What’s Changing with USPS Rates?
There will be changes in pricing for certain USPS mail classes. However, please note that no final adjustments have been made yet. These price adjustments aim to address the increasing operating costs caused by inflation.
When Will the Official USPS Price Change Occur?
The proposed changes are slated to begin on July 9th, 2023. However, they are still pending approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Once the PRC finalizes the proposed changes, ShipLeap will promptly inform its customers and update the USPS Rate Chart page.
What USPS Services Are Undergoing Changes?
USPS has planned various modifications to their services, ranging from introducing a new mail class to updates on existing services and requirements. Here’s a summary of the affected services:
- Consolidation and rebranding of mail classes as “USPS Ground Advantage.” Further details are provided below.
- The inclusion of Priority Mail Express in the USPS Returns offering, now known as “Priority Mail Express Returns Service.”
- Reduction in coverage limits for Domestic Registered Mail along with changes in rates.
- Implementation of new mandates for identifying Hazardous Materials (HazMat) shipments.
USPS Ground Advantage
Starting July 9th, 2023, First-Class Package Service (FCPS) Retail and Commercial, Retail Ground (RG), and Parcel Select Ground (PSG) mail classes will be unified and rebranded as “USPS Ground Advantage.”
Key Highlights of USPS Ground Advantage:
- Estimated national service standard of 2-5 days, including offshore deliveries.
- Shipments can weigh up to 70 lbs and measure 130 inches in length + girth. Ounce pricing is applicable at 4 oz., 8 oz., 12 oz., and 15.999 oz.
- ShipLeap will support zone/weight-based commercial rates as well as cubic-based rates ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 cubic foot.
- Dimensional Weight Pricing will be applicable across all weights and zones.
- Postage for parcels addressed for delivery to Zones 1-9 and exceeding 1 cubic foot will be based on the higher value between the actual weight and dimensional weight.
- Shipments may be subject to oversized pricing, nonstandard package fees, and dimension noncompliance fees
- Additionally, each shipment will include $100 of USPS insurance coverage at no extra cost.
- Users will be able to purchase USPS Ground Advantage shipments using either the new service name “GroundAdvantage” or the legacy names “First” or “ParcelSelect” until January 21, 2024. After this date, support for the legacy names will be discontinued.
USPS Ground Advantage Return Service will replace “Ground Return Service” and “First-Class Package Return Service” with minor changes.
- Ounce-based pricing will be eliminated, resulting in a 1 lb rate for shipments weighing less than 1 lb.
- Each shipment will include $100 of USPS insurance coverage at no additional cost.