Unless you are shipping perishable items, live animals or other things that needs to be delivered ASAP, you can save a lot of money by avoiding having to send them via 2-day or next day air. If a package needs to arrive by a specific date, ship it in advance so you don't have to pay that extra rate. A good option is sending it Priority Mail through USPS. It's not as expensive as next day but packages can arrive within 2 to 3 business days depending on how far the destination.

You can save on postage by printing them online. The USPS website allows you to print postage and labels online at a discount. It may not be that much but when you are shipping a lot of stuff at once, every bit counts.

Re-use and recycle packaging materials. Don't throw your boxes away. Save the ones from the packages you receive and you can re-use them when you need to ship something. Just make sure that the boxes you are reusing are still in good shape. Also remove or cover the previous labels before reusing the boxes. The same goes for bubble wrap and packing peanuts.

Instead of shipping multiple packages to the same address, like when sending out Holiday gifts, you can save money by shipping them in one huge box. There is a minimum fee for every package you send and most often than not, it is cheaper to send one huge box than several individual packages.

Compare shipping rates. If you want to get the best price for shipping your packages, take time to look for a courier service that offers the cheapest rates.

Use media mail when shipping books, CDs or DVDs. This service is offered by USPS and is relatively cheap. However, this is not ideal if you want the package to arrive immediately as this option takes some time. But if time is not an issue and you just want cheap shipping, this is a great way to go.

Have your packages picked up. This service is usually free of charge and all you have to do is leave the package by your door and just arrange for them to come pick it up when they are in the neighborhood. This will save you gas money as well as time spent falling in line at the post office.

Use a courier service. If you need something delivered the same day and don't have the time to do so, you can call a local courier service like AQuickDelivery to pick-up and deliver the package for you. Alternatively, same day is also available using a National Courier Service like 1-800Courier

These tips, a bit of creativity and a lot of common sense can help you save a lot on shipping costs.