Talk to me about shipping.

Put me in the camp of lower cost, longer (possibly) wait time.  Or as BadDad said, options are nice too.
Thanks for asking for input from us!

I've noticed that many times (95%) or so first class mail and priority mail have the EXACT same speed.  Many times someone I trade an item with will send their item to me priority and I always use first class.  We have always gotten our wares the same day.... I don't care how someone ships when I trade with them so let me be clear I'm not asking them to ship priority and then only shipping first class in return I've done about 10 trades this year and 10 for 10 same day both directions with priority vs first class.  And, first class includes 50.00 insurance and a tracking number as well.

Put me in the camp of lower cost, longer (possibly) wait time.  Or as BadDad said, options are nice too.
Thanks for asking for input from us!

Yes, It is very nice to see a merchant inquiring as to the desires of their potential customers. Makes feel better knowing there is a concentrated and conscious effort to satisfy customer desires, rather than just trying to make a dollar. KUDOS!

Excellent and intriguing answers thus far, thank you all!  

I am personally of the "i'd rather it be cheaper" mindset with my own purchases.  

There are factors that concern me like weather, as Hector mentions.  I am in South Carolina where it's 900 degrees, 11 months a year.  The heat is always a consideration.  

Sticker shock is my biggest concern.  I currently divide the US in half by the Mississippi river.  East is a flat rate of $6.25, west is $6.75 (Free shipping once you pass the $45 mark).  This covers the postage and my service and label fees.  I have tried my best to keep priority mail as low as it can be (I often lose a few cents, depending on where the customer is).  However, if you are ordering one soap only, your bottom line price jumps by 50%.   This bugs the crap out of me.

When I finalize orders and i'm at the screen where I can choose which shipping option,  a lot of the time, as Steeleshaves mentions, First Class has the same delivery time estimate as Priority.  Since I've been really paying attention to this, it's never been more than two additional days.  

Lots to ponder.  I'd love to hear more of your thoughts.

Paolo, you might consider adding the option for your website checkout. That way the customer can decide what is best for him or her.

Why not offer both options and let people choose at checkout. I know some artisans and merchants that offer that. However, I always choose the cheaper to keep the price down.

I'd rather wait a day or 2 longer to save a few bucks. if I see that shipping costs are high, I'll look elsewhere to see if I can find a better deal before pulling the trigger.

I don't mind waiting. Free shipping and low cost shipping are a big selling point for me.

I do agree about the shipping options..let the customer choose that way it's on them!

I offer either option at checkout. Since with some packages UPS is competitive I'm considering offering that. I shipped a package to a place in VA just recently and the person saved $.25 with USPS over UPS. (I had to check since I am perpetually curious.) If UPS has better service guess who I'd have chosen if offered the choice?

As someone already mentioned, the difference most times is either minimal or no difference at all for PM vs 1st class. I regularly ship Priority Mail packages that are over the 1st class weight limit. Lots of times it's quoted as being 3 days in transit. That's what 1st class is anywhere CONUS supposedly. I write CONUS only because I have very little experience with HA and AK. That package to VA above? That was a 3 day delivery with priority mail. I've had folks pay for PM service (and I delivered) only to have their package show up in over 2 weeks. A 1st class package at much the same shipping date to the same area arrived in the normal 3 day time beating the more expensive and supposedly faster way by well over a week.

Yeah postal prices are the pits, but it's universal for all shippers.

But I'm dangerously off topic and I dislike hijacking a thread.

Back to the poll. Sorry for rambling, but as shippers we don't like to overcharge customers or provide substandard service. But we aren't the shippers, we only pay it on the customers behalf and hope the shippers do their part.

Edit: I couldn't vote because my answer is "It depends". But I lean toward slow boat for most things. If I croak before it arrives it probably wouldn't have made a difference.

USPS Priority also includes $50 insurance (FWIW). I don't believe any is included with First Class.