Shipping can sometimes be a hassle to figure out. When first starting out you may find yourself either under charging or over charging for shipping.
The best way to determine how much it is to ship your item is to purchase a postal scale.
Postal scales can be purchased for fairly inexpensive through www.ebay.com, at your local shipping supply store or through http://stamps.com/welcome/ they offer $100 in shipping supplies to include $45 in postage. You will also receive a free scale which will weigh items up to 5 lbs.
You simply have to click the link in the upper right hand corner labeled “Heard about us on the radio: click here”. The code is “Savage”.
The only hitch is that the first month is free but after that you pay $10 a month, every month until you reach $45. However after the first free month you can downgrade to pay $8 a month so you will get $2 a month in shipping. This may be worth the extra bit of work to some people for the free scale and $2 of free shipping each month. One of the ladies in Homefront was able to do this through them and offer free shipping in her shop without cutting into any of her profits.

After purchasing a scale, weigh your item inside the packaging you would use to ship your product. This is what USPS will use to determine the pricing of your shipment. From there you can look at USPS shipping rates at http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?from=global&page=0061calculatepostage
Which includes pricing for domestic and international postage.
After calculating what shipping would cost you can add in the cost of insurance, tracking, your packing supplies and/or S/H to determine what to charge your customers.
Also, for some reason it seems to be less expensive to purchase your USPS shipping labels through PayPal. Through PayPal you simply pay for and print the postage. You can even set up pick up from your home so you don’t even have to make a trip to the post office.

Shipping to APO/FPO using USPS costs the same as shipping to anywhere else in the United States because it is a U.S. address. First class mail for anything weighing less than 14 ounces will take 7 to 21 days to deliver. Anything over a pound we recommend shipping Priority mail which will take anywhere from 4 - 7 days to deliver. If an item weighs more than a pound and you choose to ship Parcel post, it can take up to 6 weeks to arrive at APO/FPO’s.
All APO/FPO addresses required a customs form to be filled out. They only require your address, the buyers address and the contents of the package. Your local postal workers can assist in this process of getting the proper customs forms and filling them out.

Packing supplies can be purchased and found in many different places. You can purchase directly through USPS either online or at your post office. You can purchase supplies at discount packaging online stores like http://dpackaging.shoppkg.com/default.aspx where you purchase in bulk or you can re use packing supplies. With costs and being more aware of your affect on this planet a lot of people are choosing to re use packaging supplies. Saving bubble wrap and packing paper from online purchases and using them to ship your own products is always an option. Shipping envelopes can be used several times before they start to show wear. You can also use poly-mailers as “stuffers” in your packaging. If you stop by local merchants in your area and ask for any used packing peanuts and re-pack boxes most are willing to give you their items for free. We recommend never reusing packaging to ship food products as plastics can hold remnants of prior items that were in them.
Also you cannot get the free priority mail envelops and boxes and turn them inside out to use them for regular Parcel Post. This is not allowed. You can however reused old plain boxes, fed ex boxes etc and cover them with packing tape for re using.
You can also use newspaper for stuffing. If you choose this route we recommend you make sure your product is protected from the paper as the ink tends to rub off on the surfaces around them.
If you choose to reuse shipping products it’s always a good idea to mention that in your shop policies as some customers may not prefer that.

For those that want to donate items to troops over seas or through adopt a soldier you can get free shipping supplies from the USPS. They will deliver, straight to your door, a special kit with the most used items to ship to troops over seas. To order the special kit, call (800)610-8734 and request Care Kit 4. I have personally used these items to ship to my husband while he was deployed and it was very helpful. The USPS also offers great tips and resources on keeping in touch through mail with troops over seas. You can review all their information about addressing tips, mailing restrictions, packing tips etc through this link http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/welcome.htm

Figuring out the best way to package your item can sometimes be difficult.
Choose the right box. You want to choose a box that is strong enough to protect the contains and large enough to leave space for cushioning. If you choose a box that has been previously used you need to make sure it is in good shape with no weak spots or cracks. Thinner boxes like gift boxes etc are not strong enough for shipping and should be avoided.
Protect your product by cushioning it properly. Use old newspaper, bubble wrap, packaging peanuts etc to pack items tightly to avoid shifting and make sure the cushioning materials covers all sides of the object including the bottom.
If you are shipping more than one item make sure that each item is wrapped individually with cushioning around each one to help prevent movement.
Stuff hallow items with material to avoid damage from shock.
Glass and ceramics benefit from double boxing. Pack the item as previously stated then place that box in a larger box with more cushioning material in between the boxes to help absorb shock to protect your items.
For framed artwork make sure you remove the glass from the frame and wrap it separately.
After packing your product up, shake the box. If nothing moves around it’s ready for sealing.
For sealing only ever use packing tape. Make sure you do not put your shipping label over your seam of the packaging tape. This can sometimes cause your shipping label to wear and be unreadable.
To prevent ink from smudging you can place strips of clear packaging tape over the entire shipping label for protection.

Shipping overseas can sometimes be confusing for sellers. This USPS link will give you all the guidelines you need for the requirements of shipping overseas. http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/welcome.htm
You can also use the link provided earlier to determine the international shipping rate for the weight of your item and the destination it is headed to. You can get tracking and insurance on international items but depending on what type of mail you send it by will determine how much insurance your product may qualify for as some insurance is limited. First Class Mail International does not offer tracking or insurance. We recommend upgrading your shipping to ensure that your package gets their safely not only to satisfy your customer but to protect you, as the seller, in the long run as well.
Also if you want to offer free shipping your shop but do not want to offer it for anywhere but domestic shipping, make sure that you state that. Not only in your shop announcement but in each listing as this can be confusing for an international buyer.

Don’t forget to double check your shipping label before mailing. Make sure everything is spelled correctly and written legibly to ensure proper delivery without complications.