USPS

USPS Ground Advantage

USPS will launch USPS Ground Advantage™ service, an affordable and reliable way for you to ship packages in 2–5 business days.

USPS Ground Advantage will combine USPS Retail Ground®, First-Class Package®, and Parcel Select Ground® services (as well as returns options such as First-Class Package Return® service and Ground Returns) into a single, streamlined ground shipping service.

USPS Ground Advantage is a perfect option for shippers of all sizes who want affordable domestic ground shipping to all 50 states, U.S. military bases, territories, possessions, and Freely Associated States.

Features & Benefits

  • Packages delivered in 2–5 business days.
  • Best-priced service for items up to 15.999 oz, based on weight (rounded up to 4 oz, 8 oz, 12 oz, and 15.999 oz) and zone (distance).
  • Packages greater than 15.999 oz are charged by the pound (rounded up).
  • Free Package Pickup service at your home or office.
  • Pay for postage using stamps, a self-service kiosk, Click-N-Ship® service, or at a Post Office™ location.
  • Tracking is included.
  • Business customers can use USPS Ground Advantage return service as a convenient option for customers who need to send items back.
  • $100 insurance is included (for both outbound and return shipments), and you can purchase up to $5,000 in additional coverage against loss or damage for merchandise.

Currently, our web hosting solution has yet to implement the USPS Ground Advantage rates into our shipping settings. However, once they do it would appear as if this new rate will supplant our First Class and Parcel Post rate options, thereby making them non-viable options within the CONUS. We will update this post once the rates have been enabled. Pre-orders that have yet to be filled will then be shipped out under the Ground Advantage program. Moreover, according to our Marketplace sites (eBay, Amazon, et al.) Ground Advantage will go live on July 9th and again replace both First Class and Parcel Post shipping options. Priority Mail will be a separate option.

We have also updated our online calendar to reflect the revised cut off dates for USPS Ground Advantage during the holiday season. When you have a moment, we invite you to review all of our cut off dates for each type of domestic and international service.

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New Zealand is Temporarily Added to the No Fly List by the USPS

Like Australia, the USPS has decided to suspend all carrier operations to New Zealand effective immediately. Once again COVID has been cited as the principal reason for the temporary suspension and no date was give as to when operations will be resumed. So, for the time being, we will not be accepting any orders from New Zealand at least until the USPS has been sufficiently shown evidence that it is once again safe to deliver mail and packages to both the sub continent as well as its nearby neighbor. Further information regarding the decision can be found here.

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USPS Suspends Service to Australia

While we were away on vacation we learned that the USPS has temporarily but immediately suspended all package service to Australia. According to a USPS blog post, the suspension is due to COVID-19 transportation cancellations and restrictions. Any shipments currently en route to Australia are being turned around and returned to the sender. Its not clear when service will be resumed to Australia and whether or not this suspension will affect other nations going forward. Previously, the USPS suspended service to other nations, among them Malawi, Mayotte and Liberia, as well as Afghanistan although service suspension to and from Afghanistan is largely due to the pull out of US troops and other assets from the country.

You may remember that apart from Canada we temporarily suspended ALL international shipments earlier this summer for different reasons but are willing to explore the issue once again in early 2022 should we feel that the global pandemic has changed for the positive. We apologize for having to take these measures and hopr you understand that some things are beyond our control.

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USPS Dimensional Rates Now in Effect

On June 23rd, the USPS began implementing changes that are better designed to reflect the true costs of shipping various sized packages around the country. Being on the east coast, we anticipate shipping costs to rise dramatically for large and over-sized parcels that need to be shipped across the country, particularly to destinations along the west coast and northwest region of the US. For now, we do not plan to make any adjustments as we wait and see how much it will cost us to ship certain items to different parts of the country. It is more than likely that we will have to dispense with our flat rate shipping rate in favor of a variable rate system that will address these changes. Please bear this in mind if you are looking to order larger-sized items and reside on the West Coast and/or several postal zones away from us.

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The USPS Bellows, “Tis the Season”

Even though it might have made more sense to unveil it earlier in the season, the USPS announced yesterday that it has created a free smart phone app that heightens the experience of giving and receiving a gift that comes packed inside a USPS Priority Mail box.

“The Postal Service is offering a free app for smartphones that aims to build excitement among customers who send and receive Priority Mail boxes during the holidays.” said the Postal Times.

“Customers who send a gift inside a Priority Mail box can use the app to send a personalized multimedia greeting to the recipient. The messages let the recipient know that a package is on its way. Recipients can also use the app to send the customer a holiday-themed thank-you message.

“Our app adds that special touch by delivering cheer when mailing and receiving holiday gifts via Priority Mail,” said Chief Customer and Marketing Officer James Cochrane.

The app is available on the Postal Service’s DeliverCheer.com holiday site, which has downloading instructions. The site also allows customers to buy stamps, order free boxes, schedule a free package pickup, find Post Office and collection box locations and determine mailing dates.”

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Important Changes to USPS Shipping

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Earlier this week, in conjunction with a rate hike by the US Postal Service, a number of important changes were made by the USPS to the way they handle parcels. To begin with, they have eliminated the Parcel Post and First Class domestic rates and combined them into a new level of service called USPS Standard. Essentially, this service is still cheaper than Priority Mail shipping and on a par with UPS ground service. Furthermore, they have done away with the green delivery confirmation labels that were affixed to the outside of the box. Now, a second white mailing strip is being affixed by the USPS to the box that contains an automatically generated tracking number. This means we cannot enter the tracking information for a shippable order until our return from the Post Office.

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