USPS First Class Package Service

If you used to ship small packages with USPS First Class Package Service, you won't find it on a label screen anymore. USPS replaced it with USPS Ground Advantage on July 9, 2023, and a package under 1 lb now costs $5.34 to $8.23 to ship with Ground Advantage on Shippo, depending on weight and distance. Letters and large envelopes still go First-Class Mail. Read on to pick the right service for each item and see what a small package costs before you pay.

In this article

• What happened to USPS First Class Package Service?
• How much does Ground Advantage cost under 1 lb?
• Is First-Class Mail still available?
• Ground Advantage weight and size limits
• Delivery time, tracking and insurance
• How to ship a small package with Ground Advantage
• Frequently asked questions

What happened to USPS First Class Package Service?

USPS turned First Class Package Service into USPS Ground Advantage on July 9, 2023. The Federal Register rule behind the change calls it a rebranding, and it folded two other ground services in at the same time: Retail Ground and Parcel Select Ground. First Class Package Return Service was renamed too, and is now USPS Ground Advantage Return Service.

Ground Advantage prices small packages by weight and distance, includes tracking, and accepts much heavier packages than First Class did. If you're comparing it with the faster option, the Ground Advantage vs Priority Mail guide goes through both side by side.

First-Class Mail still covers letters, postcards and large envelopes (more on that below), and USPS First Class Package International Service keeps its old name for packages going abroad.

How much does Ground Advantage cost under 1 lb?

On Shippo, a Ground Advantage label for a package under 1 lb cost between $5.34 and $8.23 on Oct. 7, 2026. Distance changes the price: the same 15.9 oz box cost $6.56 within California and $8.23 to New York.

Shippo commercial rates for USPS Ground Advantage, pulled Oct. 7, 2026, for a 9×6×2 in box shipped from ZIP 94117 (San Francisco, CA) to ZIP 95814 (Sacramento, CA), 80202 (Denver, CO) and 10001 (New York, NY). The rates include USPS's temporary holiday pricing, which runs from Oct. 4, 2026, to Jan. 17, 2027. Your rate will vary by origin, destination, weight and dimensions.

The last row shows a catch. On the two shorter routes, the 1 lb 8 oz package cost less than the 15.9 oz one, while to New York it cost $1.31 more. Shippo's negotiated USPS pricing uses cubic pricing where it applies and weight and zone pricing elsewhere, so the quote for your actual box is a better guide than any weight rule of thumb.

You can check these rates for your own package with a free Shippo account, or try the USPS shipping calculator first.

Is First-Class Mail still available?

Yes. USPS kept First-Class Mail for letters, postcards and large envelopes (also called flats). What it won't take is anything that behaves like a package, such as a rigid box or an envelope over 3/4 in thick. Those ship as packages, usually with Ground Advantage.

The letter and flat limits come from USPS's mailing standards for letters and flats. A letter over 3.5 oz pays large envelope prices, and First-Class Mail stops at 13 oz. USPS publishes current letter, flat and postcard prices in Notice 123.

When an envelope becomes a package

A padded envelope only counts as a large envelope if it bends and lies evenly flat. USPS treats an envelope as not flexible if it can't bend at least 1 inch without damage, and as uneven if a bump makes it more than 1/4 in thicker in one spot. A pair of earrings or a USB stick in a bubble mailer usually fails the second test. Under the flat-size rules, an envelope that fails either test pays package prices.

Letters have a similar catch. A square envelope, a clasp or string, a plastic or bubble exterior, or anything stiff inside makes a letter nonmachinable, and USPS adds a surcharge to the postage.

This matters if you sell small goods like stickers, cards, prints or jewelry. A flat paper item in a paper envelope can go First-Class Mail. Anything lumpy or in a poly mailer is safer to ship as a package with a printed Ground Advantage label, which also gets you tracking.

Ground Advantage weight and size limits

Ground Advantage takes packages up to 70 lb and up to 130 in in combined length and girth, according to the USPS commercial Ground Advantage standards. Packages over 108 in combined pay an oversized price.

Price depends on weight and zone, the distance band between your ZIP and the recipient's. Small, dense packages can also qualify for cubic pricing, which is based on the box's volume instead of its weight. The USPS cubic pricing cheat sheet explains how those tiers work. For everything else about the service, see the full Ground Advantage guide.

Delivery time, tracking and insurance

USPS gives Ground Advantage a delivery range of two to five days, and says Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories may take longer. In Shippo's Oct. 7 quotes, San Francisco to Sacramento showed two days, Denver three and New York five. These are estimates: USPS doesn't guarantee Ground Advantage delivery dates.

USPS Tracking is included in the price. So is up to $100 of USPS coverage for loss or damage, on commercial labels as well as retail ones. For a more valuable item, you can add shipping insurance in Shippo when you buy the label. You can't add it afterward.

First-Class Mail letters and flats don't come with tracking. If you need proof of delivery for an envelope, USPS sells extra services such as Certified Mail.

How to ship a small package with Ground Advantage

Most shipping tools follow the same steps:

1. Pack the item, then weigh the sealed package on a postal or kitchen scale, mailer and filler included.
2. Measure the outside of the package and round each side up to the next whole inch.
3. Enter the recipient's address. Check the apartment or suite number before you pay.
4. Compare live rates and pick a service. For a small package that doesn't need to arrive fast, Ground Advantage costs less than Priority Mail.
5. Buy and print the label on a 4x6 thermal label or plain 8.5x11 paper, tape it flat on the largest side, and drop the package off.

In Shippo, Ground Advantage shows up next to Priority Mail, UPS and FedEx services on one screen, with price and estimated delivery time for each. Shippo checks US addresses before you buy, and you can schedule a USPS pickup as long as the pickup includes at least one Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, international or return label.

With a free Shippo account, you can print these labels at home instead of waiting at the post office counter.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ground Advantage the same as First Class?

For packages, yes. Ground Advantage is what USPS calls the service that replaced First Class Package Service in July 2023. For letters and large envelopes, no: those still go First-Class Mail, which has its own weight and size limits and doesn't include tracking.

Can I still buy a First Class Package label?

Not for a package going to a U.S. address. Any shipping tool or post office counter will offer Ground Advantage for the same package. The international version, First Class Package International Service, is still sold for packages up to 4 lb.

What replaced First Class Package Return Service?

USPS renamed it USPS Ground Advantage Return Service in July 2023. If you send customers prepaid return labels, the guide to USPS prepaid return labels covers how they're charged and how to send them.

Can I mail a package with stamps?

A package that weighs more than 10 oz and carries only stamps has to be handed to a post office employee rather than left in a collection box. A package with a printed Ground Advantage label can go in a collection box or be left for your carrier, as long as it fits.

Compare Ground Advantage with UPS and FedEx rates for your next small package on a free Shippo account.