UPS announced Simple Rate on November 6, 2019, giving small businesses a flat-rate shipping option that accepts their own boxes and packaging. The offer has five rate options based on package size and a choice of UPS Ground, UPS 3 Day Select or UPS 2nd Day Air. A merchant can keep packaging chosen for its products rather than switch to a carrier-supplied container. [S1]

Customers do not need a UPS account or separate enrollment to use Simple Rate, according to the announcement. UPS says it covers all 50 U.S. states, but Alaska and Hawaii have separate rates. A seller quoting shipping at checkout cannot treat nationwide availability as a promise of one price for every destination. [S1]

The announcement’s footnote also limits the promise of predictable charges. Size and weight restrictions apply, and additional charges may depend on package characteristics. UPS directs customers to its tariff, terms and service guide for the details. Merchants still need to check a parcel’s eligibility before treating a quoted flat rate as the final cost; the release does not provide the numerical size and weight limits. [S1]

The Postal Service takes a different approach to packaging. Its June 23, 2019 Priority Mail guide describes flat-rate shipping up to 70 pounds in eligible USPS-produced packaging, available at no additional cost. Container flaps must close within their normal folds. Tape can reinforce the container, but the shipper cannot enlarge it by opening the sides or reconstructing it. Those are USPS rules, not the UPS weight or packaging limits. [S2]

A shop already buying branded boxes may value UPS’s permission to keep them. A seller whose product fits a USPS flat-rate box gets the container without an additional charge. Those packaging costs belong in the comparison alongside the shipping price; neither document supplies a matched quote for a particular order. [S1][S2]

Source documents

  1. UPS Launches Flat Rate Shipping With UPS® Simple Ratehttps://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/ups-launches-flat-rate-shipping-with-upsr-simple-rate-2019-11-06
  2. Quick Service Guide 120: Retail — Priority Mailhttps://pe.usps.com/QSG_Archive/PDF/QSG_Archive_20190623/Q120.pdf