Medium Flat Rate box shipping cost

4 Ways You’re Overspending on Shipping

If there is one thing with shipping that’s easy to do, it’s spend more than you need to. Too many online sellers overinvest in shipping because they’re unaware of the options available – and don’t have time to learn them. I’ve highlighted some common shipping pitfalls with alternatives and suggestions to save money.

1: You use a Flat Rate Box for everything you ship.

Flat Rate Boxes are a simple way to ship. If you can fit it in the box, it ships at the same price every time. However, before you adopt this method universally across all of your shipments, there are some cases where another option might be less expensive.

Alternative 1: Regional Rate Boxes

Regional Rate Boxes work very similar to flat rate boxes. The only real differences being there are three weight tiers (compared to Flat Rate’s acceptance of any weight) and a shipping rate that varies based on distance the package will travel (broken down by shipping Zones). USPS provides the boxes for FREE and if your shipment is headed to Zone 1-4, you’ll find this option can typically be cheaper than Flat Rate Boxes.

Some examples of when Regional Rate beats Flat Rate:

Alternative 2: Priority Mail

Priority Mail from USPS is often the cheapest way to get a package to its destination in 1-3 days, tracking included. When your packages are lighter, Priority Mail often beats Flat Rate on price, especially when the package comes in at 4 lbs. or lighter.

3lb Package, Houston to Miami:

Priority Mail: $8.65

Small Flat Rate Box: $5.20

Medium Flat Rate Box: $10.65

In this example, Priority Mail beats Flat Rate if your shipment is too large for a Small Flat Rate Box. There are many combinations and variables that determine the rates, so using shipping software like ShippingEasy can make finding the best rate a lot easier.