USPS commercial pricing is the lower price category USPS charges for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage when postage is paid through an approved channel, such as Click-N-Ship, PC Postage software, a permit imprint or an approved postage meter, instead of at a Post Office counter. There’s no minimum volume: any business, or individual, that buys labels through one of those channels gets commercial prices.
USPS no longer splits this tier into Commercial Base and Commercial Plus for Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express. It merged them into a single Commercial category in 2023, and the current USPS price list shows only Retail and Commercial for all three services.
How does USPS commercial pricing work?
USPS publishes two main price columns for its package services. Retail prices apply when you pay at the counter or at a self-service kiosk. Commercial prices apply when the label is created and paid electronically through a channel that sends USPS shipment data, which lowers USPS’s handling cost.
The Domestic Mail Manual lists who qualifies for commercial Priority Mail prices:
- USPS Click-N-Ship customers
- Registered users of USPS-approved PC Postage products, using a qualifying label from that system
- Permit imprint mailers
- Priority Mail Open and Distribute customers using permit imprint
- USPS Returns permit holders, for packages returned at Priority Mail prices
- Customers using approved IBI postage meters that transmit transaction data to USPS
Most small businesses qualify through Click-N-Ship or PC Postage, which is how online shipping platforms connect. Nothing on that list requires an annual volume, an application or a contract.
What is the difference between commercial and retail USPS pricing?
The services are identical; only the price and the purchase channel differ. A Priority Mail package delivers on the same 1–3 business day commitment and carries the same included insurance whether you bought the label at a counter or online.
| Feature | Retail pricing | Commercial pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Where you buy | Post Office counter or self-service kiosk | Click-N-Ship, PC Postage, permit imprint or approved meters |
| Volume requirement | None | None |
| Services covered | Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage | Same three services |
| Cubic pricing | Not available | Available for Priority Mail and Ground Advantage |
| Delivery commitment | Same as commercial | Same as retail |
| Included insurance | Up to $100 for most Priority Mail and Ground Advantage shipments | Same |
| Who it suits | Occasional, walk-in mailers | Any business shipping regularly |
Because the USPS price schedule makes no distinction between residential and business addresses, commercial labels to homes cost the same as to offices. That’s a key reason USPS is often the lower-cost choice for light parcels going to consumers, as our matrix of the best shipping for small business by use case shows.
What happened to Commercial Base and Commercial Plus pricing?
For years, USPS sold Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express at two commercial tiers. Commercial Base was open to anyone paying online, and Commercial Plus was reserved for high-volume shippers or those with a customer agreement. In 2016, USPS raised Commercial Plus prices to match Commercial Base, and from then on the two tiers carried equivalent prices.
With the January 2023 price change, USPS consolidated the two into one Commercial price category for both services, noting in its filing that the categories had held equal prices since 2016. Guides that still describe Commercial Plus as a deeper discount, or list volume thresholds to qualify for it, are describing a tier that no longer exists for these services. USPS Ground Advantage, which launched in July 2023, has only retail and commercial prices.
What is cubic pricing, and who can use it?
Cubic pricing charges by the package’s size tier instead of its weight, which favors small, heavy items. It’s offered only at commercial prices, for Priority Mail Cubic and USPS Ground Advantage Cubic.
For Priority Mail Cubic, each piece must measure 0.5 cubic foot or less, weigh 20 pounds or less, and have no dimension longer than 22 inches; rolls and tubes don’t qualify. Eligible senders are PC Postage users, permit imprint mailers meeting manifest rules, and USPS Returns permit holders. You can compare tiers on the Priority Mail Cubic and Ground Advantage Cubic discount pages.
How can a small business get USPS commercial pricing?
- Choose a channel. Click-N-Ship on usps.com works for occasional labels, while a PC Postage platform adds batch printing, store integrations and cubic pricing.
- Measure and weigh accurately. Commercial labels are priced on the weight and dimensions you enter, and packages larger than one cubic foot can be billed at dimensional weight.
- Choose the service. Ground Advantage delivers in 2–5 business days and Priority Mail in 1–3; our guide to USPS Priority Mail vs Ground Advantage covers when the faster service is worth it.
- Hand off the package. Schedule free USPS Package Pickup or drop off at any Post Office. Commercial labels include USPS Tracking, and our USPS tracking ID lookup guide explains how to follow each shipment.
Some platforms go below published commercial prices. ParcelPath is free, with no subscription, per-label fee, minimum or contract, and offers up to 89% off USPS retail and up to 85% off UPS retail rates. You can compare live USPS and UPS rates for your package before you buy, and see the full range of services in our USPS shipping guide to rates, tracking and services.
Can businesses get rates below USPS commercial pricing?
Yes, two ways. Very large shippers can sign negotiated shipping contracts directly with USPS, which the Postal Regulatory Commission reviews. Smaller businesses usually get there through platforms that pass along deeper USPS discounts, without a contract.
Commercial pricing is one piece of a wider cost plan. For packaging, pickups and carrier comparison, see the seven ways to save on shipping for small business, and for order import, batch labels and insurance, read our guide to small business shipping solutions. More platform-specific guides are in the eCommerce shipping hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies for USPS commercial pricing?
Anyone who pays postage through an approved channel qualifies for USPS commercial pricing. That includes Click-N-Ship users, registered users of USPS-approved PC Postage products, permit imprint mailers and customers with approved postage meters. There is no minimum volume, application or contract, so a home-based seller shipping a few packages a month qualifies the same way a large retailer does.
Does USPS still offer Commercial Plus pricing?
Not for Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express. USPS merged Commercial Base and Commercial Plus into a single Commercial price category for both services in 2023, after the two tiers had carried equal prices since 2016. The current USPS price list shows only Retail and Commercial categories for Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage.
Does USPS commercial pricing include residential delivery?
Yes. USPS commercial prices are the same whether the package goes to a home or a business, because the USPS price schedule has no residential delivery category. That makes USPS commercial pricing especially useful for ecommerce sellers whose customers are mostly residential, since light parcels to homes don’t pick up an extra address-type charge.
How often does USPS change commercial prices?
USPS usually adjusts shipping prices at least once a year, often in January and sometimes mid-year, and may add temporary holiday-season changes. Each change is filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission in advance, and the current prices appear in USPS Notice 123 on Postal Explorer, which lists retail and commercial prices side by side.
Sources
- USPS Domestic Mail Manual 223: Priority Mail prices and eligibility (commercial and cubic)
- USPS Notice 123: Price List
- Federal Register notices of USPS competitive price changes: November 2022 (consolidation of Commercial Base and Commercial Plus for 2023) and November 22, 2023 (structure maintained for 2024), published on govinfo.gov
- USPS: Priority Mail
- USPS: USPS Ground Advantage
- Postal Regulatory Commission
Part of our Ecommerce Inventory Management guide. Related: eCommerce Shipping, Best Shipping for Small Business, Shipping for Small Business.
