I've often found I've been surprised by how much it costs to send something through the mail here and since then I've tended to opt for smaller and lighter gifts where possible if mailing them is the only option. I tend to look around at the prices for sending bigger things by courier as opposed to sending it through the regular mail too to see if I can save money on it but if it costs too much to send I'll usually end up opting for a smaller or lighter instead of sending the item I originally planned to get.
I have sold a few items on Ebay and was really shocked at the cost of mailing an item. I have mailed an item needing a signature it cost a fortune and the person claimed they did not get it, no refund on my money.
I do check the cost of postage before mailing it off. I have several packages that I want to send but I figure the cost of postage would cover one way in gas and I can visit my grand babies too. @Pat. The cheapest method I found are the shipping boxes that have a fixed price.that USPS provides for free but sometimes they don't accommodate what needs to be shipped.
I honestly think I do this without even thinking. Since I have online shops, I'm pretty conscious about shipping costs, and since most of my family and loved ones live quite a ways away from me, that's always in the back of my mind. I have actually started to tailor what I sell to lighter products for the same reason. Shipping costs can be very high, and since many consumers are looking for free shipping these days. I can recall one year back when money wasn't an issue, when I paid almost $100 to ship an extra large overweight box of Christmas presents to my family. There's no way I could do that these days, nor would I.
I will always take a look at how much things cost to post before I buy them, because if it costs more than the gift then there is little point in buying the gift in the first place. I will always make sure that I can afford to post the gifts as well as buy the actual gift themselves. If possible, I will go to see the person who I am buying the gift for, but I am aware that this isn't always a possibility.
I try to keep a general idea of size, shape, and weight in my mind, so I'm not stunned when it comes time to ship something. I'm not perfect about it, but it's something I do think about. I've tried to learn to do more shopping online for things that need to be shipped, so I can apply the (usually free) shipping to sending the item to its actual destination. It makes more sense to just send a gift directly to my relative's home than it does to have it sent to me only for me to turn around and pay to have it shipped (I save time this way too). That's the plan anyway. It doesn't always work out if I come across something just adorable and pick it up while I'm out.
It makes sense to check the postage cost for sending goods before you purchase because you may be surprised to see the cost when it comes to checkout time.You will have to know the cost before to ensure you will not be over budget and a that you do not have a difficulty finding the cost to mail after you have purchased the item.
Always. Sent a guitar once and it was $45 more than I was expecting, after that I am very diligent before I send off anything. It's a drag to lose that much extra outta nowhere.
I don't know how to check ahead of going to the post office in order to send the item off. I have only ever been able to find out how much any one item is going to cost to send once I am at the post office, telling them that I would like to send an item off. They weight it and all of that, which has an impact upon how much it costs to send. If the price is too much though, I don't send the item.
This is the reason why I often prefer to buy someone a gift card. Makes gift giving less expensive. Thing though is as I live near the people who I'll buy gifts and the ones who don't often stay visit at Christmas time, all I have to do is buy the gifts and keep them until they come. If they don't I can unwrap the gift and give it to someone who lives closer.
It's not easy, but it's always best to keep in mind if shipping items like gifts about shipping costs for it can add up quickly. Sending gifts are so nice but those shipping costs really adds up. I do try to get gifts that can ship easily and isn't too much cost.
The most that I have spent for a local courier is around $6, while for international ones I think around £6, and I don't plan to spend more than that, because I think any shipping cost that's more than that is a waste of money already.
This reminds me of a niece working in Dubai, UAE. When I greeted her for her upcoming birthday, she teased me about my gift to her. I had planned to send her something like a t-shirt or lingerie. But when I inquired on the cost of sending via courier, I was stunned to know that the minimum is $100 for a weight of 200 grams. And considering that the gift was only worth a fraction of that amount, it would be impractical to push through with the sending.
