What US shipping service would you recommend for small items?

[goatparty.livejournal.com]

Hi there! I've recently made the jump to selling small polymer clay items on Etsy, but so far I've had to shell out $5.75 per box for flat rate priority mail shipping (I picked it because it comes with insurance and tracking). Since my items are only $10, I feel like raising shipping to flat-rate price would deter customers.

My questions to folks who sell similar items are:

1. What service do you use, and what does it cost?

2. Are both insurance and tracking an option for it?

In the meantime I'll be researching this myself, but I wanted to get more experienced artists' opinions on this as well.

Thanks!

Edit: Thank you for the replies!

Comments

[foxhack.livejournal.com]

First Class can only be used for items up to 13 ounces. That's about 3.50 at the discounted PayPal rate. Add delivery confirmation, that's $1 more. And if you add insurance, that's $2 more.

If you want to ship something that's fully insured, Priority Small / Regional / Padded Flat Rate is probably the best option.

[tentacleluvgdss.livejournal.com]

Yep, it all depends on how much the final package will weigh! (Including bubble wrap and packaging)

I sell primarily lightweight items, so I use First Class all the time.

Insurance will run you $2.10, but tracking/delivery confirmation comes included for free if you generate the postage online (via Paypal, Etsy, USPS.com, etc.) Online postage is also a couple cents cheaper than going in person.

In short, with insurance costs added, if your item weighs less than 7oz or so, you'll be saving a bit of money if you go with First Class. Otherwise, Priority will be your best bet since it includes the $50 insurance for free.