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Also check USPS flat rate boxes. If it fits, it ships. Sometimes that is the cheapest alternative. Also, if you pay for postage (flat rate not included) for USPS online you get a discount. Just print the label and tape it to the box.
The flat rate boxes really only make sense for heavy packages, because the boxes aren't as cheap as you'd think. There's a definite weight at which Priority flat rate becomes cheaper over even Parcel Post but I've never bothered to find out what that weight is. The Priority Flat Rate box, for example, can easily out-cost a regular unmarked box being sent via Priority Mail, which has a $4.60 minimum (regardless of weight - applicable to extremely light-weight items). Also, unless time is of the essence, FedEx Ground (or UPS Ground) can be cheaper than either USPS Parcel Post or USPS with a flat-rate box - especially if you're sending to a business address (FedEx & UPS both upcharge for shipping to residential addresses). In fact, if you're shipping to a business address, there's usually no reason to use USPS unless you're shipping something very light-weight, like CDs, cables, or small headphones (where USPS First Class Mail comes in handy, and Priority for the overweight items). For shipping to residential addresses, it usually makes sense to get a quote at both USPS and FedEx/UPS to find out which is cheaper. From my own personal experience, I usually ship anything sized over a "compact box" via FedEx because it's usually been cheaper (and usually worth it for the included tracking). And don't even bother with USPS Parcel Post for shipping large/heavy items like massive headphone amps or DACs - I did that when I first started selling stuff and found out the hard way that it was significantly more expensive than FedEx Ground. Parcel Post always takes a long time and isn't trackable either which doesn't make it worth it at all.
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Extremely frustrated with eBay. My buyer paid this morning, and I prepared to print the label. But it turns out my buyer is in Hawaii, even though I set my Exclusions list to the lower 48. Isn't eBay supposed to filter people who are not in CONUS out of viewing my listing?
Anyways, I promised free 5 day shipping from UPS in my listing because it would only be $25 for shipping to the lower 48, which I could manage. However, 5 day shipping to Hawaii with UPS is an insane $120. USPS Parcel post would be $23, but it would take 10 days, which goes against my 5 day promise. FedEx is out of the equation because of their $95 ground shipping to Hawaii, so my only choice I suppose is to choose $45 USPS expedited, which is 3 days. I guess I just have to swallow the expedited costs and make the buyer happy when he gets his item faster.
If you specifically stated you'd ship to only the lower 48 in your eBay listing, you have no obligation to ship the item at all. Just issue a refund and send the would-have-been buyer a note explaining why.