Cheapest Carrier in 2020: 2-3 Day Shipping Rates

Note: As of October 19, 2022, ShippingEasy now offers the lowest USPSⓇ shipping rates in the industry, and the rates reflected on this page are prior to this change and may not be accurate. For more information on these new rates, check out our blog!

2-3 Day Shipping is expedited shipping for e-commerce sellers that is a happy medium between expensive overnight shipping and slow 3+ day shipping options. We’ve created a table for 2-3 day shipping, highlighting the cheapest carrier based on the weight and zone a package goes to.

Your choice of carrier is based on a complex mix of criteria including:

  • Delivery time frame
  • Package weight
  • Package dimensions
  • Delivery distance
  • Discounts you may have negotiated (or may be able to negotiate) with a carrier

The good news is we’ve done the analysis for you and narrowed down your choices for each standard delivery timeframe. In this section, we’ll look at each common delivery timeframe and provide a summary table showing the lowest cost carrier for a given weight/zone combination.

Where relevant we’ll color code the table cells to indicate if a USPS flat-rate or regional-rate option may be more cost-effective. To use these tables simply find the row in the table with your shipment weight and the column with your destination zone; the code at their intersection will tell you who is typically the lowest-cost carrier for that scenario (based on USPS Commercial Rates and standard FedEx and UPS pricing, including residential and fuel surcharges).

If the cell is colored, look at the key to find out which USPS flat- or regional-rate service might be an even better deal.

For the current 2023 USPS rates, visit our USPS 2023 Shipping Rate Changes: Flat Rate, Priority, First Class, w/Tables blog!

Cheapest 2-3 Day Delivery Options in 2020

USPS offers no guaranteed 2-day service. However, the USPS Priority Mail® “1 to 3 Day” service will get your package to most destinations in two days, and unlike the other carriers, it will get it to some destinations within one day. Head online to usps.com to calculate estimated delivery times. If you need 100% guaranteed 2-day delivery, go with FedEx or UPS.

If you do decide to go with USPS Priority Mail®, consider Regional Rate® Boxes. These boxes can provide huge savings in some weight ranges and zones as highlighted in the table, as long as your contents will fit into them. Regional Rate® box sizes are:

A1: 10″ x 7″ x 4-3/4″ top load, maximum 15 lb.
A2: 12-13/16″ x 10-15/16″ x 2-3/8“ side load, maximum 15 lb.
B1: 12″ x 10-1/4″ x 5″ top load, maximum 20 lb.
B2: 15-7/8″ x 14-3/8″ x 2-7/8“ side load, maximu m 20 lb.

USPS also offers Priority Mail Flat Rate® envelopes and boxes that ship any contents up to 70 pounds to any zone for one rate. See the color code key to understand where this might be the best deal.

Cheapest carrier in 2020 2-3 day shipping

More information can be found in ShippingEasy’s E-commerce Seller’s Guide to 2020 Shipping Rate Changes:

2020 Rate changes guide download

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