Giveaway shipping is getting expensive.... (Patreon)

Every month I do a giveaway of FPV gear here on Patreon. My policy has been to 100% cover shipping since I think that makes the giveaway more special. With USPS, shipping in the U.S. is almost always under $20, and international shipping is typically between $25 and $50, with occasional excursions as high as $70. 

Here's the problem: USPS is, at the moment, completely unreliable for international shipping. And they don't even ship to all countries. The alternative is UPS, FedEx, or DHL, but they are running at least 2x to as much as 5x the price to deliver the same package. So instead of paying between $100 and $300 to ship prizes every month, I would be looking at $400 to $800.

I'm not sure what the best way to handle this is. 

Basically, I probably am not going to be able to keep paying full price shipping to send prizes, so I have to make some decision about this. Instead of making the wrong decision and then pissing some people off and having to walk it back, I want to get your input on this now, before I decide what I'm going to do. 

I am really opposed to asking the winner to pay shipping, especially because $150 in shipping might be less than the value of the prize. 

I could just buy or give away gift cards. But I love the idea of giving away odds and ends from the channel. This is an easy way to give you value without costing me the price of prizes. And to be honest, it is a valuable way for me to clear out piles of stuff that I might not ever use again. And some people like the idea that they're getting some "behind the scenes" stuff.

One idea that I had was, instead of giving away four prizes each month, combine all prizes into one super-prize. At least then I only have to pay expensive shipping for one package.

Some people might suggest asking international winners to chip in for shipping, but I hate the idea that some people might be treated differently just because of where they live. 

I dunno. Please let me know what you think.