Rates and Pricing FAQs

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What are the Latest USPS Price Changes?

For details on the latest USPS® changes, please see: https://www.pitneybowes.com/us/postal-information.html

For questions or comments on USPS changes, please contact Client Support at ClientSupportTechServices@pb.com.

What is USPS cubic pricing?

USPS® cubic pricing provides high-volume shippers discounted rates on small heavy parcels. Rates are based on parcel size and shipping distance, not on parcel weight. Cubic pricing is available only for high-volume shippers.

Requirements

Cubic pricing is available for high-volume Priority Mail (PM) shippers, usually those who ship more than 50,000 parcels a year. Cubic pricing is available only for the SOFTPACK and PKG parcel types.

Qualifying parcels can be rectangular, non-rectangular, or soft packs, but they cannot be rolls or tubes. Parcels must meet the following requirements:

  • A rectangular or non-rectangular parcel must:

    • Weigh no more than 20 pounds.

    • Have a longest dimension of no more than 18 inches.

    • Measure no more than 0.5 cubic feet. USPS uses the following formula to measure cubic feet: Length x Height x Width / 1728 = Cubic Feet

  • A soft pack must measure as follows. The measurements must be taken prior to placing the item in the envelope:

    • The sum of the longest and next-longest dimensions must not exceed 36 inches.

    • The longest dimension must not exceed 18 inches.

    • The smallest dimension must not exceed 2 inches.

When is cubic pricing applied?

When a qualifying shipper prints a Priority Mail label, Pitney Bowes checks if the parcel qualifies for cubic pricing. If it does, Pitney Bowes calculates both the cubic rate and weight-based rate and then applies the rate that is more cost-effective.

Pitney Bowes always applies the better rate

Whenever a parcel qualifies for cubic pricing, Pitney Bowes checks the weight-based rate as well and applies the more cost-effective of the two.

More information

For more information on cubic pricing, see Commercial Plus Cubic on USPS.com.

How are rates calculated for USPS soft packs?

Soft packs (SOFTPACK) are flexible packages that adhere and conform to the contents being packaged and that, as a result, take up minimum cubic space. A soft pack must meet the following requirements. The measurements must be taken prior to placing the item in the envelope:

  • The sum of the longest and next-longest dimensions must not exceed 36 inches.

  • The longest dimension must not exceed 18 inches.

  • The smallest dimension must not exceed 2 inches.

When you specify that a parcel is a soft pack, Pitney Bowes calculates rates based on following and then applies the more cost-effective rate:

  • Cubic pricing based on the soft pack’s dimensions.

  • Weight-based pricing.

The label will have markings corresponding to the rate applied. For supported services for soft packs, see the SOFTPACK entry in this table.

What is USPS dimensional weight pricing?

Dimensional (DIM) weight pricing applies to packages that are large and relatively light for their sizes. DIM weight is calculated based on volume and a volumetric divisor:

DIM Weight = L x W x H / volumetric divisor

Note: A package might alternatively be subject to oversize pricing.

When does oversize pricing apply?

PB Expedited: Oversize pricing applies if the parcel’s combined length plus girth falls between 108 and 130 inches. If oversize pricing applies, the API returns a surcharge in the rates.surcharges array.

PB Standard: Oversize pricing applies if the parcel’s combined length plus girth exceeds 84 inches. If oversize pricing applies, the pricing is included in the rates.baseCharge field..

Which charges apply when my request includes a Shipper Rate Plan?

If your request to Rate a Parcel or Create a Shipment request includes the X-PB-Shipper-Rate-Plan request header, which specifies a shipper rate plan, then in the response the rates array returns the following:

  • If the shipper does not have an NSA:

    • The alternateBaseCharge and alternateTotalCharge fields are based on the shipper rate plan. These contain the shipper’s charges.

    • The baseCharge and TotalCarrierCharge fields are based on the developer’s rate plan.

  • If the shipper has an NSA:

    • The baseCharge and TotalCarrierCharge fields are based on the NSA. These contain the shipper’s charges.

    • Do not use the alternateBaseCharge and alternateTotalCharge fields.

What is USPS Commercial Pricing?

Commercial Pricing provides shippers with lower prices than the retail prices offered at USPS locations. Commercial Pricing has no volume requirements and is usually available through online shipping providers. The current prices are found in the Commercial Prices section of the USPS Price List.

What is a USPS Negotiated Service Agreement (NSA)?

For a shipper with a very high volume, a Negotiated Service Agreement (NSA) provides discounts based on a contract between the shipper and USPS.

For more information, see this USPS document: https://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/709.pdf

When rating a parcel, can I send multiple parcel details in a single request?

No. The APIs do not support multiple parcels in a single Rates API request. You must issue separate Rates API calls for separate parcels.