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The United States Postal Service (USPS) delivers an estimated 317 million pieces of mail and 23.5 million eCommerce packages daily, with delivery times ranging from next day delivery to several weeks depending on the exact service and destination.
If you’re an eCommerce merchant shipping packages, you’ll want to understand the exact USPS delivery times for the various services to best meet your customers' expectations. Leading to happier customers, more positive reviews and more repeat purchases.
The USPS provides different delivery options across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii as two non-contiguous states. Merchants can choose economical shipping options like USPS Ground Advantage (formally First-Class Package Service) for reliable, timely delivery or more expensive expedited services like USPS Priority Mail Express for overnight delivery for the very next day in most locations.
Ready to ship your parcel inside the United States? The USPS has more than 30,000 retail locations within the U.S., making sending packages and organizing drop-offs easier. The table below outlines the most popular domestic USPS delivery hours per service.
Shipping overseas? The USPS offers several international services with various delivery times, working with local postal services for last-mile delivery. Merchants can choose affordable options like Priority Mail International or more expensive, faster options like Priority Mail Express International.
The previous express international delivery service, Global Express Guaranteed (GXG), is no longer available or offered by USPS effective since 28 September 2024.
Before sending your shipment with USPS, it is important to understand the various factors and metrics that can affect delivery. With this inside knowledge, you can accurately predict USPS mail delivery times and provide your customers with estimated delivery times with confidence.
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As mentioned, USPS shipping time varies depending on a broad range of factors. You can get an accurate estimate by understanding the distance between the two locations, the type of mail class chosen, the presence of recognized USPS holidays, and other transport challenges. For example, during the recent Canada Post strike that affected the Canadian postal service for 31 days in November and December 2024, USPS international services were delayed due to the inability for the final-mile partner to accommodate the volume of packages sent.
Taking this point further, if you want to send your shipment using USPS Ground Advantage, it might take between 2 and 5 working days to deliver the package (or up to 8 depending on the final destination's shipping zone). This makes it a reliable option for sending a broad range of items as either small, medium or large boxes, oversized packages, and non-urgent packages. USPS Media Mail also takes the same duration, but is a more affordable shipping alternative for sending books, retail media products and educational materials.
eCommerce businesses looking to deliver standard-sized or single-piece envelopes weighing up to 3.5oz can opt for the USPS first-class mail, which usually takes between 2 and 3 business days.
To compare the different delivery times between two of USPS more popular package delivery services - USPS Priorty Mail and Priority Mail Express - consider the following key differences between the services. You'll then be able to review whether or not its worth paying more for USPS express delivery.
USPS Priority Mail delivers your package in 1-3 business days for most domestic shipments. However, this is not not guaranteed by USPS and actual delivery times may vary. The plus side is that Saturday delivery is included at no extra charge where the delivery date is caculkated as a Saturday.
USPS Priority Mail Express offers guaranteed next-day to 2-day delivery by 6pm. This is a genuine money-back guarantee by USPS if your parcel is not delivered by the guaranteed delivery time. In addition, Sunday and (some) holiday delivery dates are available in many locations for an additional fee.
It's worth noting that the scheduled delivery date and delivery times for USPS Priority Mail and USPS Priority Mail Express can vary significantly depending on the shipment origin, delivery destination, and defined drop-off time. Use our free USPS rate calculator for the latest discounted Priority Mail pricing.
USPS Ground Advantage, first launched in July 2023, offers the combined strength of the former USPS First-Class Package Service, USPS Retail Ground, and USPS Parcel Select Ground.
In most instances, Ground Advantage offers timely delivery of packages inside the United States within 2-5 business days. There have been reports that this may take up to 8 working days depending on the exact circumstances including origin, destination and package type.
According to USPS, the official expected delivery of most parcels is 2–5 business days but packages going to certain places (including Alaska, Hawaii, and offshore destinations), or boxes containing restricted items requiring inspection may receive slower service.
It's really easy to calculate USPS delivery times by zip code by using our free shipping delivery time calculator for USPS and 550+ other courier services including UPS, FedEx, DHL Express and more. Simply enter your origin zip code (e.g. where you're sending the package from) and destination zip code (e.g. intended delivery address) to get an accurate quote on how long delivery will take for a range of USPS services including USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and international services to more than 220+ destinations worldwide.
The USPS offers reliable and affordable shipping services for eCommerce merchants of all sizes. As you look to grow your business, t’s important to understand the delivery times for the various services to assure you provide the best shipping experience for your customers.
Easyship offers instant access to the best USPS shipping services for eCommerce merchants looking for cheaper shipping rates, simple service comparisons and better tracking with branded customer experiences.
All USPS shipments have rates using Commercial Plus Pricing (CPP), so you can take advantage of substantial savings up to 89% off retail rates. You can sign up today and get immediate access to our best business shipping rates and compare pricing with 550+ global courier services to find the right option for you.
Through our all-in-one shipping platform, you can manage the entire USPS shipping experience from easy to schedule pickups to generating shipping labels, and our free Shipping Rates Calculator delivers accurate pricing and delivery time estimate for USPS.
How long does USPS take to deliver? USPS delivery hours are almost the same, only that they vary according to the delivery route and volume of the packages in the shipment. Nevertheless, USPS often delivers packages, parcels, and mail items to indicated recipients before 5pm local time.
If you are looking for a USPS estimated delivery date, packages sent through Priority Mail Express typically reach recipients by 10.30am. Those sent through domestic express mail before 12pm while international mail delivers to customers before 3pm.
USPS transit times vary depending on a range of factors. Probably one of the most significant determinants of how long delivery will take is the distance between the sender and the intended destinations. The package or mail class service option chosen by the sender also affects USPS delivery times, with some options providing faster services than others. For example, USPS Priority Mail Express will arrive before USPS Priority Mail. Then, in order, Priority Mail will arrive before USPS Ground Advantage as the most economical service.
Rescheduling delivery with USPS requires some shipment details. To change USPS delivery times from the company’s website, you will need to enter the current address, article number indicated from the delivery notice, attempted delivery date. Then, you'll be able to select preferred future delivery date in accordance with the service restrictions for that type of package. For example, you cannot select Sunday delivery for USPS Priority Mail or Ground Advantage.
Life is busy. Any number of situations may come up, making it impossible to attend to your delivery. However, worry not if you missed USPS delivery time. You can schedule the delivery with the help of the peach-colored slip left by the postal service or courier to find your items and reschedule for delivery.
Yes, USPS does deliver some services on Saturday including Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express. Saturday delivery hours typically range from 9am to 5pm with the majority of packages arriving by 2pm in the afternoon. During the peak holiday season from October to December, deliveries may extend until 6pm in some areas to accommodate the spike in delivery volume due to increased consumer spending online.
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