When I found PIF I dove in head first... So I have sent a lot of packages to a lot of people. When you are on a budget you find ways to economize and still make things look nice and arrive safely.
First thing to do is if you have not already done it - Get a stamps.com account. It's free for the first month and they give you 5$ to start off with. It's 16$ a month after that. I do love stamps.com. You can't print first class labels from USPS.com. I'm not sure if I will pay the fees per month but it might be worth it. I havent decided. But I have time to do so, that's why I like it.
Additionally stamps.com does offer some really nice deals when you first sign up, and there really are no strings attached. You do get 5$ free postage, which is totally worth it if you are in a bind. That's about 3 PIFs. (If you have a printer). They also send you a cute little welcome package. (labels for printing). Additionally, they offer a postage scale "Free" you have to pay shipping and handling. Mine came to like, 9$. I sstill haven't bought it yet but I probably will before my trial is over. You can't beat a 10lb USB postage scale for 9$.
Okay, so here are my 'tricks'
Hit up your local dollar store. Mine sells bubble mailers for 50cents. (2 for a buck in a package)
buy some of those. Also,
buy some nice looking wrapping paper.
The wrapping paper is for re-using bubble mailers that were sent to you. I'm sort of OCD and I like things to look good, so I've taken to wrapping the bubble mailers in wrapping paper so the previous labels are 100% hidden.
Sometimes using stamps is a great way to economize on shipping and can be more convenient as you don't have to go to the post office. But please be sure to put ENOUGH stamps on the package.
If you go to USPS.com you can get 100 small flat rate boxes for free. Do it.
Once you get them, guess what you can do? Turn them inside out, wrap them up with your wrapping paper and mail them first class. If you are really short on funds and need to save pennies, this is a great way to do it. It costs the same to send a box as it does a bubble mailer. YOu might want to go to your local PO just once and weigh the box in comparison to the bubble mailer so you know how much each weighs, as this does affect shipping costs. The box might weigh a TINY bit more.
Another good tactic, if you are sending a SMALL package. (say no more than 5 3ml bottles) you can take a 6x9" bubble mailer and cut it in half. Then you have two. I've done this a couple times and they have always gotten to the recipient. Do not cut it into fourths. Did that once and the package got lost. Had to send more jice out.. so LEARN FROM MY FAIL.
I have taken to always covering my packages in boxing tape unless it's a regular flat rate box and I've paid the 5$.. those are sturdy. But otherwise, this helps prevent holes being poked into bubble mailers and secures your wrapped priority box so that it wont rip and give you away. Do not skimp on the boxing tape! It's cheap.
Always save bubble mailers and be sure to check to see if the stamps have been post marked - often they do not mark them because they are lazy. This has saved me a LOT on shipping costs.
In the end, these tips and tricks will save you a few bucks but please make sure to use them when appropriate. Make sure you know what you're doing, how much your package weighs, and that you have put enough money on it/packaged it in a way that it will not get lost or cause stress to those who receive it.
Yay I wrote a novel.
Oh yeah, and always put your forum username somewhere on the package.
