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Ecommerce Insights

USPS January 2024 Price and Service Changes

7 USPS white carrier vehicles parked next to each other. The picture encompasses the front bumpers of all these vehicles side by side.

Happy New Year! You know what that means…it’s that time of year again, RATE CHANGES! 

Rest assured, we’ve your back! You can count on us to keep you informed on industry happenings that could impact your business!

Navigation

  1. Priority Mail®
  2. Priority Mail Flat Rate®
  3. Priority Mail® Cubic
  4. Ground Advantage™
  5. Ground Advantage™ Cubic
  6. Media Mail®
  7. Signature Confirmation
  8. HAZMAT Compliance
  9. Resources
  10. Caught in an endless cycle of shipping chores?

January 21st, 2024 USPS Changes

Starting January 21st, 2024, USPS is implementing the following service and rate changes. 

We want you to keep in mind that the below information is a summary of the changes. These rates may vary depending on your package weight, dimensions, and zone. 

If you’re looking for a more nitty-gritty view of the changes, please use our rate calculator to compare rates and determine what works best for your business.

RATE CALCULATOR

The new USPS rate changes below will be live on our rate calculator on January 21st, 2024.

Priority Mail®

Priority Mail service provides tracking, ensures delivery within 1 – 3 business days, and continues to be the best service available (in our opinion)!

Thanks to our partnership with Pitney Bowes (USPS label reseller), we are able to offer you savings of up to 33% off Priority Mail Commercial pricing — talk about a sweet deal!

Priority Mail rate changes: 
  • 1 – 10 lbs to Zones 1 – 8:
    • Savings up to 12% off
    • Exception: 3 lb parcels shipped to Zone 5 will see a 9% rate increase 
  • 11 – 20 lbs to Zones 1 – 8:
    • Rates remain the same

Priority Mail Flat Rate®

Here’s a reminder that the Priority Mail Flat Rate products include: Flate Rate Envelopes, Legal Flate Rate Envelopes, Flate Rate Padded Envelopes, Small Flat Rate Box, Medium Flat Rate Box, and a handful of others. 

Ship these products weighing up to 70 lbs to any state at the same price, and expect delivery within 1 – 3 business days.

Priority Mail Flat rate changes: 
  • Savings of up to 2.5% off across the board 

Priority Mail® Cubic

For compact, heavy packages, try Priority Mail Cubic! It calculates shipping costs based on dimensions, not weight — offering you savings on shipping rates for packages up to 20 lbs and 0.5 cubic feet. (All delivered between 1-3 business days + $100 of free insurance)!

Requirements: “Each cubic mailpiece, including soft packs and padded envelopes, must measure .50 cubic feet or less, weigh 20 pounds or less, and the longest dimension may not exceed 18 inches. Rolls and tubes do not qualify for mailpiece cubic prices.” – USPS

Priority Mail Cubic rate changes: 
  • Savings of up to 16% off
    • Exception: 3 cubic feet parcels shipping to Zone 6 will see a 9% rate increase 

Ground Advantage™

If you remember, back in July USPS brought together First-Class Package Service®, Parcel Select Ground®, and Retail Ground® to create the ultimate service: USPS Ground Advantage™.

USPS Ground Advantage is a cost-effective and dependable service, ensuring delivery within between 2 – 5 business days. It’s your go-to for shipping hazardous materials (HAZMAT) that can’t go by air. 

Ground Advantage rate changes: 
  • Less than 0.75 lbs:
    • Up to 5.6% rate increase
  • Between 0.75 – 0.9999 lbs to Zones 6 – 8:
    • Savings of up to 6.6% off
  • 1 – 20 lbs to Zones 1 – 8:
    • Are staying around the same price
    • Except packages going to Zones 6 – 8: Savings of up to 25%
  • 1 – 19 lbs to Zone 9:
    • Up to 5.5% rate increases
  • 20 lbs to Zone 9:
    • Up to 10.8% rate increase

Ground Advantage™ Cubic

This is USPS’s ground-only service with rates based on dimensions, not weight (great for small, heavy packages). It’s a great option if you’re not in a hurry, with delivery times being between 3 – 5 business days AND $100 of free insurance!

Requirements: “Each cubic mailpiece, including soft packs and padded envelopes, must measure .50 cubic foot or less, weigh 20 pounds or less, and the longest dimension may not exceed 18 inches. Rolls and tubes do not qualify for mailpiece cubic prices.” – USPS

Ground Advantage Cubic rate changes: 
  • Zones 1 – 5:
    • Rates remain the same
  • Zones 6 – 8:
    • Savings of up to 21% off
  • Zone 9:
    • Up to 5.6% rate increase

Media Mail®

Media Mail is delivered within 2 – 8 business days and offers a budget-friendly option for shipping books, media, and educational materials. 

Media Mail rate changes: 
  • A rate increase of about 5% ($0.21)

How will these changes impact your business?

Get the lowdown on how these rates play out for your business — see them firsthand on our rate calculator!

RATE CALCULATOR

The rates above won’t be live on our rate calculator until January 21, 2024.

Ongoing updates from July 9, 2023

Signature Confirmation 

Just as a reminder, First Class packages are now part of Ground Advantage, and with that shift, Certified Mail isn’t an option anymore for these packages. If you need a signature, here are your options:

  • Ground Advantage with Signature Confirmation 
  • Certified Mail through Priority Mail

HAZMAT Compliance

USPS implemented more safety measures when it comes to the shipping labels of HAZMAT packages, including: 

  • Oversized letter “H” service indicator
  • 2D barcodes
  • “HAZMAT” after “USPS TRACKING #” and other places

Do I need to do anything to ensure my business is compliant?

Nope, nada, zilch, zero — we’ve got you covered! Ordoro has been automatically updated to keep you in compliance with these regulations thanks to our partnership with Pitney Bowes!

Resources

We’ve done the research, so you don’t have to! 

We’ve taken the time to help combine all the links you could want to help further explain the USPS changes beginning January 21st, 2024!

Caught in an endless cycle of shipping chores?

It’s time to escape the loop by streamlining and automating your tasks — and we can help you do just that!

Ever notice how you get bogged down with the day-to-day tasks, leaving little room for the big dreams of business growth? We get it. The routine tasks can hijack those ambitions.

That’s where we step in. Ordoro helps ecommerce merchants streamline and automate their shipping and order management processes so they can get back to the important things. 

We help our customers: 

  • Eliminate the “uh-ohs”
  • Automate the repetitive BS
  • Access the discounts you want (up to 89% off USPS and other carriers)
  • Manage everything in one platform 
  • Access support that actually helps you

We’re changing the way ecommerce businesses scale with the features you need, an easy-to-use software, AND an empathetic team that understands your needs (because we’re a small business too)! 

It’s time to reclaim your time and focus on what truly matters!

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