Priority Mail Flat Rate
Delivered in 1 to 3 business days
$100 insurance included for free
You could save up to 56% by NOT using Priority Mail Flat Rate! Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes® and the Small Flat Rate Box® are incredible deals, but otherwise it can be cheaper to ditch the free packaging and use your own packaging instead of paying a premium.
Must use "Flat Rate" packaging
Max Weight: 70 pounds
Flat Rate is only cheapest sometimes
Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Boxes are good deals, but otherwise you should use your own packaging.
Delivered in 1 to 3 business days
Flat Rate is delivered at the same speed as all Priority Mail® services, in 1 to 3 days to anywhere in the USA.
Free package tracking included
Priority Mail Flat Rate comes with full tracking, so you and your recipient can keep track of the shipment.
$100 insurance included for free
Priority Mail Flat Rate includes $100 of USPS liability insurance for free.
Flat Rate is cheaper on Pirate Ship
You can save more than 17% by buying Flat Rate with Pirate Ship instead of at the Post Office®
Pirate Ship has the cheapest rates for Priority Mail Flat Rate
Pirate Ship offers Commercial Pricing® for Priority Mail Flat Rate shipments, which can save you up to 17% compared to standard retail pricing. With no hidden costs or fees, Pirate Ship is 100% free.
Flat Rate pricing makes shipping costs easier to understand, but it's usually more expensive
The idea behind Priority Mail Flat Rate is that if you can fit something into a Flat Rate-branded box, there’s just one price to pay, no matter how much it weighs or where it’s going. This simplifies shipping a lot, but that simplicity comes with downsides:
- You can’t use your own packaging, which can impact your branding.
- It can be up to 56% more expensive than using your own plain or custom packaging. View comparisons of Medium and Large Flat Rate Boxes vs. Priority Mail Cubic.
Priority Mail Flat Rate was really designed as a consumer product, and is not ideal for most business shippers. Even with Pirate Ship's Commercial Pricing shipping rates, there are only two types of Flat Rate packaging that are always a great deal: Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes (including Priority Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope and Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope) and the Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box.
For other sizes, such as the Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box and the Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box, you could save up to 56% by shipping your items with Priority Mail Cubic® in your own comparably-sized packaging instead.
Priority Mail Flat Rate is available in many different sizes
Priority Mail Flat Rate requires using Flat Rate-branded packaging, which you can pick up at any Post Office or order online for free from USPS.com/supplies. There are 7 different Flat Rate package types, and some types come in multiple package sizes:
- Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope®
- Priority Mail Legal Flat Rate Envelope®
- Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope®
- Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box®
- Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box®
- Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box®
- Priority Mail APO/FPO/DPO Large Flat Rate Box®
