text: what is the cheapest way to ship about 8 boxes cross country weighing about 200 lbs total? no time limit.  ups is quite expensive.  any other carrier? i've done this before, and have found ups to be the best option. unlike the usps, ups actually tracks your packages- the result is that if the usps loses a package all they can tell you is "better luck next time" while ups can see where the package was before it was lost and usually the package is located.  you can also ship packages using bus lines like greyhound, this can be pretty economical but not as convenient.  all you need to do is get your boxes to the bus station and then pick them up at the station of their destination.  this is a good solution if you aren't shipping anything really valuable or fragile, and you don't mind if the boxes take an extra week to get to you. call greyhound (or another bus company) if you are interested.