Sending packages to different zip codes within the United States can be an expensive challenge that not many people are willing to take. Especially for businesses that need to send large packages at a higher cost. To cut down the expenses, the postal services have introduced the USPS Parcel Select Ground which significantly lowers the cost and ships packages to various destinations in the United States. As not many people are familiar with the USPS Parcel Select ground service, this is a detailed guide that will give you a better understanding of this service.
USPS Parcel Select Ground
What Is Parcel Select?
The USPS parcel select ground is a cost-effective solution that is used to ship bulk mails and heavy mails in the United States. Packages are delivered using the ground delivery, hence the name parcel select ground. The name Parcel Select refers to transferring bulk mails, i.e., more than 50 packages. This service ships heavy and large packages in bulk quantities at cheaper rates. Also, the time taken to deliver the packages is more, i.e., 2-8 days. According to USPS, this service saves up to 70% of the standard shipping cost.
Learn about the USPS collection box from here.
The USPS Parcel Select ground service is great for businesses as they ship bulk packages per day. If the businesses are presorting and dropshipping the mails beforehand, they end up paying lower shipping prices. Initially, this service was called as ParcelPost which was later changed to USPS Parcel Select Ground. You can go for this service if you are not concerned about the time taken to deliver the packages. Parcel Select is also good if your package does not satisfy the regular size and weight criteria.
Features of USPS Parcel Select Ground
Some of the prominent features of using this service are given below:
- The shipping cost you pay is quite less
- Time taken for the package to deliver is 2-8 days or more depending on the zip code
- Good for companies that ship large and medium packages
- Tracking is included without any extra costs
- You do not have to pay extra charges for fuel or for Saturday delivery
- The packages are delivered to military bases and the PO boxes
- Offers domestic delivery across the United States using ground services
- The weight of the package must be 70 lbs and the length and girth combined must be 1130 inches
- The packages must adhere to the prohibited and restricted items policy
- No insurance is covered for this service. However, you can purchase an extra insurance if necessary
Additional perks that you might get with this service are as follows:
- This service is applicable for adult signature confirmation
- You get a discount on the retail pricing
- You need to pay an extra amount for any additional services
How to Use the Parcel Select Ground Service?
To use the USPS parcel select ground services, you do not have to visit the local post office to ship your package. This service is only available to online customers and they need to use any of the USPS’s business partners to book the shipments for their packages. After booking your shipments, you need to drop your packages at any one of the following facilities:
- DBMC : Destination Bulk Mail Center
- DSCF : Destination Sectional Center Facility
- DDU : Destination Delivery Unit
Shipping:
The parcels select services can be used to send domestic packages within the borders of the United States. Even if you were to send the packages to destinations like Canada or Mexico, you cannot do it with the Parcel Select services.
USPS Parcel Select Ground Rates
The rate of the package sent through the parcel select services are calculated based on the following:
- Dimensions
- The weight of the package
- Distance between the zip codes
As the zones are split into different parts from 1 to 9, each zone has its unique structure for pricing. If you are shipping packages within a single zone, the price you have to pay will be $7.01. It significantly keeps increasing if you are shipping packages to zones that are far away from you. You can find the list of the updated prices from the official USPS site. This list keeps updating every often, so make sure to keep checking the prices before sending the packages through Parcel Select.
Many people keep asking if the parcel select rates offered are the same across all major platforms. Well, yes, USPS offers a variation of prices in the parcel select service. The different parcel select rates are as follows:
- Parcel select – No Presort: You can apply for this service from major postage vendors. The labels on the packages do not need to be presorted
- Parcel Select – Destination Entry: A minimum of 50 packages qualify for Parcel Select. In this service, the shipper must send the package through the Destination Network Distribution Center
- The Parcel Select – Lightweight: These packages should have weight less than 1 lb and should be presorted
The Delivery Time Required to Ship the Packages
The delivery time of the parcel select service is between 2-8 days. If you are shipping the package within the same zone, then your package might arrive within 2-4 days. For the farther zones, the delivery times keep increasing as there is a lot of distance to cover. Although the maximum timeline is 10 days, due to any sudden circumstances the delivery time might exceed 2 weeks.
Check out USPS box dimensions from here.
What is USPS Retail Ground?
The USPS retail ground shipping service is a mailing service through which you can ship packages of different sizes, tubes, and envelopes domestically. Remember that the weight of the package must not exceed 70 lbs and they cannot be mailed as a First Class Mailing service.
As the name implies, this shipping service is a ground service and might include surcharges if the package is in the following condition:
- If the package is more than 108 inches in length and girth
- The package has a certain shape such as a tube or a roll
- The weight is less than 20 pounds and the total length and girth is 84 inches
Features of USPS Retail Ground Shipping Service
- Send packages that belong to different sizes to major destinations within the USA. Packages can be small or big and can include merchandise, books, printed material, gifts, etc
- Tracking is available without any extra surcharges
- This service can deliver to any location in the USA which includes the military base or the PO boxes
- No extra charges for Saturday delivery
- Unlike Parcel Select Ground, this service is available at the local post office
USPS Retail Ground Shipping
The USPS retail ground services are can only ship items to zones 5 to 9. If the items contain any hazardous material, live animals, or any other items that can only be shipped using ground transport, then these packages are available for shipping from Zone 1 to 9. For more information on USPS Retail Ground Rates, make sure to check out the link given here.
Difference Between USPS Retail Ground Services and USPS Parcel Select Services
As both these services offered the same amount of features, many people believe that this is a different name for the same service. Technically, that’s not true. Although there is a similarity in features, they are very different from one another in the following ways:
The Difference in Availability of Service:
The USP Retail Ground Service is one of the major USPS mailing services and can be found at the local post office. When navigating through the mailing services offered by USPS, you will come across Retail Ground as one of the mailing services.
On the other hand, USPS Parcel select ground services are only available for online users and cannot be found at the post office. The shipping for this service can be booked through any USPS business partners such as Stamps.com.
Cheaper Rates
The USPS parcel Select is a cheaper service when compared to the USPS retail service. According to USPS, the parcel select ground service is 43% cheaper than the retail service. That’s because many shippers have access to commercial pricing rates. Although the USPS parcel select is only open to bulk mailers and these prices are exclusively open to them, this makes parcel select a cheaper alternative to retail ground.
Conclusion
The USPS Parcel Select Service is a cost-effective solution for those who do not have to worry about the time taken to deliver the package to the destination. This is one of the most popular mailing services which many shippers rely on to have their packages shipped. Many businesses have saved almost 70% of the standard shipping cost with the USPS Parcel Select Service. With this affordable service, you get to have many additional perks. For more information on parcel select ground rates, you can check out the official USPS Parcel Select Page.
You might also want to learn about the United States Postal Service hold mail from here.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)
Yes, USPS parcel select ground has free tracking included. You need to pay an extra amount for any additional services.
Yes, parcel select is a cheaper alternative to most USPS mailing services.
The starting rate of USPS parcel select ground is $7.01 which is applied to packages shipped within a single zone. As the distance, weight, and size increase, the rate also increases.
