As the holiday season approaches, I am sure many of you with friends or family living far distances away are already dreading the inevitable tasks of getting that massive stack of gifts shipped from your house to theirs. Sure, your grandmother would absolutely love that antique rocking chair, but there’s just something wrong about paying more to get a gift to someone than on the gift itself.

So how do you avoid spending the majority of your gift money on shipping? All you need is a little comparison shopping and a bit of online form wrangling, and you’ll save a bundle sending that bundle. Here are some tips in chronological order:

When Shopping:

• If you are looking at buying a gift but worried about the shipping cost, consider buying it online from a retailer such as Amazon.com. That way, you can have the gift directly shipped to the person (including gift wrapping, for a slight surcharge of course) at much lower a cost than if you had shipped the gift yourself.
• If you have to buy the gift locally, remember that shipping costs aren’t based on weight alone. All carriers charge extra for very large packages, or oddly shaped packages which are referred to a “non-machinable”. Be sure to check the carrier’s website to see if the gift you are looking at might be the victim of non-machinable surcharges.

Preparing the Shipment:

For boxes, often the box the item itself comes in suits the purpose perfectly. Just cover the box completely with some postal wrap, paper grocery bags, or something similar. If you need a new box, here are some options:

• If you plan on shipping via USPS priority or express mail, you can use their boxes for free! You can either pick some up at the local post office (though they often have a limited selection), or order them online and have them shipped to you for free. Just be sure to double check which boxes you are using, as the priority and express boxes look very similar but can only be used for that shipping method.
• Don’t forget about using flat rate boxes! The USPS offers two flat rate box sizes, and as long as you can stuff your gift into either of them, you can ship that box anywhere in the U.S. for $8.95 via priority mail. This can save a very large amount of money depending on the weight of the package and where it is being sent to. Note that while it’s unlikely you will be caught and thrown in jail, using these boxes for any other purpose (such as sending them via UPS or FedEx) is a federal crime. Also, the USPS will not accept them for anything besides the priority or express mail.
• Often you can find free or cheap boxes online at sites such as Craigslist, BoxQuest, or Boomerang Boxes. You can also order boxes online from companies such as ULine - just be prepared to pay high shipping costs (a bit ironic, no?)
• If you’re feeling adventurous, you can often find loads of extra boxes outside of retail stores. Might be worth checking next time you’re buying something there, but I wouldn’t exactly recommend staking out their trash.
• If all else fails, boxes at places such as Staples and Wal-Mart are somewhat reasonably priced. Just make sure you avoid boxes at actual shipment stores such as MailBoxes Etc, which would be happy to charge you $5 for a small box.
• In general, you are better off going to your local office supply store for other packaging supplies compared to buying online. Unless you are buying in massive quantities, the savings online just aren’t there – especially when you then have to pay for shipping. In general, bubble wrap is a good choice as it is reasonably priced but easy to package with. Newspaper is always an option, but never underestimate the trials and tribulations a fragile package might endure on the way to its recipient – so don’t skimp on packaging!
• Stumped for ideas for wrapping paper? Whimsy makes high quality, unique wrapping paper. You could also print out your own wrapping paper in Microsoft word, or if you’re feeling green this Christmas, make wrapping paper by recycling magazines.

Shipping Methods

• The very first step is to compare prices online. Make sure you know the weight of your package, the size (though as long as it is machinable, as discussed earlier, the shipping price shouldn’t differ based on size), and of course the destination. As a general rule of thumb, often the USPS will be cheaper for lighter packages traveling shorter distances. Here are direct links to the various shipping calculators:
  • USPS Shipping Calculator
  • UPS Shipping Calculator
  • FedEx Shipping Calculator

  On that note – where’s our flashy, easy to use, shipping rate comparison tool? I was surprised to find there is no Shippr.com.

• When calculating postage, you may notice that the weight of your shipment does not actually effect the cost all that much. Instead, the zip code you are sending to and the speed at which it is delivered has much more of an impact on the price. One handy tip to know is that the USPS only charges extra per pound, not per ounce. So if you’re one half-ounce over four pounds on that box you’re sending, see if there’s any way to lighten the load. You could save yourself 15%-45% on the shipment cost!
• If you’re shipping your holiday presents in November, then you will most likely be looking for the cheapest options: Parcel Post for the USPS, and Ground for FedEx and UPS. It is worth mentioning that USPS Priority Mail is often just a tad more expensive than first class, but can get there twice as fast and allows you to use their free boxes. UPS and FedEx ground generally deliver by four to five days.
• If you need to rush shipment, all three services offer variations of guaranteed two day or overnight delivery. Just don’t be surprised that you’ll have to pay a pretty penny for it.

Sending the Package

USPS:

• The most straightforward way to send is to simply bring the package to the post office, of course. Unfortunately, we all know what that can involve: Long lines of cranky people and equally cranky postal service employees.
• To avoid long lines, pay for shipping using an automated system and print the label yourself. This is easily accomplished online at the USPS site using a credit card. The only tricky part is making sure you pay for enough shipping to cover the weight of your package. Remember that you can often round up with no extra cost and give yourself a bit of leeway.
• Besides paying online, a fair number of post offices also have automated machines now, which besides having much less of a wait also are open for extended hours. It’s as simple as placing the box on the scale and using the touchscreen to fill out some basic information.
• If you have printed and paid for a label, you can bring your package to the post office and just leave it on the desk – no need to wait through the entire line! Even better, you can have the post office pickup the package for free. Just fill out that form, leave the package by your door, and it will go out with mail the next day. Note that pickup is only free with priority or express mail, but as discussed earlier the often negligible price difference between parcel and priority mail is worth it for this alone.

FedEx or UPS:

• Both carriers list drop-off locations online. Remember to see what shipping methods the location supports (some will only ship express packages), and that drop boxes sometimes have limits on what size and weight packages they can accept.
• If you have a Staples, Mailboxes Etc, or Kinkos nearby, chances are they send out FedEx or UPS. However, make absolutely sure you do not pay for shipping at the store. Print out and pay for a label online, so that you can just drop off the package. If you pay in the store, you will pay a 30-50% markup on the actual shipping cost!

Tracking, Insurance and Damage Claims

• The USPS offers at tracking number, but this number only serves as a means to tell if the package has been delivered or not. It does not tell you the estimated delivery date, nor where the package is in the mail syste. On the other hand, FedEx and UPS both provide detailed tracking information on the package.
• All services offer insurance, though generally insurance through USPS is more expensive than the other carriers.
• You will hear hundreds of horror stories with damages or losses about any of the carriers. Generally, due to their detailed tracking, FedEx and UPS often are able to assist with lost packages better than the USPS.

Now, you can go into the holiday gift confident that you won’t be giving all your money to postal carrier. Stumped for a gift idea? Check out HappyCat Lights - personalized art as lamps. Get your favorite photograph, picture or design hand-carved for the perfect unique gift. Starting as low as $45, with 10% off using the coupon “moneymythos”.