Holiday Shipping Price Hikes Start This Month….

Holiday Shipping Price Hikes at UPS, FedEx and USPS

If you plan on doing some online shopping this holiday season, get ready to pay a little more for the convenience!  Starting as soon as September 27, UPS, FedEx and USPS will roll out new surcharges during the peak holiday demand season.

What will that look like?  Most shoppers will only see an increase of around 50¢ – 80¢ on smaller packages.  But if you’re ordering something heavy?  UPS’s peak-season surcharge can reach $11.90, while REALLY large packages can see as high as a $117.50 surcharge.  (yikes!) Just remember, these larger fees are charged to the retailer, so there’s no guarantee it’ll all be passed along to shoppers.

Here’s what we can expect with these pricing increases:

UPS Holiday Shipping Increase:
Starts October 25, Peak rate starts November 22

• UPS Ground Residential – Up 50¢ – 75¢ at peak
• UPS Ground Saver – Up 50¢ – 75¢ at peak
• UPS Next Day Air – Up $1.35 – $2.50 at peak
• Other UPS Air – Up $1.35 – $2.50 at peak
• See more pricing details here including oversized handling

FedEx Holiday Shipping Increase:
Starts September 28, Peak rate starts November 23

• Ground/Home Delivery residential – Up 50¢ – 80¢ at peak
• Ground Economy – Up $2.55 – $4.05 at peak
• FedEx 2Day / Express Saver – Up $1.20 – $2.35 at peak
• Overnight services – Up $1.30 – $2.55 at peak
• See all pricing details including oversized handling

USPS Holiday Shipping Increase:
Starts October 4

• Prices increase 50¢ – 75¢ for most packages up to 3lbs
• Prices increase 80¢ – $4 for most heavier packages up to 25lbs
• Up to $20.80 increase on biggest items with the fastest and furthest shipping
• Affects: Priority, Priority Mail Express, USPS Ground Advantage, Parcel Select
• See all pricing details including oversized handling

UPS, FedEx and USPS regularly institute higher fees to cover the peak season operating costs.  Shipping volume is known to jump up 24% between the rest of the year and the October – December shopping season.

Avoid the Holiday Increases with Pirate Ship…

Shipping packages out yourself?  You can avoid paying full retail shipping prices using Pirate Ship!  Pirate Ship lets you save up to 87% and it’s totally free.  You’ll get access to discounted USPS and UPS rates that are normally reserved for commercial shippers.

• Just enter package size, weight, destination
• Compare available rates
• Buy and print your label at home
• Ship it!