Sometimes it pays to use the flat rate boxes. I have a quilting friend in Australia and last year for Christmas I was going to send her a small box of "things", the box was maybe 4" square, weighed less than a pound, was going to cost $27.00, didn't send it. I sent her something earlier this year, in a 8x11 envelope, gal at the P.O. said would be $6.00, but by the time she got through with the "paper work", it came to $18.00!!! I asked her what happened to the $6, said she didn't know.