Based on my experience, you've got those positions reversed. For the things I tend to ship, UPS charges twice as much as US Postal Service, takes twice as long as USPS, and then - if it's a really important item, that you packed the heck out of, just to be sure it arrived ok - UPS delivers it crushed, looking like they drove a fork lift over it. Plus, UPS people don't even know their own rules; I've had to get corporate on my phone, to talk to the local UPS guy, to explain to him, "Yes, we can ship that." Obviously, FWIW, YMMV, etc. (but you literally couldn't pay me to use UPS ;^)...
Totally agree. Last two packages I received that were shipped UPS had big holes in them. One item which cost $100, the hole in the box was so big it could have fallen out. They made no attempt to bag it or tape it back up. They used to be so good in the old days. Wonder what happened to them?
You can web search organizations that give 40% discounts like NCOA.