• When you’re using the U.S. Postal Service for shipping, try to time your visits to avoid long lines. That means avoiding lunch hour and the last half hour or so before closing; avoiding Mondays; and avoiding peak shipping periods around major holidays, such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Early morning and mid-afternoon are typically low-volume times.
• If you didn’t insure your packageor if the carrier didn’t offer automatic insurancethen you have a situation. eBay protocol has it that the seller is responsible for any losses in shipment, so you might end up refunding the buyer’s money out of your own pocket.

• Don’t feel obligated to ship every single day of the week. Save up your shipments and go to the post office just one or two days a week.

• When you have a lot of packages to ship, don’t go to the post office by yourself. Take a helperand, if large shipments are common, invest in a small hand truck to help you cart all those boxes to the counter.

• If you’re a heavy shipper, consider setting up an account with a single shipper and arranging daily pickups from your home. Pickup service will cost you a little more but can be more than worth it in time savings. (Most carriers will also pick up single items if you arrange so in advancebut at a much higher fee.)

• You may need to factor weather conditions into which type of shipping you choose. If it’s summertime and you’re shipping something that might melt in extreme heat (like an old vinyl LP), pick the fastest shipping method possible.

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