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Who doesn’t love honey and jam? In addition to tasting like little drops of heaven, honey and jam are some of the most popular food items to make amongst hobbyists. More people now than ever before are looking to sell their honey and jams online, and as a result, more people are asking how to ship these products. Unlike shipping live honeybees, which involves a ton of restrictions and protocols, it’s quite straightforward and simple to ship honey and jam. Let’s get messy!
Table of Contents
- Properly Packaging Honey and Jam for Shipment
- USPS Priority Mail Cubic is the Best Option for Shipping Honey and Jam
- Access Priority Mail Cubic Rates With Online Shipping Software
Properly Packaging Honey and Jam for Shipping
The first step to shipping honey and jam is packaging them properly. Chances are, you’ll be shipping a sealed glass jar (or multiple glass jars) that contain your contents. Glass can easily break, so it’s critical to use enough packing material to protect them from cracking during transit. We suggest wrapping each jar in bubble wrap, using enough so that your jar is no longer visible after you’ve wrapped it. Throwing in some extra “void fill” material to fill the extra space is also a good move, such as crinkle paper or packing peanuts.
Finding the right box size is also crucial for shipping these items properly. You don’t want a box that’s too big, or else the jars will move around during transit and have a higher chance of breaking. The smaller the box, the tighter the fit—and in this case, the tighter the fit, the safer your jars will be.
Before you close the box, make sure the jars are snug in there with the packing material! A good test is to lightly shake the package for a few seconds before you seal it. If you’re hearing a lot of clinking glass and feeling the jars move around, you’ll need to throw in some more packing material to take up more of the space.
USPS Priority Mail Cubic is the Best Service for Shipping Honey and Jam
If you’re wondering which shipping carrier to use for shipping out honey and jam, look no further than the US Postal Service. USPS offers a special mail class that’s perfect for shipping honey and jam called USPS Priority Mail Cubic. Unlike other mail classes, Priority Mail Cubic’s special discounted rates are determined by the dimensions of your package, not its total weight.
Like all Priority Mail services, delivery only takes 1-3 days, and it comes with $100 of built-in insurance! Since jars of honey and jam can weigh a good amount, Priority Mail Cubic is both the cheapest and fastest way to ship them.
When you ship Priority Mail Cubic, you can load your boxes up with as many jars of honey and jam as you can pack, and the shipping price won’t change! Just make sure the total weight doesn’t exceed 20 pounds. Also, be aware of your package dimensions—if you want to qualify for Priority Mail Cubic, none of your package’s three dimensions can exceed 18 inches.
Access Priority Mail Cubic Rates With Online Shipping Software
Normally this special mail class is reserved for huge commercial shippers who strike direct deals with USPS. However, anyone can get access to Priority Mail Cubic rates by using online shipping software to purchase discounted postage.
When you use online shipping software, you’ll gain access to the deepest level of USPS discounts available, known as Commercial Pricing. In some situations, Commercial Pricing rates can be up to 89% off what you’d pay to ship the same package at your local Post Office…and the best part is, you’ll also get to access special services like Priority Mail Cubic! In fact, you have to use shipping software to ship with Priority Mail Cubic service. You’ll never find that service at the Post Office, and most USPS workers you’ll talk to have never even heard of it.
So, do yourself a favor and check out some shipping software options—it’s the best way to save money and “unlock” special services like Priority Mail Cubic that you wouldn’t otherwise get!
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Irene H Burlock
Does the USPS Cubic apply to international shipping as well? I want to send some jars of homemade jam to a friend in Italy. Would it be cheaper to attempt to use this unknown USPS service or use UPS which I routinely use to ship jams to a friend in Canada. UPS is quite expensive but they are dependable. Thanks.
Kathe forrest
OK so I just came from the post office where I asked them about this way to ship honey and they had never heard of it. They charge me $12 it would’ve been 14 priority and they did go buy weight so maybe you need to update this?
Rockwell Sands
Hi Kathe – Sorry for the confusion! Most Post Office workers have never heard of Priority Mail Cubic, since they don’t offer it at retail locations! You can only access these special rates with shipping software, and you’ll need to buy your postage first before going to the Post Office. You can read more about how to access Priority Mail Cubic rates here.
Ivana
The article clearly states that you must do it online and most postal workers have never heard of it.
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Janet Hartman
I have a business http://www.hartmangardens.net. Do you know of a company which makes inserts to hold three jars of 8oz or 16oz jam? I do a lot of shipping.
Rockwell Sands
Hi Janet, there are several custom-branded packaging companies out there that will make these sort of inserts for you. I don’t have a specific recommendation off the top of my head, but I ran a Google search and this company Brimar Packaging looks like a solid option: https://brimarpackaging.com/box-inserts/
Hope this helps!
Anna
I’m going to try this for shipping my jam for Christmas! Thank you and I’ll let you know how it goes!! Thank you so much! And happy holidays to you.