Save on Priority Mail or Express Mail Postage - Buy Postage On-Line, and Use Flat-Rate Boxes for Heavier Items

Although postal rates recently went up, the Postal Service has also made it possible for you to get a discount on postage if you purchase Priority Mail or Express Mail on-line and print the labels at home (or in your office). The discount gets you the special Commercial Base Price. On Express Mail, it's 3% off, and on Priority Mail the discount varies based on weight/cost.

Their site indicates the discount can be up to 11% for Priority Mail, although I can't find specifics on what size/weight/cost gets 11% off. But I checked on some samples and found that a 1.5 lb Priority Mail package from the East Coast (i.e. New York, Pennsylvania) to California costing $8.25 at the Post Office would cost $7.96.

If you're sending heavier packages, another way to add some savings for Priority Mail is to use one of their Flat-Rate boxes. These are Priority Mail boxes specifically printed with Flat Rate on the packaging. If you use those, the postage is the same whether the package weighs 2 lbs., 5 lbs. or more. Depending upon the distance the package travels (it costs more to send priority mail cross-country than just a state away), a flat rate box can save you once the weight goes over 2 lbs.

The Post Office rate for a 2.5 lb. Priority Mail package sent in a regular box from New York to California would be $11.50 but in a Flat-Rate box it would be just $9.80. And if you order the Flat-Rate postage label on-line, the postage drops another 50¢, making the postage $9.30.

It's still $9.30 on-line (or $9.80 at the P.O.) for Flat-Rate Priority to California even if the package weighs 5 lbs., which is really a whopping savings over the $17.65 it would cost if you sent it in a regular Priority Mail box and paid at the Post Office.

For packages traveling shorter distances, there may still be savings but they'd start at different weight amounts compared to cross-country. For example, a 2.5 lb. box from Pennsylvania to Ohio would be $6.75 in a regular box ($6.38 on-line) but would still be $9.80 (or $9.30) using the Flat-Rate box. One you get to 5.5 lbs. the costs get closer ($10.00 regular Priority Mail or $9.20 on-line). The savings for Flat Rate on a short haul start showing up in heavier than 6 lbs.

So as you can see, depending on what you're sending and where, there are savings to be had when mailing via Priority Mail by two methods: first consider using the on-line label purchase to save a few percent; and using a Flat-Rate box when sending something a bit heavier. It's worth getting the respective costs at the Postal Service domestic postage calculator before you send that package.

This might save you some big bucks around the holidays when you're sending lots of packages, especially if your family/friends are far flung.