Even though the some of the
shipping threads are older, the answers are still good

This one is very recent and goes through a lot of the basics:
how does shipping work?  | Quote: |  | | | | | | | | | |
What is the best USPS shipping method? | |  | |  | |
Best how?
USPS First Class is the least expensive for 1 t-shirt.
Priority Mail is a bit faster but costs almost double.
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How often do you go to the Post Office? By order quantity or every n days? | |  | |  | |
I would suggest shipping as often as possible. If you get an order today, try to ship it today. I read a study once that the speed of shipping is a high factor in customer satisfaction with an online order.
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Is the self-pay kiosk/scale the best way to go? | |  | |  | |
It's good for some people, not necessary for others.
You can try out different methods and see which best works for your business flow.
I like to use endicia to print the shipping labels and pre-pay for the postage and then hand the package to the mail carrier (or schedule a free pickup)
Some people prefer to collect payments via PayPal and use the PayPal shipping center to print out packing slips and shipping labels.
Others prefer to just print out the labels (or hand write them on the package) and take them to the post office to pay for the postage and drop them off.
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Can UPS or FedEx compete? | |  | |  | |
Not really on price for 1-2 shirt orders.