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Who doesn’t love cookies? The correct answer is nobody. Thanks to the advent of eCommerce, expert bakers have been able to turn baking into businesses by shipping their products to cookie lovers all around the world. If you’re looking to ship cookies or baked goods, here are a couple of tips to help you save the most money.
Table of Contents
- USPS Ground Advantage Is the Cheapest Way to Ship a Package of Cookies
- To Retain the Most Freshness, Use Priority Mail Express
- Maximize Savings on USPS Ground Advantage Labels With Shipping Software
USPS Ground Advantage Is the Cheapest Way to Ship a Package of Cookies
If your package of cookies weighs under 1 lb (16 oz), then USPS Ground Advantage Service will hands-down be your cheapest option to ship them. Ground Advantage is the cheapest USPS service available…but, it’s also the slowest. USPS estimates delivery for Ground Advantage shipments to take anywhere between 2 and 5 business days, and as the name suggests, all shipments travel exclusively through ground transportation networks (as opposed to Priority Mail shipments, which travel via air transport).
USPS Ground Advantage also comes with $100 of built-in USPS insurance per package. While we always recommend that you purchase shipping insurance for your packages, most insurance companies won’t cover perishable items like cookies and baked goods…and this includes USPS themselves! So, the best bet is to pack your cookies as best as you can, by using a strong corrugated cardboard box, and enough packing material to cushion and protect your goodies from breaking.
You can learn more about some different kinds of packing material here.
To Retain the Most Freshness, Use Priority Mail Express
This goes without saying, but getting your package to your recipient the fastest way possible is the best way to ensure your cookies and baked goods keep their freshness. USPS Priority Mail Express is the Postal Service’s fastest shipping service, with overnight delivery to most urban destinations, and 2-day delivery to and from rural locations. It’s much more expensive than Ground Advantage (or regular Priority Mail, for that matter), but it’ll get your goods to your recipients much faster. Plus, if your package arrives after the guaranteed delivery time, it’s super easy to get a full refund for the cost of your postage!
Learn more about getting refunds for late Priority Mail Express shipments.
Maximize Savings on USPS Ground Advantage Labels With Shipping Software
Whether you’re using Ground Advantage or Priority Mail Express to ship your cookies, you will save the most money when you use online shipping software to buy discounted USPS postage. The best shipping software companies offer the deepest level of USPS discounts available, known as Commercial Pricing. In some cases, Commercial Pricing rates can save you up to 89% off what you’d pay to ship the same box at the Post Office!
Speaking of the Post Office: the best part about using USPS shipping software is the ability to buy and print your postage at home. Most shipping software solutions even let you schedule free USPS pickups when your letter carrier comes to deliver your mail. If you don’t want to, you’ll never have to visit the Post Office again.
Some Shipping Software Companies Offer Dimension-Based Rates for Ground Advantage
If the total weight of your package exceeds 1 pound (that’s a lot of cookies!), then the cheapest option for shipping is to take advantage of dimension-based Ground Advantage rates. The great thing about dimension-based pricing for Ground Advantage is that its rates are based on your package’s outer dimensions and not its total weight. That means that you can load your boxes up with as many cookies and baked goods as you can fit to maximize your margins! As long as the package doesn’t exceed 20 pounds the total volume stays under 1 cubic foot, the cost to ship it won’t change.
As a general rule of thumb, USPS rewards smaller packages with higher levels of savings. So, the smaller your packaging is, the more money you’ll keep in your pocket!
All of this being said, you won’t be able to access dimension-based Ground Advantage rates at the Post Office. You’ll only be able to get these specially priced rates through online shipping software companies, but not every single company out there offers them…so, you’ll need to do some research to find the ones that do.
Looking for the right shipping software for you?
To get the deepest discounts on USPS Ground Advantage labels, check out our guide:
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ronnie wilson
They actually refuse to cover perishable/food with any insurance it’s senders’ risk. You cannot get insurance for food of any sorts as I have tried 3 different USPS offices to test this.
Ella
No but they do guarantee shipments arrive by a certain date and if it doesn’t they will refund you for the shipping cost.
Sandy
I sent some fruitcakes out last year thru the USPS. I paid for one of them for 3 day. It took over a week to arrive at the destination (CO to AR). They did not honor the 3 day – they told me it was not guaranteed. Only if it was 2 day. The other pkg was shipped ground (CO to MS). It took about 2-3 weeks to arrive at the destination. Crazy thing about this one, it bypassed MS and went to Atlanta then to MS. One other comment, a pkg with brand new box with several items was shipped from MS to CO. By the time it arrived, the box looked like it was hit by a truck. There was a large hole in the bottom and several things fell out and were lost during transport. I’m not sure I trust the USPS to send my cookies this year. They really got me mad and upset last year.