The United States Postal Service (or USPS) has been around since 1775, when Benjamin Franklin became our country’s first Postmaster General. Millions of small businesses use USPS every day to ship their packages, but the majority of them are paying for postage at the retail rate. Don’t let your small business make that same mistake! Believe it or not, there’s free USPS shipping software out there that allows you to buy postage at deep discounts, so there’s no reason to ever buy postage at the retail rate.
Overview:
The United States Postal Service delivers mail to every residential address in the country. In fact, they are the only shipping carrier legally authorized to do so! However, they also offer competitive services for shipping packages. If you’re an E-commerce retailer, you’re probably sending out smaller parcels that aren’t too heavy. USPS offers the best rates for shipping small parcels under 20 pounds, hands down. That makes USPS the premier carrier for E-commerce businesses!
Want to hear a fun fact? The US Postal Service is one of our nation’s largest employers, trailing only behind a few corporations such as Amazon and Walmart. Care to guess how many people work for the Postal Service?
Highlights:
- The cheapest rates for sending out small, heavy parcels like subscription boxes
- Use shipping software to take advantage of discounts like Commercial Plus Pricing and secret mail classes like Priority Mail Cubic that you won’t find at the Post Office
- Free boxes for certain mail classes
- Schedule free pickups from your home or warehouse
Not sure if USPS is right for you?
To explore the best carriers, check our guide:
MJ Highly
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dissatisfied
USPS is a colossal joke. If any unsubsidized business offered this level of “service” they would no longer be in business. I understand that when one pays 58 cents for a stamp, one takes chances on the delivery date. But when one upgrades to priority and pays $8.50 for 2-3 day delivery 1500 miles away, it’s pretty shocking to find out that on the delivery date, it’s arrived at the processing facility some 10 miles from the originating shipping point. The upgraded fee was paid to ensure time-sensitive materials arrived on schedule, and now it’s lost in some archaic, outdated and completely inept system. My goodness, I should know better. Forever on, I’ll be the evangelist for private, higher-performing delivery services such as UPS and FedEx. If the delivery address is a PO Box, I will insist on another delivery option, because I will never again trust these clowns with another important delivery. Sheesh!
Latonya
My dog was lost/stolen and I ask my mail person if she would look out for him & she said “No” & turned and walked away. She delivers for our neighborhood for about 6 months now & I just feel like she was rude & unconcerned.
Lashon
Let me first start off by saying that this is NOT a negative review. Got nothing but love for USPS. That being said, DON’T EVER GO TO THE POST OFFICE! You don’t need to! My friend told me about buying postage with Pirate Ship and how I’ve been spending more money on shipping than I should have been my whole life. Now I can ship packages for like up to 70% off sometimes! Shoutout to USPS for hooking a girl up with those discounts!!
Walter
Love our mail man Howard, he’s been delivering our mail for two decades now! He’s the best. Always has a smile on his face!
Angela
Going to the Post Office isn’t the best experience, but USPS is super cool about providing discounted postage with shipping solutions. None of other carriers give the kind of discounts they do.
Ben K.
I honestly never knew how economical USPS was until I used Cratejoy to start my subscription business. Signed up with Pirate Ship to print USPS shipping labels and can’t believe the kind of discounts I’m getting