5 Ways to Find Hidden Savings on Shipping From creative strategies for returns to warehouse locations, you can find new ways to reduce shipping expenses.

If you're like most small-business owners, you've already compared rates on package delivery and you're shipping goods in the smallest possible boxes. What more can you do to save money on shipping?

Plenty. Here are five tips on how to make a good shipping program even more efficient and save money:

1. Take control of returns. Many small-business owners leave returns in customers' hands, says FedEx vice president of marketing Scott Harkins. Often, small retailers or e-commerce businesses simply provide a return address and advise customers to ship the goods back via whatever method they prefer at their own expense. Owners may think they're saving money with this approach, but often they're not, Harkins says.