|
|
USPS Rates and Comparison Shopping with Other Carriers
Effective January 8, 2006
First Class Mail
(Letters, Flats, and Parcels First Ounce) $0.39
Additional Ounce $0.24
Nonmachinable Surcharge $0.12 (this applies to the first ounce only for packages being mailed in and out of the country). So since most of our seed trading packages are up to 1 ounce but thicker than 1/4 of an inch, it costs $0.49. If you are shipping your seeds properly and using bubble wrap, your envelop will be more than 1/4 of an inch thick. Putting one sliver of bubble wrap in your envelope is not enough even if you do have $0.49 in postage on it. It may feel like a borderline envelope and they may put it through the machines anyway. So fold your bubblewrap in half around your seeds to make that envelope unquestionably thick!1 ounce $0.39 ($0.52 if it is thicker than 1/4 of an inch as most padded envelopes would be)
2 ounce $0.63
3 ounce $0.87
4 ounce $1.11
5 ounce $1.35
6 ounce $1.59
7 ounce $1.83
8 ounce $2.07
9 ounce $2.31
10 oz $2.55
11 oz $2.79
12 oz $3.03
13 oz $3.27
For information on this from the United States Post Office Web Site, click here.
Priority Mail Rate HighlightsUp to 1 pound $4.05
Over 1 lb, up to 70 lbs See Ratefold Chart (below)Any box weighing 2 pounds or more will cost anywhere from $4.20 to $6.05 depending on where you are mailing from if mailing priority.
Here's how it works...
Everyone else's zone in the country will depend on the zip code's zone you are mailing from. Let's say I live in California and I have a friend who lives in Iowa, but we are each mailing a package of equivalent weight to a specific address in New York City. The zone for that New York City address will be different for my friend than it is for me.
So to find out what the zones are for where you live, you will need your zone chart which depends on the zip where you are mailing from. Look it up here: Postal Zone Charts.
Once you know the zone you are mailing to. You can look up the cost by going to the "Ratefold Chart". You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software (it's free) to read it. For the "Priority Mail Rate Chart", look on page 6 of the Ratefold Chart (the bottom, left hand corner of the window will tell you what page you're on).
All this too much trouble? You can have the USPS mail you the information directly. Just ask for the "Zone Chart Department" at the USPS National Customer Support Center at 1.800.238.3150. Ask them to send you both a "Zone Chart" and a "Rate Chart" and they will be happy to do so.
You just need to know the zip code of where your outgoing mail is leaving - which for most of us is the same as our home zip code.
If you would like to compare the Priority Mail Rates to the Parcel Post Mail Rates, look up the Parcel Post Rates. Good to know especially since Priority is not guaranteed to arrive in 2-3 days.
If you're thinking of using UPS, DHL, or FedEx instead, in hopes it will be less expensive, check at IShip to compare prices. =
Look here for information on how to ship live plants.
For lots of general information on seed and plant exchanging, growing, planting, sowing, and saving, check here.
I hope you find this information helpful.
: )
Violet
Copyright © 2001 - 2006.