The USPS^® is a world leader in shipping, and for good reason. In 2021, the USPS processed a record 7.6 billion packages. Once a laggard in parcel shipping now it has many competitive reasons why you should ship using the US Postal Service versus other carriers. We’ll cover some of the basics to help you with understanding shipping, managing customer expectations and keeping costs in line.

USPS^® has simplified shipping when calculating costs and has an excellent delivery and logistics network. One of the biggest benefits is that the pricing model is straightforward without having complex accessorial charges (Accessorial fees are charged by freight carriers for services that go beyond the normal pick-up and delivery requirements agreed upon at the time of purchase. These a la carte fees are typically added to your freight bill after the shipment has been completed, making it difficult to predict the full cost of a shipment) that UPS and FedEx have.

The USPS^® will cite these key benefits:

• No delivery fuel surcharges
• No residential delivery surcharges
• No address correction fees
• No extra cost for Saturday delivery
• Free Priority Mail packaging
• Wide range of Priority Mail packages
• Free Package Pickup™
• Great tracking with up to 13 scans
• Delivery to APO/FPO military addresses
• Competitive rates

There are three main package pricing levels (sorted from most expensive to least expensive):

• Retail – the price you pay at the USPS^® counter or with a postage meter


• CBP (Commercial Base Pricing) – a discounted rate available to qualified online shipping platforms. It also offers $50 free insurance on Priority Mail.


• CPP (Commercial Plus Pricing) – the deepest discounted rate available to qualified online shipping platforms. It also offers $100 free insurance on Priority Mail plus access to USPS Priority Cubic rates.

• First-Class Package Service^® (Retail and Commercial)
• Priority Mail^®
• Priority Mail Express^®
• USPS Retail Ground^®
• Parcel Select^®
• Media Mail
• Library Mail

The main differences are package weight limits, delivery times and, of course, cost.

If you have a small parcel and the delivery time is not critical then First-Class is usually the best option. Even though the delivery standard states 1-5 days, most mail is still delivered within 1-3 days. The best way to choose which shipping method is best is to have a software that provides you with an overview of the shipping products, costs and estimated delivery date. See the example below from FP Parcel Shipping.

*April 2022 USPS pricing and delivery times for a shipment from/to metro Chicago.

Research has shown that incorrectly quoting estimated delivery dates has a negative impact on customer re-purchases.

Two words: tracking visibility. Some online shipping applications, like FP Parcel Shipping, have the ability to email the recipient information about the parcel including carrier, class of service, estimated delivery date and real-time tracking links.

The USPS^® has excellent visibility of packages with up to 13 different scans. Some online shipping applications provide the recipient with the tracking information as well as a tracking dashboard providing better insight into packages. Package tracking also helps with customer service in the event a customer inquiry is received. Below is an example of the tracking dashboard in FP Parcel Shipping. It has filters for quick search of a package and sortation by status.

FP offers FP Parcel Shipping, a USPS and multi-carrier online shipping application that allows mailers to create shipping labels, qualify for discounts, manage shipments and view real-time tracking. Above you can see examples of how our online parcel shipping software can help improve your mailroom efficiency as well as customer service.