The prices have gone up and the sellers and buyers are all feeling the pain.  But there are ways to keep the shipping and handling costs as low as possible.  As a seller, this means a more attractive “total package” for my customer’s money. 

Tips to help keep the shipping costs as low as possible:

Domestic USPS Shipping

1.   Priority Mail under 2 lbs travels locally and to zones 1 & 2 for the same price as a 1 lb Priority package or a flat rate Priority Mail Envelope -- $4.60
2.   Parcel Post Shipping in the same zones will save you about $1.00 for under a pound and about 25 cents to zones 1 & 2 for the 2 lb package.
3.   Locally, 4 lbs can ship via Parcel Post for less than the 1 lb cost for Priority Mail

International USPS Shipping

1.   All Domestic Priority Mail envelopes and boxes are now also used for shipping your items internationally.
2.   You will save 5% off the cost of International shipments if you print your Priority and Express International postage on-line.  This can be a significant savings, and it comes with Delivery Confirmation.
3.   When selecting the “package type” for a package that will fit into the flat rate Priority Mailer, you must select “envelope” to get the flat rate mailer choice.  This is significant, because up to 4lbs can travel to over 190 countries for the flat rate of $11.00 if purchased at the Post Office, or $10.45 if purchased on-line through USPS site or through PayPal.  The prices for Canada and Mexico are $9.00 at the PO or $8.55 on-line.

All shipments:

1.   If you are a seller and you ship at least 30 packages per month, I suggest taking a look at the insurance program offered by U-PIC. I currently pay 65 cents per $100.00 value of coverage for domestic shipments, $1.20 per $100.00 value for International shipments and I can also insure shipments coming to me from my sellers. (I include shipping insurance as standard in all my listings, providing the best assurance to my customers that their money will not be money wasted.)
2.   U-PIC will insure any package, shipped via USPS (any service), DHL, UPS, FedEx and others.
3.   Pay attention to the weight of the unpackaged item and determine whether it will fit, properly protected, into a Tyvek Priority Mailer.  The weight difference can make a huge difference in the postage required.