Different Pricing for the Same USPS Flat Rate Box
Why am I seeing different prices for the same flat rate box? I thought it was one box one price.
8 comments
Why am I seeing different prices for the same flat rate box? I thought it was one box one price.
wastingtime101
·8 months agoFlat Rate boxes are exactly that: Flat Rate, no matter where you ship. If you buy the label at the post office it's a single price regardless of destination.
No idea why people are talking about zones as that's not relevant for Flat Rates - at all - and never has been.
What you're probably running into @irishmichael4585 is some zips get a discount on the Flat Rate through eBay, and other more rural / low volume zips don't get that added discount - they get the standard commercial discount when purchased online.
This is why a Medium Flat Rate box might cost a little less to ship to a city (current $18.50), and a little more to ship to a small town (current $19.60).
onefootflipper
·8 months agoYou are in Wisconsin, middle of the country, unless you are selling lead bars then the flat rate box is going to be the wrong choice every single time.
Money lit on fire with each sale.
All the pro sellers stopped using priority mail and moved to ground advantage 2 years ago. 10-15 sales a day and I haven't used priority once since ground advantage came out.
irishmichael4585
OP8 months agoZones answer the question. Thanks.
stainlessenginecovers
·8 months agoThe further the 'zone' the 'larger' the price (even on flat rate). USPS has been doing that for 3+? years.
inhawaii
·8 months agoI Forgot about zones, since everything I ship is zone 8.
inhawaii
·8 months agoYou are mistaken.
Small Priority Mail flat rate box, one size, one price.
Medium Priority Mail flat rate box, 2 sizes, one price to ship either one.
Large Priority Mail flat rate box, one size, one price.
irishmichael4585
OP8 months agoI just packed two shipments. Flat rate on one was ~$9.85, the other ~$11.20.
wastingtime101
·8 months agoOK so you are using a Small Flat Rate Box which is $11.20 to more rural zips and $9.80 with the added discount to higher populated zips.
Edit to add a link to the eBay announcement from nearly a year and a half ago when this change went into effect: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-Rate-Changes-Effective-September-16-2024/ba-p/34661022