While fast and guaranteed, USPS Express Mail is expensive.
Shipping a package via the United States Postal Service can be an expensive endeavor, especially if you use an oversize box, purchase your packaging items from your local post office and send the parcel express. While the way in which you prepare your package can shave off a few dollars, the big cost-cutter comes when you choose a slower shipping method. Generally, the method with the shorter estimated delivery time is also the one that will put a bigger dent in your wallet.
Instructions
1. Use as small a box as possible. Items that fit tightly won't bounce around in the box as much, lessening the chance of becoming damaged, and smaller boxes make for cheaper shipping.
2. Wrap and cushion breakable or easily damaged items only. A used pair of jeans doesn't call for extra padding, but a water filtration pitcher can benefit from layers of newspaper on the plastic and handle. The less packaging material you use, the less money you'll have to pony up at the post office.
3. Prepare your package at home with materials found throughout your house or from retail stores. You may be able to find a box lying around your house, in addition to newspaper that you can use to wrap the item you're shipping. Materials that you don't have on hand, such as packing tape, are generally cheaper from retail stores than at a post office.
4. Determine the weight of your package using a scale you have or by using the post office scale. You can ship anything 13 ounces or lighter as First Class mail. Media mail serves as the cheapest shipping method for packages over 13 ounces, but it applies only to media items, such as books, magazines and DVD movies. Parcel post is the next cheapest, followed by Priority Mail and Express Mail.
5. Forget about your box and use a flat-rate Priority Mail or flat-rate Express Mail box or envelope if you choose either of those shipping methods. In many cases, a flat-rate box will be cheaper than using your own box, but to make sure, estimate your shipping price on the USPS website.
6. Pay for and print Priority Mail or Express Mail labels online. If you need your package to get to its destination in a hurry, USPS discounts the postage price for both Priority and Express postage if you print the labels online. This discount does not apply to media mail, first-class mail or parcel post.
7. Decline insurance unless you want to protect your item in case it gets lost or damaged. To save a few dollars, you might not want to insure a $50 printer, whereas it might be worth the extra cost to insure a $1,000 computer. You may insure merchandise only, except for Express Mail, which has available insurance for cash and documents.
