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Shipping margins are essential to the profitability and sustainability of the eCommerce business. If you are not managing your transport rates in the maximum cheap and efficient manner, then you're leaving cash at the table. One innovative method to decrease the transport charges is with USPS flat rate shipping.

With flat-price shipping, the weight of a bundle no longer affects the fee of delivery. If you deliver heavy items, then this could save cash. On the turn side, flat-price delivery may be more significant and highly-priced if your package is lightweight.

What is USPS Flat Rate Service?

USPS Priority Flat rate service is an option of shipping provided by the United States Postal Service that gives 1-three day transport offerings for a single flat price. A flat-rate service is appealing to many shippers because it gets rid of your packages' weight and load problems so one can easily calculate transport costs. As long as your bundle weighs under 70 pounds, you can use USPS flat rate service for shipping your packages.

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What Does USPS Priority Mail Mean?

USPS Priority Mail is a convenient, cost-powerful approach for delivering priority mail packages in a well-timed manner. The method for shipping orders through Priority Mail is quite simple, making it an excellent alternative for small companies that don't have sources for delivering on their own.

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USPS priority mail makes use of the weight of your bundle and the distance it travels to determine how much is priority express mail you'll pay to ship the item to the desired destination.

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Flat Rate Service Vs. Priority Mail Service

An excellent rule is to deliver packages that are small but heavy in weight through flat-rate service and massive in size and light weighted boxes by priority mail service. However, there's more to recollect than just that. In addition to size and weight, you'll need to think about where the package deal goes.

The flat-rate service has a free flat rate box provided by USPS that you may order online or choose up at your nearby post office. Those packages commonly ship within 1-3 business days for a flat price—no matter how they're traveling—and encompass tracking statistics. Smaller flat rate boxes often price much less than larger ones, so you'll generally want to get the smallest alternative to suit your product(s).

When you operate USPS priority mail flat-charge delivery, it's simpler to predict delivery costs: you recognize precisely what you're getting without calculating delivery zones and measuring dimensions and weights. Online businesses have more flexibility and choice in the matter of packaging with priority mail. Instead of being required to apply USPS-branded packaging, you could use your very own designs on packages and envelopes.

Distance is also an important point to consider before choosing between priority mail and flat-rate service. You have to keep your destination in mind before selecting the service. Items traveling far distances will value more excellent with priority mail service. However, the cost of shipping is unchanged in case you're going to the flat charge service.

USPS has an area chart to calculate the space between the origin zip code and delivery spot zip code. There are a complete 9 USPS zones, with zones 1-eight on the continental us, Alaska, Hawaii, and US territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Zone 9 zip codes consist of US territories, commonwealths, and freely related states that can be primarily based in the Pacific Ocean, such as Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands locations. Region 1 includes zip codes that are nearest to the origin zip code. The larger the zone variety, the similarly the destination zip code is – so zone 9 zip codes have the most distance from the origin zip code.

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Conclusion

Flat rate shipping remains a popular shipping approach in eCommerce as it's very truthful – charge one rate no matter the shipment weight. But priority mail has its benefits; they both are different regarding cost and package size. You have to make an intelligent decision according to your item size whenever you pick between USPS flat-rate service and USPS priority mail service.

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Learn More: What do the USPS Tracking Statuses Mean?

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Calculating Your Package's Cubic Tier

For Boxes and Rigid Packages:

Measure the outer dimensions (length, width, height) in inches
Round each measurement down to the nearest quarter inch
Multiply length x width x height
Divide the result by 1728 (cubic inches in a cubic foot)
The result is your package's cubic feet measurement

Example: For a box measuring 12.3" x 9.5" x 3":

Round down to 12.25" x 9.5" x 3"
12.25 x 9.5 x 3 = 349.125
349.125 / 1728 = 0.202 cubic feet
This package falls into the 0.3 cubic feet pricing tier

Note: Maximum size for any single dimension is 18 inches

For Envelopes and Soft Packs:

Measure the length and width of the empty envelope
Round down to the nearest quarter inch
Add the length and width together
Use the total to determine the pricing tier:
- Tier 0.1: Up to 21"
- Tier 0.2: 21.01" to 27"
- Tier 0.3: 27.01" to 31"
- Tier 0.4: 31.01" to 34"
- Tier 0.5: 34.01" to 36"

Restrictions

Tubes and rolls are not eligible for Cubic pricing
Maximum combined length and girth is 84 inches

Benefits of Using Priority Mail Cubic

Cost savings: Cheaper than weight-based pricing for small, heavy items
Predictable pricing: Easy to calculate shipping costs based on box dimensions
Fast delivery: 1-3 business day delivery to any US address, including PO boxes
Free tracking: Monitor shipments at no extra cost
Included insurance: $100 of coverage with every shipment
No surcharges: Residential and fuel surcharges included in the price

Tips for Maximizing Savings

Optimize packaging: Use the smallest box possible that safely fits your items
Consider breaking up large orders: Sometimes shipping in multiple smaller boxes can be cheaper
Use cubic feet calculators: Online tools can help quickly determine your package's tier
Compare rates: Always compare Cubic rates with other shipping methods
Use Commercial Pricing: Accessing Commercial Pricing rates can lead to even more savings

2024 USPS Priority Mail Cubic Rates

Accessing Priority Mail Cubic Rates

Priority Mail Cubic isn't available at regular Post Office counters. However, many online shipping platforms and 3PL providers offer access to these rates. By partnering with a fulfillment provider, you can easily access these discounted rates and streamline your shipping process. For small-scale sellers not yet ready for a 3PL, Pirate Ship offers free access to USPS Priority Mail Cubic rates with no monthly fees or minimums.

USPS Priority Mail Vs USPS Flat Rate Service