Shipping Questions

If you are talking US only, here are the most cost effective options:

USPS First Class - Anything under 13 ounces can be sent first class. You can literally send things for about 3 bucks with tracking.

USPS Flat Rate - Great as long as it fits in their boxes. Runs 5 - 14 without a commercial discount.

USPS Parcel - for things that don't fit in the Flat Rate Boxes, you may need to look at Parcel. Still fairly inexpensive but be careful to Hawaii, Alaska and APO/FPO addresses as it will take a month to get there.

UPS/FedEX - If you can negotiate a good rate they can become very competitive, especially if you are shipping the same sized items all the time. If you have no history right now, it may be hard to get a rate from them but at the very least, call them up and have them give you a quote.

I have actually had more items lost by Fed Ex then I have with the USPS. The USPS gets a bad rap but frankly, at least here in Hawaii, they are a dream compared to Fed Ex (Fed Ex ground workers are independent contractors unlike UPS that are employees... i.e they don't give a hoot). And if you have tracking on it, surprisingly it doesn't get lost, only the items that don't have tracking. I also use first class without tracking for items I sell that have a cost of 50 cents a piece. If it gets lost, I just send another one or refund their money.

If you are going to be doing first class shipping, sign up for one of the third party services that will let you print labels with tracking and give you the commercial discount.

What platform is your site developed on? most shipping companies provide API interface with the major platforms....takes the guess work out of trying to adjust shipping prices