The Postal Service is consolidating its current services—USPS Retail Ground, Parcel Select Ground, and First-Class Package Service—into one service called USPS Ground Advantage. This is part of an initiative to improve package offerings by increasing reliability, lowering prices, and simplifying services.
TL;DR on USPS’ Ground Advantage
- Domestic shipments only, not international
- Transit time: 2-5 days
- Weight Range: 1 oz – 70 lbs
- Began July 9, 2023 as a consolidation of USPS’ First Class Package and Parcel Select Ground
What are the Features of USPS Ground Advantage?
Ground Advantage is a commonly used USPS shipping service. It’s a ground option that is very similar to First Class Ground Package service, which they renamed to “Ground Advantage” in 2023.
- 2-5 day transit time
- 1 oz. to 70 lbs.
- Destinations include all US contiguous states, plus US territories, military bases, and associated states.
- Free $100 insurance
- Free package pickup
- Can ship Dangerous goods and HAZMAT
- Like all priority services, tracking is free
Disappointed in your 3PL
this holiday?
Whether you are shipping B2B, retail, or DTC—we’ll get your orders out on-time, every time, with 99.8% accuracy
What are the USPS Ground Advantage Costs?
Pricing will be tiered—under a pound, at 4 oz. increment levels (4 oz., 8 oz., 12 oz., and 15.999 oz.), and over a pound, at 1 lb. increment levels, up to 70 lbs.
Ground Advantage created overall lowered published prices, than the pre-cursor services of Parcel Select Ground and First-Class Package.
See the full USPS pricing table here.
Benefits of Using Ground Advantage for Ecommerce Shipments
There are some clear benefits to what Ground Advantage offers ecommerce businesses. They include:
- More flexibility. Because Ground Advantage is a ground transportation service, customers will have more flexibility with the types of products they can ship, including the ability to ship Dangerous Goods and HAZMAT items like lithium ion batteries, perfumes, and more. Previously First Class Mail was shipped via air which restricted Dangerous Goods.
- Free returns. Returns (both undeliverable and refused) will still be able to come back free of charge.
- Insurance coverage. USPS has added free $100 insurance coverage for Ground Advantage where it wasn’t provided for similar services in the past.
Which types of products and packages should be shipped via Ground Advantage? The most optimal packages are domestic and light weight. Ground Advantage is a great competitor to services offered by other major carriers, UPS ground is often a big contender for similar shipments.
Get a comparison of similar shipping services, like UPS Surepost, FedEx Ground Economy, and DHL eCommerce [+infographic].
Differences between USPS Ground Advantage and USPS Priority Mail
Ecommerce brands who ship packages via USPS have many shipping solutions to choose from. Delivery times, cost, return service, and more. It can be difficult to choose the shipping solution that best fits your business, package specifications, and customer demands.
When compared to other small parcel, ground options, USPS Ground Advantage is a cost-effective ground shipping option suitable for many types of packages that don’t require expedited delivery. It does not offer guaranteed delivery within a specific timeframe.
Ground Advantage shipping is often compared to USPS Priority Mail, which is a faster shipping service, designed for packages that require quicker delivery. Priority Mail typically offers delivery within 1-3 business days, depending on factors such as the destination.
The defining characteristic of Priority Mail is flat rate shipping, which Ground Advantage does not offer. Ground Advantage shipping rates are tiered pricing based on package weight and also zone (distance).
Both services include USPS tracking and provide up to $100 of insurance coverage for commercial pricing (retail pricing is less).
Additionally, by shipping via Priority Mail packaging must be USPS branded. The packaging benefit of Priority Mail is that all envelopes, boxes, and tubes, are free when using this delivery service, and can be obtained at USPS post office locations or ordered at usps.com.
If you’re looking for a 3PL with fulfillment centers in cities across the US, we own and operate facilities in The Bay Area, Los Angeles, The East Coast and Kentucky. Use DCL’s national footprint of warehouses to distribute your inventory across the country to reduce transit times and save on shipping costs. If you need fulfillment or shipping support and want to partner with DCL Logistics, we’d love to hear from you.
