Ways to Save on Shipping Costs: Gearing Up For Holiday Shipping and Shopping

If you’re shipping internationally, UPS has a selection of one to three-day shipping options, and FedEx has options from five days to overnight. Yes, they’re expensive, but they’re universally faster, and depending on where your package is headed, they’re probably more reliable. For instance, if you’re shipping to the nether regions of the world, it’s best to use a reliable, globally-connected company like UPS or FedEx–both of which have their own massive international logistical networks–to ensure that your precious packages makes is safely across all of the required borders and through all of the necessary cities to its destination.

For some bundles, when speed and reliability are a greater consideration than cost, consider FedEx Express Saver, a three-day option that’s cheaper than the USPS for heavier items and/or multiples items at once. Express Saver also offers perks you’ll appreciate come crunch time, like Saturday pickup. UPS 3-Day Select comes with optional features like COD and multiple delivery attempts that you may not get from other carriers.

Save on Packing Materials
Regardless of the shipping method you pick, it’s important to make sure your items are packed carefully so they’ll survive the trip. Shipping supplies are available from all three carriers, but they’re almost always more expensive when you buy them at your local office supply store.

Don’t forget to save all of the packing material you get from other shipments. Having them lying around to stuff into packages when you ship them out means you don’t have to buy them yourself. Boxes themselves are another matter–you may want to buy boxes unless the ones you keep and break down are in good condition and are relatively unlabeled. You can always write “Priority” on the side of your Priority mail package, or grab those Priority Mail stickers in the lobby of the post office and put one on each side of your package.