Small business owner mamas - shipping question?

[sophiesmom03]

I'm looking at doing a little business out of my home, where packages weighing 1/2 lb - 2 lbs would need to be shipped to customers. Package dimensions probably 6x6x6 but I have not bought any shipping boxes yet so if rectangular is cheaper than square then that's fine.

Anyway, I was pricing this out and a 1-lb package via Priority USPS is like $7, a half pound first class packages is around $5, and UPS Ground comes in at a whopping $13.50! (I am estimating the largest distance possible to get a worst-case scenario, so coast to coast shipping).

The boxes will contain $5 - $15 worth of merchandise, so shipping essentially doubles the cost.

Any suggestions on the best way to ship packages of this size/weight? Do you find discounts anywhere?

Thanks!!!

[jerigirl]

Would the product fit in a padded flat rate envelope? They are 9.5 in x 12.5 in and lined with bubble wrap. They are free from USPS.com. The POs don't stock them. They usually take close to 2 weeks to get them. They cost is around $5.30 depending on if you print shipping labels online vs paying at the PO. (They are a different price than the cardboard FRE!) If I remember correctly you can not print a label for padded FREs thru Paypal. You have to use USPS click n ship.

ETA: I bought a postal scale and always print labels at home. Much cheaper than the PO. Paypal.com/shipnow for first class and USPS.com for Priority padded FRE. Anything over about 2-3 lbs that doesn't fit in a FRE I use Fedex. They are usually cheaper than UPS. You can also print FE labels at home too.