I have a small item that I'm wanting to ship internationally. It's a Grody Shogun Monster Nug. The person I'm trading with wants me to ship Priority because some First Class packages have gone missing, and I'm definitely down with it. I'd like to find the most affordable way to ship though.

I looked up rates online, and the conclusion that I've come up with is to package the Nug in lots of bubble wrap inside a small box, and then putting the small box inside a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate padded envelope. My question to you guys is this: Will the USPS let you put a box inside a flat rate padded envelope? Has anyone shipped like this before?

yeah, as long as you can fit it into the envelope, you're good.

I think you might find it a hair cheaper to ship priority mail without a flat rate?

That's fine James, you can just send it my way via cheap snail mail.

shipping "fight figures" padded in an envelope works great to keep shipping cost low. did it a lot of times.

Use the smallest box you can fit it in and ship USPS Intl Priority. Vinyl is not likely to break. That's the cheapest way usually.

One word of caution that I would offer people in general. Whenever shipping something, not just limited to international, try and consider also possible weather/other extraneous factors. I am not knocking civil servants, but let's be honest, sometimes packages are handled with less than care, and can often tossed around, sit out somewhere, be put in a snowbank, etc. I always try and seal all of the seams for parcel I am mailing, to limit as much moisture as I can from seeping in (cardboard is limited in itself).

For certain rare occasions, and the above post is why I am bringing this all, vinyl can be sensitive to breaking, for example in extremes of cold. There is not a whole heck of lot you can do to protect it [nor can you control the climate], but I am just offering this word of advice to anyone that might be buying or selling an expensive toy to Canada in the middle of February (as an example). I have had breakage occur. Just be aware, and, as with all things, try and exercise good judgement.