Shipping Jewelry and Accessories: A Complete Guide on the Cheapest Way to Send Jewelry

Are you an online seller with jewelry to ship? Maybe you craft hand-made trinkets on Etsy, or you’re a Paparazzi or Mary Kay representative. Whatever the case, more online businesses are selling artisan jewelry now than ever before…and if you want to save money to add to your bottom line, you’ve come to the right place. This guide is all about the cheapest way to ship jewelry and accessories, and why protecting these kinds of items with insurance is so important.

Table of Contents

• USPS is the Best Carrier for Shipping Jewelry
• First Class Package is the Cheapest Option for Shipments Under 16 Ounces
• Use Free Online Shipping Software to Save the Most Money When Shipping Jewelry and Accessories
• Protect Your Jewelry Packages with Extra Insurance

USPS is the Best Carrier for Shipping Jewelry

Far and away, the best shipping carrier to use for your jewelry shipments is USPS. USPS offers the best mix of affordable rates and quick delivery, and for lightweight items like jewelry and accessories, you’ll never find better rates with any other carrier.

First Class Package is the Cheapest Option for Shipments Under 16 Ounces

Of all the services that USPS offers, the cheapest option for jewelry shipments will be USPS First Class Package Service. First Class Package rates are based on how much the package weighs and how far it needs to travel. Typically, shipments range anywhere from $3 to $5 depending on how far away you’re sending it. Delivery occurs between 1-3 business days (although, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, delivery can take up to 3-4 business days).

When shipping First Class Package, keep in mind that you have to provide your own packaging. These poly mailers from Amazon or these corrugated boxes from ULINE may be good places to start.

For Over 16 Ounces, Use the Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope or the Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box

If your shipment weighs in at over 16 ounces, then the next cheapest option will be either the Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope, or the Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box. The Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box is slightly more expensive than the Flat Rate Envelope, but it’s a solid cardboard box that provides more protection. The envelope provides little to no protection, since it’s basically just cardboard paper…and this is a problem for fragile items like jewelry.

With both of these options, you can load up either one with as much jewelry as you like, and the price won’t change! That’s why they call it “flat” rate.

Use Free Online Shipping Software to Save the Most Money When Shipping Jewelry and Accessories

As is the case when shipping any item, buying labels with free online shipping software is the trick to saving the most money. The best shipping software options sell labels at the deepest level of discounts that USPS offers, known as Commercial Pricing rates. USPS typically reserves this level of discounts for huge shippers sending out more than 50,000 packages per year, but when you use shipping software to buy labels, you can access these rates for free. In some cases of First Class Package, you’ll even save up to 59% off of what you’d pay at the Post Office. Think of all the money you’ll pocket with those discounts—talk about bling, bling!

Saving money isn’t the only reason to use shipping software. The best part about buying labels with online shipping software is that you can print your labels from the comfort of your own home, and you can even schedule free pickups done by your letter carrier. That means you can run your business totally contactless. If you don’t want to, you won’t ever have to go to the Post Office and wait in those lines again!

Looking for some shipping software recommendations? Check out our Reviews page to see which one is right for you.

Protect Your Jewelry Packages with Extra Insurance

One thing to remember about First Class Package is that it doesn’t include. Jewelry tends to be on the more fragile (and oftentimes expensive) side. So, we always suggest purchasing shipping insurance to protect yourself in case anything gets broken or lost during transit.

All Priority Mail services come with up to $100 of insurance when you buy labels through shipping software. However, $100 typically won’t cover the full worth of jewelry and accessories. This is especially true if you’re shipping items containing white gold, pearls, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, or other precious metals. So, if you’re using shipping software (which you should be), we suggest spending an extra few bucks on insurance to get the full value of your items covered. Buying insurance is the best way to avoid any headaches as you run your business, because lost and damaged shipments tend to happen sometimes…trust us.