Anything 'Packed by Owner' on shipping inventory is not usually covered by insurance....check small print very carefully, as you may be covered for total loss but not damage. Owner packed stuff also is more likely to get checked by both customs and MAF, which can cost more this end.
We packed about 50 boxes ourselves...books, CD's and DVD's. But we left the boxes unsealed. The packers checked each box (to see if sensibly packed) and sealed with their own companies tape, so they could go on inventory as professionally packed. They do not do this automatically, we had to negotiate this with them, plus check they had remembered to write 'professionally packed' on inventory before they left. Also, if you do pack boxes yourself, we were advised to use lots of same size, acid free, regular shaped boxes that could stack easily, or they could be more at risk of damage while shipping.
Lastly, you can sometimes leave stuff in drawers..we did, but the packers still moved some of our stuff around in order to reduce weight and balance load of furniture. Don't assume stuff will stay where you left it. I found some of my jumpers packed with TV as there was space in the box, and it acted as extra padding.