furniture shipping recommendations in the US?  

well
I have had tremendous luck w/ greyhound. Cheap, fastish and MOSTLY gentle. They have only ever broken one thing of mine. Otherwise I ship via UPS but pack like CRAZY. UPS is less gentle than greyhound, in my own opinion.

Yes
Greyhound for large stuff. FedEx for smaller. FedEx is definitely better than UPS for package handling (and slightly cheaper). USPS Parcel Post can be the cheapest option in some cases. Pack well regardless.

One more vote for Greyhound
But secure packing is important.
On Greyhound, there's not much exposure to damage from above or from the sides, but the drivers LOVE to unload heavy boxes by pulling them off the bus and letting them fall 12 inches to the concrete. If you have a particularly retarded seller -- like the one who put $3K worth of delicate furniture I'd bought in thin cardboard boxes which he then filled with styrofoam peanuts -- your nightstands may arrive with broken legs.
To help prevent that damage, ask your seller to put some solid padding -- currogated cardboard, sheets of styrofoam, a moving blanket, etc. -- UNDER the feet or lower edges of the furniture, and arrange things so it'll stay there.

I've had good experiences...
I've had good experiences with Plycon
http://www.plycongroup.com/

Plycon
For really large stuff. 🙂

Craters and Freighters
has shipped large pieces for me. My experience with them has always been good.

thanks
thanks for the recs everyone. just need to see if the seller is willing to package it now.