[USER]

What it the cheapest way to mail a small package? Postage has gotten so expensive and occasionally I need to send either a wedding or graduation or birthday present (I try to think of things that are relatively small).

What have you all found to be the most inexpensive way to ship things? US post office? UPS? If post office, is there a most inexpensive way to send it?

I don’t fully understand all the different ways and I usually just need the cheapest way possible.

Doesn’t really need to get there quickly, time frame doesn’t usually matter.

Help!

[Annette]

I believe the Post Office to be the least expensive. I just tell them, it doesn’t need to be there fast and I want the least expensive option.

They will offer insurance and ask if you want a return receipt.

The fees are based on size and weight.

[Mary]

I ship stuff to my family from different websites. Amazon is the easiest.
If you ship something yourself do not take it to a pack and ship place.

They charge a fee on top of the actual shipping costs. USPS Media mail (books) is the cheapest, but there is no insurance and if they realize it’s not books they will return it. The post office is the cheapest.

Take the package in the smallest possible box or bag. If you don’t have a box you can cut up a trash bag and put the package inside it. Tape it thoroughly and label it clearly.

USPS ground advantage is usually your next best choice.

It comes with $100 insurance in case it’s lost. Make sure you ask for tracking.

Ground advantage comes with it, get the receipt and keep it until you are sure the package arrived safely. The tracking number is on the receipt.

[Callie]

Book rate, but it depends on where you live and whether your post office does it. In some cities and town, they won’t do it — others, they will.

Just tell them it’s a book. They will tell you it takes 10 days to arrive, but it’s usually sooner.

[Janet]

Gift cards, especially for young folks as they much prefer getting to select what they want!!

I have grands in Oregon and postage for anything is bad!!

I have Amazon prime and just send them an Amazon gift card— would rather add the cost of postage and they get more to spend!!

[Brian]

Amazon will gift wrap most items that are fulfilled by them for a relatively low few ($3-5) and shipping is typically free

[Jeanie]

I order items online and have them shipped directly to the gift recipient.

[Sabrina]

I ship through the website PirateShip. You can just set up an account, it’s free, and then input the package information, print your label, and drop it off at UPS or USPS, depending on which carrier you choose.

It’s a legitimate website and it has saved me so much money in shipping.

Also, if you ship your items in a postal bag or a box in a bag, then it’s even cheaper! I use a digital kitchen scale to weigh my packages. Hope this helps!

[Julie]

I use the USPS Priority Mail option. The boxes don’t cost anything extra and includes tracking.

Just go to your local Post Office and they’ll have them.

[Victoria]

I use websites to order the gift and have it delivered to the person it is for and send an advance notice of the gift to that person to make sure they get it.

[Sophia]

My husband loves “pirateship” for shipping costs. Put your package size in with address info and it will compare all the options and give you the best rate.

You can pay and print the label off their website too

[Bethany]

Post Office. Just use the smallest box/mailer you can. It’s usually not more than a couple of dollars.

[Marsha]

If I can order on Amazon, with free shipping, I do that. Otherwise, I do flat rate boxes at USPS.

[Corrine]

You can ship directly to someone for free with many websites. It also saves the time of packaging it and going to the post office etc

[Karen]

Used to be if it fit in a regular envelope it was priced by ounces. I recently added a small item in a card that bulged but weighed less than 2 ounces.

No rush.

Cost me almost $7.

[Jamie]

I try to order gifts online, usually Amazon, Walmart or Temu, and ship directly to the person the gift is for.

It’s much less expensive than buying it in person and shipping it yourself.

[Janine]

Use the tool that sucks air out of packages to flatten it first before sending in an envelope.

Depends on the items.

[Anisa]

If it’s Books, magazines, and I believe school supplies through USPS it’s a cheaper shipping cost.

I was mailing my daughter 5 lbs of books and the mail worker told me that, $6.50 versus the weight option, usually I’d pay between $11.75 to $22.00 for a package of presents.

[Suzy]

Pirate ship. You can print your label to pdf and send that to the FedEx or ups store or copy corner to print and then attach.

[Rachel]

Have your purchase shipped from the company you purchased it from to the gift recipient’s home. I do this with Amazon.

When I buy online I have the gift shipped with free shipping to their home.

I pay for a postage stamp to send a card.

[Julie]

I haven’t shipped in a while but I think shipping media like books is cheaper. If it wasn’t breakable I’d ship it like that.

Again- it’s been a while.

[Debbie]

I order the gift online, include the options of a card and gift wrap, and have it mailed directly to the recipient.

If I can get it from Amazon, even better with Prime free shipping.

[Kim]

US Postal Service, keep it as light and small as possible that determines the price because of how much room it takes up in the truck
Keep the box under one cubic foot that means 12 x 12 x 12 and make it as light as possible

They will give you various options for pricing just pick the cheapest option

If the item is expensive you may want to consider insurance for it

[Author]

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