to make it brief i will advise you the best options .
if the item weight is up to 2000 gr ( 2 kg) and the value is no more than 100$ always ask the seller to ship it By REGISTER airmail , not like a standard the register mail has identity , it has a number that looks like RRxxxxxxxxxIL and it can be tracked , moreover if will not arrive to its destination (to you) the sender (the seller) is eligible to claim for you the indemnity which is up to 100$ . the additional fee for register mail is only 1$ . you can see online if the item accepted at the post office by the seller with that RR number i mentioned above at: http://web02.postil.com/itemtrace.nsf/mainsearch?openform&L=EN
the rates of register mail are not expensive , here are some examples for USA shipping ( all in israel currency "NIS" , to convert to USA$ just devide by the Israel new shekel rate which is 1 $ = 4.53 NIS - as for 4/27/2006 ) :
250-500 gr = 24.10 NIS
500-750 gr = 33.10 NIS
750 gr - 1000 g 43.10 NIS
1 kg 1.5 kg = 72.10 NIS
1.5 kg 2 kg = 72.10 NIS .
if the item has a significant value (or exceed 2 kg) and you want to be insured you can ask to have it shipped by EMS , the insurance rate is very low , it is less than 1$ for each 200$ . prices for EMS are higher that register mail , for example: a package up to 1 kg/ 2.2 pound cost 76 NIS / 17$
up to 2 kg / 4.4 pound 104 NIS/ 23$
2.5 kg (5.5 pounds) will cost 132 NIS ( about 29$ )
5 Kg (11 pound) 188 NIS (42$)
10 kg (22 pound) 330 NIS (73$) .
EMS has a track number and is trackable , you can see the acceptance at the Israel postal site (see above) and when arrive to USA you can search that track# at USPS site (track and confirm) . in short , you may use 2 methods by AIR : register mail or EMS , that s the best ways , the 3rd method is only if you have patience , it s the slow ship mail , the Surface parcel post the prices are:
2-3 kg 72 NIS / 16$
3-4 kg 82 NIS / 18$
4-5 gk 93 NIS / 21$
5-6 gk 103 NIS / 22$
6-7 kg 114 NIS / 25$
8-9 kg 134 NIS / 30$
10-11 kg 155 NIS / 34$
and 20 kg / 44 pound 248 NIS 54$ .
The Israel postal service has been privatized and act now like a "private company" only good comes from it and service will be even better , it is highly reliable with strict supervision . I hope you found the guide usefull , if you need help contact me through ebay mail system . sincerely Ben (ABEN2001)