When sending a $17 USD product international, what shipping option makes the most sense? (Cheapest) USPS 1st Class VS (Reliable) recog int'l carrier?

What is your site built in? Do not make business decisions based around a shipping widget!! They are easily replaceable - get a new one.

When shipping internationally you need to think about 3 things - tracking, shipping fees and duties.

A. No one wants COD charges at door. Have to figure out how to build them into cost

B. Never send USPS - its sucks internationally and takes double time they claim, especially to Canada. The lack of tracking on any package does neither you nor the customer any good

C. Flat fee including duties is always better no one will order a $17 dollar item if it cost $25 to ship! Need to look at how you can set minimum order size to make the math work for you and the logic work for buyers

Interest in your box subscriptions doesn't mean you should play there. Your margins are too small to pass that cost onto the customer - because they are potentially paying more for the shipping than they are for your subscription box. That's a special set of undies! I would suggest spending more time on setting up a local operation where you can really compete on localized and contextually relevant value creation throughout the supply chain... instead of thinking about how to scale your business outside of the U.S. when on the face of it, there are simply no economies of scale in play at that price point.

There are several things to consider here. You will need a customs invoice and possibly a declared shipment value form. Which shipper provides more information and accessibility to these forms? Also, which shipper has an easier claims process? *For example USPS requires the US shipper to complete the claim, but also requests photos of the damage. This means you might have to get the customer involved just to complete a damage claim.

If you would like to discuss other scenarios or possibilities to expand your shipping, please contact me.