Hi Claudine,  If it was my piano bench, I'd have the person in Atlanta
remove the legs and pack them inside the bench so they don't shuck
around.  Wrap the legs with bubble wrap, _not_ newspaper.  Then I'd
wrap the whole bench in bubble pack and put it into a carton that is
a few inches larger than the bench in each direction and take it to the
FedEx office.  For heavy stuff, they seem to be a bit cheaper.

If you want to take an additional precaution, put a piece of Masonite
in the bottom of the carton first and then put the bench (wrapped in
the bubble wrap) into the box with the good side down (toward the
Masonite).  Then insure the thing for a couple hundred dollars.

Good luck,
Craig Smith