The Cheapest Ways to Ship With USPS®
For most packages up to 70 lb, USPS Ground Advantage is the cheapest USPS service. Priority Mail Flat Rate takes over for heavy packages going a long way at retail prices, and Priority Mail Cubic is the low-cost option for small, dense packages at commercial prices. Media Mail applies only to books and other qualifying media. Every price on this page comes from USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026 (checked September 25, 2026). Prices are retail unless a table says commercial.
Quick answer by package
- Under 1 lb: Ground Advantage.
- 1 to 5 lb: Ground Advantage for nearby zones. For long zones, a Flat Rate Envelope or Small Flat Rate Box often costs less if the item fits.
- Heavy and going far: a Medium or Large Flat Rate Box at retail prices. At commercial prices, check Ground Advantage first, because it wins the 5 lb Zone 8 example below.
- Small and dense, 0.5 cubic foot or less, at commercial prices: Priority Mail Cubic.
- Books, printed music, recordings, and other qualifying media: Media Mail.
USPS Ground Advantage: the default for packages up to 70 lb
Ground Advantage replaced First-Class Package Service, USPS Retail Ground, and Parcel Select Ground when it launched in July 2023, so a rate sheet that still lists First-Class Package is describing Ground Advantage (USPS newsroom, checked September 25, 2026).
Packages up to 15.999 oz are priced in 4 oz, 8 oz, 12 oz, and 15.999 oz steps, and heavier packages are priced by the pound up to 70 lb (usps.com, checked September 25, 2026). Expected delivery is 2 to 5 days, and $100 of insurance is included (usps.com, checked September 25, 2026).
Ground Advantage prices below are from USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026 (checked September 25, 2026). Zones measure distance from the origin, so Zone 1 is the shortest band and Zone 8 the longest shown here.
Weight | Retail Zone 1 | Retail Zone 5 | Retail Zone 8 | Commercial Zone 1 | Commercial Zone 5 | Commercial Zone 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 oz | $7.90 | $8.60 | $9.45 | $6.93 | $7.69 | $8.40 |
8 oz | $7.90 | $8.60 | $9.45 | $6.93 | $7.69 | $8.40 |
12 oz | $9.55 | $10.95 | $12.90 | $6.93 | $7.69 | $8.40 |
1 lb | $9.55 | $10.95 | $12.90 | $7.61 | $8.74 | $10.67 |
5 lb | $12.95 | $17.45 | $26.05 | $9.70 | $13.48 | $19.19 |
10 lb | $15.95 | $22.85 | $39.45 | $11.91 | $16.76 | $25.34 |
Commercial prices charge one amount for anything from 4 oz to 15.999 oz, so a 15 oz commercial package to Zone 8 costs $8.40 while the same package at retail costs $12.90 (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026). Zone matters more as weight climbs: a 10 lb retail package costs $15.95 in Zone 1 and $39.45 in Zone 8 (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026).
Priority Mail Flat Rate: one price up to 70 lb
Flat Rate envelopes and boxes ship up to 70 lb to any state at one price as long as you use USPS Flat Rate packaging and the flaps close normally, and Priority Mail delivery is 2 to 3 days with no money-back guarantee (usps.com, checked September 25, 2026).
Flat Rate prices below are from USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026 (checked September 25, 2026).
Packaging | Retail | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
Flat Rate Envelope | $12.90 | $11.12 |
Small Flat Rate Box | $13.65 | $12.10 |
Medium Flat Rate Box | $24.80 | $21.17 |
Large Flat Rate Box | $34.00 | $31.00 |
Whether Flat Rate beats Ground Advantage depends on which price list you are on. At retail, a 5 lb package to Zone 8 costs $26.05 by Ground Advantage, so the $24.80 Medium Flat Rate Box is cheaper (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026). At commercial prices the same package costs $19.19 by Ground Advantage against $21.17 for the box, so Ground Advantage wins (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026). Send that 5 lb package to Zone 1 instead and Ground Advantage is cheaper on both lists, at $12.95 retail and $9.70 commercial (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026).
If you need a delivery guarantee, see Compare USPS Priority Mail to Priority Mail Express. For a fuller cost comparison, see USPS Ground Advantage vs Priority Mail.
Priority Mail Cubic: small, dense packages at commercial prices
Priority Mail Cubic is a commercial-only Priority Mail price for packages of 0.5 cubic foot or less, priced by the outer dimensions of your own packaging and the zone rather than by weight, and USPS named it the recommended alternative to Regional Rate Boxes A and B (Postal Bulletin 22613, checked September 25, 2026).
The smallest tier, 0.10 cubic foot, costs $9.06 in Zone 1 and $15.51 in Zone 8, and the largest, 0.50 cubic foot, costs $11.59 in Zone 1 and $30.56 in Zone 8 (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026). A 5 lb item packed in a 0.20 cubic foot box to Zone 8 costs $16.37 by Cubic, against $19.19 by commercial Ground Advantage and $21.17 in a Medium Flat Rate Box (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026). Ground Advantage has its own commercial cubic table for the same kind of package, starting at $7.45 for 0.10 cubic foot in Zone 1 (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026).
How the tiers work and how to get access: USPS Priority Mail Cubic: How It Works and When to Use It.
Regional Rate Boxes are discontinued
USPS discontinued Priority Mail Regional Rate Boxes A and B effective January 22, 2023 and ended their pricing, and leftover boxes are processed as ordinary weight-and-zone Priority Mail packages with no special price (Postal Bulletin 22613, checked September 25, 2026). Regional Rate Box C lost its own price earlier: as of January 17, 2016 it is charged the applicable Priority Mail price by weight and zone (Federal Register, 80 FR 65149, checked September 25, 2026). Do not build a rate card around Regional Rate Boxes. USPS Regional Rate Shipping covers what replaced them.
Media Mail: only for qualifying media
Media Mail costs $4.39 for a package up to 1 lb and $7.34 up to 5 lb, with no zone pricing (USPS Notice 123, effective July 12, 2026, checked September 25, 2026). Eligibility is limited to a fixed list, mainly books of at least eight printed pages, printed music, sound and video recordings, and computer-readable media, none of which may contain advertising (DMM 173.4.1, checked September 25, 2026). General merchandise does not qualify (DMM 173.4.1, checked September 25, 2026). USPS may open and inspect Media Mail packages, non-qualifying contents are charged higher postage, and expected delivery is 2 to 8 days (usps.com, checked September 25, 2026).
How to get commercial prices
USPS gives commercial prices to anyone who buys Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, or Ground Advantage postage online with Click-N-Ship, and businesses can opt in to the Business Rate Card for additional savings (usps.com, checked September 25, 2026).
Simpl ships orders through UPS, USPS, and FedEx, and carrier selection is included in the flat per-order rate with no carrier markup. See Simpl pricing.