Welcome to Parcelconsulting
Welcome to Parcelconsulting
One of the most popular choices for retailers selling online today for shipping is the USPS Priority Flat rate is a shipping service. It’s a zone-based shipping service that’s consolidated by the USPS for quick delivery, low prices and a reputation for reliability. No wonder it’s the top choice when shipping smaller, heavier packages that could otherwise cost you a lot more with a carrier like FedEx, UPS and DHL.
Retailers all have a bottom line. Regardless of whether or not you are using a free shipping threshold to gain a foothold on your shipping costs verse increased average order value, or if you are just trying to leverage cost versus profit ratios, shipping costs are one of your highest cost, aligned in the same vertical as returns and marketing are.
USPS Flat Rate Shipping gives you various package sizes and dimension options with lenient weight limits up to 70 pounds! That’s about as good as it gets when you consider that the average package shipped from an Amazon seller weighs 5 pounds or less. Another immediate bonus that you get from USPS flat rate shipping is that all packages are automatically insured by USPS for $50… and you have the additional option to increase that insurance rate via USPS or a third-party provider.
So how long does USPS Flat Rate take to arrive? Well, the answer depends on where you are shipping your package from and where it’s intended destination is. For example, unlike other carriers, the USPS can ship to military bases and PO Boxes, while many major carriers can only ship to addresses, commercial or residential, and commonly contract the USPS for last mile services.
To make the USPS efficient, the service has divided the shippable areas of the US into “zones.” The more zones that your package passes through, the higher the cost will be to ship it and the longer time it will take to reach its destination. Say you were sending a package from New York City to LA, you’re looking at about 7 zones (out of 8 total zones), so you could guestimate that it would arrive in about 3-5 days.
On average, however, the shipping time is about 2-3 days for Priority Mail and Flat Rate shipping with the USPS, which is one of the most reliable methods. Certainly, it’s important to keep in mind that recent delays in the USPS system are part of the global pandemic, which has put strains on the supply chain as well as the USPS flat rate shipping method. But shipping speed is slowly returning to normal as the service adjusts, as time passes and as the world overcomes this global endemic.
You have a ton of different and desirable pricing options with the USPS (see the chart we’ve added below for clarity). One thing to consider is that when you have the right connections, you can often get an even better price than the ones that you see on this chart we’ve provided. That’s why volume shippers stand to pay the least amount of money for shipping a package than standard shippers do.
It all depends on what type of volume you’re shipping, weights, dimensions, destination, shipping speed and many other factors. That’s why it’s important be in touch with experts like us, who specialize in providing a shipping rates program for volume shippers that can get your packages delivered on time while slashing your shipping cost in the process.
Need some help determining what you could save? Our specialists are ready to help. Give us a ring to discuss your options at: 833-PARCEL-1 (833-727-2351).
