Purchasing shipping labels just got, even more, cost-efficient.
Shopify Shipping is now offering cubic pricing with USPS Priority Mail which can save you
up to 90% of your typical retails costs.
USPS offers discounted rates on Priority Mail, which delivers in 1 to 3 business days.
This includes packages and envelopes that weigh less than 20 lbs and measure less than
0.5 cubic feet in volume.
Priority Mail cubic rates are determined by how far the package is travelling and the
cubic volume tier the package falls in.
This table shows distance and volume tiers, and what rates apply to a package.
As long as the package weighs less than 20 lbs, the final weight does not factor into
cubic rates.
Typical orders include small heavy packages, such as candles, ground coffee, mugs, and
weights.
Stick around for more details on how to calculate cubic feet.
Your store is eligible for USPS Priority Mail cubic rates if you meeting the following requirements:
* You’re shipping from the United States * You are using Shopify Shipping
* You are shipping a package that meets the dimension and weight limit
* Your store operates on the Shopify plan or Advanced plan
If your store or packages are not eligible for cubic rates but you would like to learn
more about Shopify shipping rates, check out the video linked above.
To see if your box-shaped packages qualify for USPS cubic rates, use the following formula
with all measurements in inches.
Length x Width x Height / 1728 = package volume in cubic feet.
If the cubic feet amount is less or equal to 0.5, then the package uses cubic rates.
It’s important to note that a package’s length or width must be less than 18 inches
to qualify.
A great example of an eligible package is a standard size adult shoebox.
14 inches x 8 inches x 5 inches / 1728 = 0.32 cubic feet.
Since this package’s volume is less than 0.5 cubic feet, it qualifies for cubic rates.
Keep in mind the total weight of the package must be less than 20 lbs to qualify.
If you’re shipping a soft-pack or padded envelope, you need to use a different formula
to calculate the total package length instead.
You can add small boxes to an envelope but the envelope needs to keep its flat shape.
Envelopes that are expandable do not qualify for the envelopes pricing and need to use
cubic pricing for box-shaped packages mentioned previously.
Use the following formula with measurements in inches to see if an empty envelope or soft-pack
qualifies for cubic pricing.
Length + Width = Total package length If the total length of the soft-pack is less
than 36 inches, the soft-pack is eligible for cubic pricing.
It’s important to note that an envelope doesn't qualify for cubic pricing if the length
or width is over 18 inches.
For example, a padded envelope measuring 12.5 inches in length + 9.5 inches width = 22 inches
in total length.
Since this is less than 36 inches, the padded envelope qualifies as long as the total weight
of the package is less than 20 lbs.
This example shows a purchase of a set of dumbbells at checkout.
The shipping rates shown are calculated using the default package size and total weight
of the order.
You can find your default package by clicking “Settings”, then click “Shipping”
and scroll to the “Packages” section.
For more details on how to add and edit packages, check out the link below.
This checkout example has a default package weight of 0.5 lbs + 4.4 lbs of product.
The package dimensions are of a standard size adult shoe box.
These details mean that the package has 0.32 cubic feet, with a total weight of 4.9 lbs
qualifying for USPS Priority Mail cubic rates.
The cubic rate is shown in the list of shipping options, and the customer chooses which rate
they prefer.
To purchase a USPS label with cubic rates, start on your Shopify admin.
Click “Orders”, and choose what order you’d like to create a label for.
On the “Orders detail” page, you see how much the package weighs, and what shipping
option the customer purchased.
Next, click “Create shipping label”.
Select the package you’re shipping from the drop-down menu under “Package and weight”.
Scroll down to the “Shipping services” section.
You see a banner with the shipping option the customer purchased at checkout and what
they spent.
If the customer did not purchase priority mail, you’re still able to purchase this
option.
If Shopify calculates a cubic price that’s higher than the regular Priority Mail price,
then Shopify selects the cheaper rate.
Shipping options calculated using the cubic rates display “Cubic Rate” text under
the “Priority Mail” title.
From here, select the cubic rate shipping option, review the order details and click
“Buy shipping label”.
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If you still have questions, comment below or contact the Shopify support team directly.