The United States Postal Service (USPS) processes over 400,000 pieces of mail per day, making it one of the most used and trusted mail delivery services in the world. It’s also one of the world’s oldest postal services; USPS was signed as part of the Postal Services Act by President George Washington in 1972. Wow, what a history. Now, it has grown to encompass more than 190 countries, including delivery to Canada and Mexico.
USPS has hired specific delivery carriers to reach almost every residential and business address daily in the United States, it is often and almost always the cheapest option for sending mail within the country and throughout North America.
For small businesses shipping packages less than 2 pounds, it offers the lowest shipping rates, making it the most economical decision for companies who ship small items to customers.
With flat rates and pick-up services available among their services, USPS is a strong choice when wanting to save money or working with a smaller budget.
However, when it comes to speedy delivery services, such as same-day or next-day delivery, choosing to ship with private shipping companies such as FedEx or UPS will likely get your packages to their destinations the quickest.
If you’re sending envelope mail, USPS offers the best rates with stamps starting at $0.55 each.
For packages and parcels, USPS offers various domestic shipping rates, listed here starting at the fastest delivery options (something that’s become increasingly more important for small eCommerce businesses in the US).
Priority Mail Express starts at $26.35 for Post Office shipments and $22.75 for Commercial Base shipments. These packages have a money-back guarantee to be delivered within one-two business days. The Priority Mail Express Flat Rate allows you to ship parcels up to 70 pounds anywhere within the United States starting at $26.35 using the Click-N-Ship service. Priority Mail Express also comes with free mail pickup at your home or office, which is a huge benefit for businesses sending multiple shipments per day.
Priority Mail starts at $7.70 for Post Office shipments and $22.75 for both Commercial Base and Commercial Plus deliveries. Priority Mail delivers within 1 to 3 business days, depending on the recipient’s location. Tracking numbers are automatically included with every shipment. Use the Click-N-Ship service to have packages picked up for free at your home or business and use the Priority Mail Flat Rate services which allow for parcels of up to 70 pounds to be shipped anywhere in the USA for the same price – starting at only $7.70.
Make use of Priority Mail Flat Rate Forever service, which offers the same benefits as the flat-rate plan but includes prepaid prices that last forever (as long as you save the boxes you purchased).
This service starts at $3.01 for Commercial shipments and $4.00 for Retail shipments. Shipments are delivered in 1-3 days and come with a free pickup if using the Click-N-Ship service.
Shipments using First-Class shipping are usually considered less urgent in nature.
This service delivers anywhere from 2-8 days after pick-up. Prices start at $7.70 and ship from the Post Office.
These deliveries take the longest but are the least expensive. If you’re a small business sending relatively large amounts of less urgent or oversized shipments, this is likely the best option to choose.
USPS provides international shipping to many countries across the globe, offering fast and cost-effective prices for small businesses to reach all their customers. Starting from the fastest options, here are the international shipping options available to USPS customers.
Global Express Guaranteed starts at $67.80 for Post Office shipments and $64.41 for Commercial Base and Plus shipments. These shipments come with a delivery guarantee within 1-3 business days to 190 countries. Transportation and delivery are completed by FedEx.
Priority Mail Express International service starts at $45.95 for Post Office and $42.85 for both Commercial shipments. Shipments are delivered within 3-5 business days. Choose the flat rate option to send parcels up to 4 pounds anywhere in the world for the same price, starting at $45.95.
Priority Mail International shipping cost starts at $37.60 for Post Office and $35.72 for both Commercial shipments. These parcels are delivered in 6-10 days. The flat-rate option starts at $28.50.
Read more about USPS international shipping options and costs.
By printing your label with USPS Click-N-Ship, all applicable customs forms are included automatically. Or, you can have one printed on the website here. According to USPS, An envelope or package must be large enough to completely contain the GXG® Air Waybill (shipping label), postage, customs form, and any applicable markings.
Also, When shipping GXG, a Commercial Invoice PS – Form 6182 is required for business customers along with a customs form and a GXG® Air Waybill.
USPS offers affordable services so businesses can expand their network and compete in ever-growing global markets. Here are some tools and resources offered to business customers:
For shipments sent via Priority and Priority Express, packages can be delivered on Saturdays for an extra fee, otherwise guaranteed shipping only pertains to business days.
If picking up deliveries from a post office or other retail location, hours are set by that particular location, so pick up on weekends may be available.
Click-N-Ship is a service offered to USPS customers that allows them to print single or multiple shipping labels using printer paper. These Priority shipping labels are pre-paid and provide a fast and easy way to ship packages without needing to pay for separate shipping or drop off deliveries at the nearest post office. Instead, pick up of packages is free.
Manage all your orders & shipping from within your Shopify dashboard without switching to or logging in to any other website.
Seamlessly generate and print USPS shipping labels directly from the Shopify dashboard for more convenience.
Send live order tracking updates to Shopify customers via email as soon as the tracking status is updated by the shipping carrier.
USPS shipping on Shopify is simple with the Shopify Multi-Carrier Shipping Label App from PluginHive. With the low-cost app, your business saves the cost of an expensive web developer. Customers gain access to shipping rates from multiple couriers at the time of checkout so they can choose the best option that suits their budget and timeline. From there, tracking is a breeze because customers get notifications by email and can check up on the status of their orders right from your website.
And, as a business, you can generate and print shipping labels in one click, schedule pickups, and ship multiple orders at once from your platform. To top it off, invoices can be paid directly to USPS and any other carriers you offer from your website as well.
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Manage all your orders & shipping from within your WooCommerce dashboard without switching to or logging in to any other website.
Seamlessly generate and print USPS shipping labels directly from the WooCommerce dashboard for more convenience.
Send live order tracking updates to customers via email as soon as the tracking status is updated by the shipping carrier.
The WooCommerce Shipping Services plugin from PluginHive is available to use and provide USPS services to your customers. Like the app for Shopify, you pay a low amount and receive multiple rates at checkout, live tracking, and automated shipping label printing. Another feature (also available to other platforms) is the ability to offer multiple carriers like UPS, FedEx, and more. Maximizing USPS on WooCommerce is simple, instant, and streamlines the entire shipping process. You’ll see an increase in customer satisfaction and retention by integrating PluginHive into your eCommerce website.
Is your eCommerce business hosted by another platform such as Magento or BigCommerce? PluginHive’s dedicated team of experts on almost every shipping company can provide you with an app or service to meet any of your business’ shipping needs. Whether you want to optimize the services offered by USPS or any other shipping company, our support team is here and ready to discuss your shipping needs even if you don’t think you see what you need from your eCommerce platform app catalog.
Learn more about the shipping service apps available from PluginHive by reaching out to our shipping experts now!
Best plugin support I have ever received. FAST! Really folks – within minutes and multiple times the same day. Unheard of support. Nothing complicated about this company – highly recommend! Could not be happier!
P.S. Plugin works very well also.
Superior plugin and excellent support staff. I needed a small customization of the plugin and the team happily assisted with our request. I have tried the Woocommerce version, Extension Works and this plugin. I highly suggest this plugin over the others available. Especially, when support is this responsive. Two thumbs up!!!!!
WOW, what an amazing plugin. Comes packed with tons of features and the control you need over your shipments in detail. Support is top-notch. I had some config issues, on my end and they’re support implemented a solution. These guys are great, thank you so much.
If you own an eCommerce based on WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, or PrestaShop, and require a complete shipping solution that integrates with the top shipping carriers like UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, Stamps, Australia Post, Canada Post, and more, feel free to reach out to us.
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