USPS First-Class Package Service no longer exists. USPS retired it in July 2023, together with Retail Ground and Parcel Select Ground, and replaced all three with USPS Ground Advantage. If a rate card, postage tool or old guide still shows First-Class Package, Ground Advantage is what you are actually buying, and for most ecommerce parcels under 16 oz it is the USPS service to price first.
What Happened to USPS First Class Package and the Other Retired Classes
The launch was announced on July 10, 2023, and the price change and Domestic Mail Manual revision behind it took effect on July 9, 2023. The old names still turn up in rate cards, postage tools and search results, so here is what each one maps to now:
- First-Class Package Service, the sub-16 oz parcel product: retired in July 2023, and those parcels now ship as USPS Ground Advantage.
- USPS Retail Ground: retired in the same launch and replaced by Ground Advantage.
- Parcel Select Ground: folded into Ground Advantage at the same time.
- Parcel Select Lightweight: eliminated effective January 21, 2024, and USPS says none of its handling, attributes or requirements survive.
- First-Class Mail: still exists, but only for postcards, letters up to 3.5 oz and large envelopes up to 13 oz, and USPS points package senders to Ground Advantage.
- Second-class mail: renamed Periodicals on July 1, 1996.
- Third-class mail: renamed Standard Mail (A) in 1996, shortened to Standard Mail in 2001, and called USPS Marketing Mail since 2017.
Ground Advantage delivers in 2-5 days, takes packages up to 70 lb, and includes USPS Tracking and $100 of insurance in the price. If you are deciding between Ground Advantage and Priority Mail for a given parcel, our Ground Advantage vs Priority Mail comparison works through the cost and speed tradeoff.
USPS Priority Mail
Priority Mail is the middle option. USPS lists delivery in 2-3 days, and the expected delivery date does not come with a money-back guarantee. Under USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, retail pricing starts at $11.00 for a 1 lb parcel in Zone 1 and commercial pricing at $9.04 for up to 0.5 lb in Zone 1. The price climbs with weight and with distance, which USPS measures in zones.
USPS supplies Priority Mail boxes and envelopes free, and the Flat Rate versions ship for one price up to 70 lb anywhere in the U.S., so a heavy parcel going several zones is worth pricing in a Flat Rate box before you default to Ground Advantage.
USPS Priority Mail Express
For orders that need a date, Priority Mail Express delivers in 1-3 days by 6 PM local time with a money-back guarantee, and most shipments include up to $100 of insurance. Next-day is not universal: the USPS Service Commitments tool shows when a package will arrive and whether the guarantee applies before you buy the label. Sunday and holiday delivery is available in many major markets for an additional fee. It costs well above the other USPS options, so save it for orders where a missed date costs more than the postage. Our Priority Mail vs Priority Mail Express comparison covers when the guarantee is worth the price difference.
USPS First Class Mail vs First Class Package: Which One Still Exists
First-Class Mail still exists, but it is a letter service. USPS scopes it to postcards, letters up to 3.5 oz and large envelopes up to 13 oz, delivered in 1-5 days, and sends package shippers to Ground Advantage. A 1 oz First-Class Mail letter costs $0.82 retail under Notice 123.
A sub-16 oz ecommerce parcel is not First-Class Mail. It ships as Ground Advantage, which prices packages up to 15.999 oz by the ounce, rounded up to the 4, 8, 12 or 15.999 oz break. Under the same Notice 123 prices, Ground Advantage retail starts at $7.90 for parcels up to 8 oz in Zone 1, and commercial pricing is one flat $6.93 band in Zone 1 for anything from 4 oz through 15.999 oz. If you are weighing First-Class Mail against Priority Mail for a specific piece, our First-Class vs Priority Mail guide covers that comparison.
Other USPS Shipping Classes
USPS Marketing Mail carries promotional material like catalogs and flyers at reduced rates, and Periodicals covers newspapers and magazines. Neither is a parcel service.
Package Services is no longer a Post Office counter option. With Parcel Select Ground and Parcel Select Lightweight gone, Parcel Select remains in Notice 123 only as a commercial product priced by destination entry (DDU, DHUB or DSCF). Media Mail is still available for eligible books, media and educational material, arrives in 2-8 days, and its retail price starts at $4.39 for the first pound.
Choosing the Right USPS Class Today
For most ecommerce parcels under 16 oz, Ground Advantage is the default. It is the service that replaced First-Class Package, tracking and insurance are already in the price, and it starts well below Priority Mail. Priority Mail earns its higher price when the order needs delivery in 2-3 days or a Flat Rate box makes the math work on a heavy parcel. Priority Mail Express is the one with the money-back guarantee, so reserve it for orders where a missed date costs more than the postage. Marketing Mail, Periodicals and Media Mail cover mailings and media, not everyday parcels.
If you would rather hand carrier selection to a 3PL, Simpl ships with UPS, USPS, and FedEx, and carrier selection is included in the per-order rate. See Simpl's pricing.
Sources
- USPS news release introducing Ground Advantage, July 2023
- Postal Bulletin 22626, the Domestic Mail Manual revision behind the launch
- PostalPro notice on the Parcel Select Lightweight elimination
- USPS Notice 123 price list, effective July 12, 2026
- USPS service pages for Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, First-Class Mail and Mail & Shipping Services
- USPS Historian pages on Periodicals postage and advertising mail
Updated October 2026.
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