I am mailing stuff around the world all the time. (I have a large set of extended family, in-laws and friends) and the one thing that I know is that no one can pack an item for cheaper then I can. Do I package everything myself, no. I let UPS pack for me what is breakable, heavy or oddly shaped. You could have bought packing materials, bought the box, and packed it yourself while you were there, that would have saved you the $17.
Since you sent a saddle, $17 doesn't sound like a lot to me.