If you want to ship to the US, I'd use FedEX. You just call them (they have English service available that actually works!) and they will come by your home to pick up your goods. Easy, pain free, reliable but also a little bit more expensive.
Sending in China works good with ShunFeng 顺丰速运. It's the same model, you call them, they pick up at your location. I think they also offer an English service, but I am not sure.
Phone numbers can be found on the Chinese websites, Google is your friend
Please make sure that with whatever company you send it, you get a tracking number. In general you can say: No tracking number, no insurance! (there may be exceptions)
@Mike4g_air
The problem is that EMS uses different handlers in countries outside China. This means that a parcel sent to germany for example will not arrive with EMS but with a small crappy postal service that is trying to press the last cent out of it's customers (like charging extra for customs even though one already paid through EMS, bad delivery times, costly second delivery attempts...). But I heard service in the US is much better. Also in some countries there is a difference between parcel (smaller and no tracking number) and package (again, Germany for example). Within Germany, parcels and packages can be handled by DHL, which is somehow still a part of the German postal system. But... a parcel sent by Post in Germany will be handled by DHL (within Germany) and then by ChinaPost, while a package arrives here by DHL. This may explain your bad German shipping experience.