Shipping, Packaging, and Handling Costs
a.k.a. The Mysterious World of the US Postal Service
The following list breaks down the costs of shipping.
Envelopes are 30 - 40 cents each.
"Handling" is $1 per order. Handling always seemed silly to me as a consumer, but now that I see Mom walking each package to the post office, or driving the big orders to UPS, I see the reason to charge for it. Sometimes we round off a little bit to get whole numbers.
Media mail in the U.S. = $2.77.
Priority mail to Hawaii or Alaska = $4.95 (includes envelope).
We ship to Canada with Priority Mail, $11.45 (includes envelope). For awhile, we thought we'd discovered something dubiously called "First Class International" that is cheaper; but it turns out, it only works for packages less than 3/4 inch thick. The book is just over so Mom's post office won't let her ship with this method.
International Priority Mail = $13.45 (includes envelope).
International priority is the same for almost anywhere in the world. We've also discovered that "First Class International" might be cheaper, depending on the country. However, it only saves about $1-2 dollars at most, and we have to take a package to the Post Office and ask the price, so we just use the Priority Rate unless someone asks. (Also, the Priority Mail takes 6 to 10 days, and the First Class mail "varies.") First Class can only be used up to 3 pounds (which is 2-3 books, depending on the box.) Over that, Priority Mail is the only option.
Here's an idea: save money on shipping by buying multiple books! We just sent 22 books to Spain, in packages of 8 and 7 to avoid import taxes. Our Spanish customer posted about the book on his bread listserve, and 21 people responded. They made arrangements to distribute the books when they arrived. The package of 8 cost about $52; then we discovered a "flat rate" box option and fit 8 books in for $43.45, just over $5 a book. Let us know if you are interested, and we can find rates for your country.