a week. Had me very worried. It finally arrived at its' destination. Haven't shipped once since. That is when I learned the different USPS postal classifications. I used certified and should have used registered (I think) or whichever one requires the package to be stored in a locked area when not in transit.
My FFL ships and receives firearms all the time. He just received one for me shipped from Virginia. I believe he uses UPS.