What about international shipping? I have some swap blocks to Europe.

Go to Office Depot, or Staple, to mail packages. They offer all options - USPS, Fed Ex, and UPS so you can compare all three in one trip.

You don't need a space bag! I take a big black garbage bag and my vacuum hose and suck the air out then tie it with a sip tie,it works great. I sent my son a queen size quilt this way.He said it arrived fine but had a little air.he took it out and as soon as he took it out of the box and opened it up it really grew. So much cheaper than space bags.

If you buy postage online is usually less than buying at the PO. Sometimes it can be several dollars less.

I work for a company (In Canada) that regularly ships boxes weighing just over 5 pounds. Within Canada it is most economical to use Canada Post.

But if I am shipping 40 pounds, it is more economical to ship via a regional courier, not one of the big national/international ones.

OP you said you do not have a Greyhound office close by, do you have another bus line that services your area? For one of our customers who lives in a fairly remote community, serviced by a local bus line, I can still send via Greyhound. There is an agreement between the bus lines to carry each other's parcels.

Sometimes you need to think outside the box, no pun intended. Who is making deliveries to the places you need to send things?

I work in an industrial area, several of the truckers make trips to Vancouver a couple times a week. They have been known to bring back passengers once in a while.

The company I work for has delivery trucks for our own products. The odd time the drivers carry something extra. It is not an every day occurrence and is dependent on there being room on the truck.

Many companies have internal mail services, sometimes you can piggy back on that too. Once again my company will use the credit unions internal mail service instead of us paying the cost of shipping to another credit union location.

I see a lot of responses about using Priority Mail boxes from the Post Office. Make sure they are also PRIORITY FLAT RATE boxes, that way you will know how much it will cost and can give you a basis to compare prices. Also ground rate would be about the same as 3rd class mail, so check those prices if you do not have to hurry. It does pay to invest in a scale when comparing prices.

You can also use a garbage bag-if it's thin use 2. Way cheaper and for me it was easier to seal then the zip. I taped the bag opening to the vac hose and I made a loop with string and once the air was out I twisted the bag and tightened the loop. I used this method when I was moving cross country for all my fabrics - quilts- linens and clothing. I saved a lot of space in the rental truck

Some of the mailing services add a LOT to the actual shipping charge.

A friend of mine used one of those services, and it cost her a lot more than if she had gone to the post office and used USPS flat rate priority mail.

I have had a shipping business for almost 30 years. I rarely send anything of any size or value thru the post office. It is not that they don't deliver, it is that if there is a problem, it can take you 6 months (if at all) to get a resolution. The reason most people find UPS and FedX ground more expensive is that they go to a chain store that increases the actual charge - this is perfectly ok, this is how they stay in business. The old Mail Boxes Etc doubled their shipping cost. You need to make your package as small as possible (it does go dimensional vs. actual weight). Included in cost is $100 insurance, a tracking # and a set delivery day. Either go online and create a label or go to a smaller independent shipping store. If you have an online purchased label, you can drop your box off at ANY place that does UPS - no fee.
Also, you can use (or reuse) any box to ship UPS or Fed x, as long as it has a legible label. I often ship customers packages in priority mail boxes. I also like to put a plastic bag in the bottom of the box to act as a moisture barrier and a note in the top with the to/from address. I can send a 10 lb, 12" cube box from coast to coast with $100 insurance, a tracking number and let the recipient know the guaranteed delivery date for $20. And know that if there is a problem, I can locate the package or submit a claim with resolution within days. UPS and Fed X can not ship to a P.O. Box (post office won't sign for it) but they can send to a RR#. Hope this helps.

unfortunately, there is no longer any inexpensive way to ship to Europe. Just keep your parcel as small an light as possible. At least Europe is less expensive than sending throughout the Pacific Rim.