There are many ways to ship items overseas, but not all of them are economical. For eBay sellers who sell low-cost items, many times the shipping charges could be double the cost of the product you are shipping. Fortunately, the U.S. Postal Service's First Class Mail International is an inexpensive yet reliable way to send items to destinations on other continents.

Postage starts at $1.23 for a packages, and the savings only get better from there. For example, let's say you want to mail a 3-pound package to Germany. If you send it through First Class Mail International, it only will cost you $24.52. If you sent that same package through regular Priority Mail International, you'd pay $33, or 25 percent more.

USPS offers additional services, such as insurance and Registered Mail, that can be added to your package to help guarantee delivery on First Class Mail International. You will need to fill out a customs form for any packages sent overseas.

The downside to First Class Mail International is that it doesn't offer Delivery Confirmation or any guaranteed delivery time – packages could get there in as many as 21 days. That means it might be cheaper for you as a seller to mail out a new product rather than file a claim. However, if you don't send expensive products and want to keep shipping costs low, First Class Mail International is a great option for you to save money.

First Class Mail International isn't available through the free shipping services, which require shippers to upgrade to Priority Mail International. Stamps.com recently started a free program for eBay sellers for a limited time that won't charge you for anything but postage. The Stamps.com software, is easy to use and lets you send items through First Class Mail International. Through the software’s integration with eBay, all of your eBay order data can be imported into Stamps.com with a few clicks and shipping labels can be printed one at a time or batch printed. Stamps.com alsogives you a 10 percent discount on package insurance and allows you to purchase insurance up to $2,500. You can learn more about the program at www.stamps.com/ebayfree2.