
The USPS does not add fuel, residential, or Saturday delivery surcharges to any shipment. Priority Mail packages also get special handling in the USPS system. The USPS flat rate boxes are Priority Mail, meaning that a package will normally be delivered in two or three days. Flat rate boxes have a known cost - no surprises. Although shipping calculators are accurate, there are times when the actual shipping cost for a package exceeds what the merchant expected. Merchants will still need to purchase packing peanuts or similar cushioning material, but not having to pay as much as $1 per box can be huge savings. Merchants can simply order them at no cost and start shipping. Here are seven reasons to consider these services. Advantages of Flat Rate ShippingĪmong the various carriers available to North American online merchants, the USPS offers some of the most attractive options, especially with its aforementioned flat rate and prepaid flat rate boxes and envelopes. Today, USPS flat rate services address many ecommerce delivery problems and costs. More than a decade later on November 20, 2004, the USPS released the first Priority Mail flat rate box. The postal service’s first flat rate offering began in February 1991 when the Priority Mail flat-rate envelope was introduced.

You might call this expectation the Amazon Prime effect.įortunately, the USPS has been a pioneer in flat rate shipping services.
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Shoppers expect to place an order, get free shipping, and have that order in about two days. Moreover, for much of the industry, free and fast ecommerce delivery is the norm. A business must pay shipping charges and carrier fees, buy packing materials, and pay labor to pick and pack each order. Shipping can be a significant challenge for ecommerce merchants. The United States Postal Service offers flat rate boxes and envelopes that may help online stores reduce shipping costs while improving a shopper’s buying experience.
