Ken, I hear you on the USPS being the least expensive way to go. They tell you the package can be tracked and will charge you a small fee if you want this service. I did once and they still could not tell me if and when the package would arrive!
I use UPS to ship my plans and servos inside U.S. and I use USPS for outside of the U.S. I have never had a problem yet.
Thanks
Jeff Davis (HomeCNC)
http://www.homecnc.info
(Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)