I think we've about beat this subject (and each other) to death. But, I'll add this and then quit.
Fred, if you went in to your local Wallyworld and bought a CD and asked the clerk to wrap it up and mail it to you, do you think they would charge anything extra? Businesses who do mail order have to either raise their prices or charge for handling. There wouldn't be much profit otherwise.
Ray
$13 to ship a 2-3lb package from California to Maine doesn't seem all that expensive to me. And my guess is, you probably don't live in the middle of the biggest town in the state. I ship small packages nearly ever day all over the south as well as almost all parts of the US from time to time. Most of my packages weigh from 4-6 lbs. If I ship a package that size to the west coast (from TN) it's usually cheaper to use FedEx than the USPS.
Think about it fellas. Like I tell my customers, you can't drive across town for what I can ship it to you for. At the price of gasoline and vehicle upkeep, postage and shipping is a helluvadeal.
Rick
It amazes me that there are this many cry babies on this site
I love competing, you guys love crying. At least you should do it in private. Man up.