How you get paid is the most important matter and should be settled early. Do not wait to settle this point later on and cause yourself a lot of hassle at the last moment. If you are for example located in Chicago or any other inland point and want to ship you vehicle directly from there. It is possible and it is just a question of cost and logistics. You can arrange this or your shipping agent or carrier can arrange it.
Costs vary but are reasonable.
There are also 'drive away' services that arrange to find some one to drive your car from point a to point b. This is much cheaper but is not very fast and some times not reliable. It is possible to have your vehicle loaded into a container at any inland location and have the container moved to the port by rail or truck. As mentioned before this can some times cost you more if US Customs want to make a physical inspection. Get advise and make your decision accordingly.