Yow, if you have to mail anything this holiday season I've found you a great Web site. It takes your to and from destination zip codes and gives you a table of shipping prices across several different carriers. It's called ShipGooder and it's available at http://shipgooder.com/ .

It's very simple. You enter the zip code of where the package is coming from, and the zip code the package is going to (there are lookups for Canadian and US zip codes if you don't have them.) You also enter the weight of the package. ShipGooder gives you -- very quickly, I might add -- a list of prices for sending your package via USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL.

Say I want to send a 5-pound package from Raleigh to Beverly Hills. ShipGooder informs me that FedEx is both the most expensive ( $ 87.38 for FedEx First Overnight) and the least expensive ($ 7.34 for FedEx Home Delivery). Other options are listed in order of expense. You can also sort the results by carrier.

ShipGooder doesn't list all shipping methods -- USPS Media Mail, for example, is not listed. And of course if you or your company have a special account with a carrier like FedEx or UPS, you might be able to beat these prices. But if you're just trying to get a fruitcake to Aunt Ethel in Boise, this site is handy!