--- title: "How much to ship a 1 lb package with USPS (2026 prices)" description: "A 1 lb package costs $8.01-$11.22 by USPS Ground Advantage online and $10.05-$13.65 at the Post Office, Zones 1-9 (holiday prices). Media Mail: $4.39." canonical: https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/1-lb/ last_updated: 2026-10-19 publisher: "The Reseller Index" --- # How much does it cost to ship a 1 lb package with USPS? **A 1 lb package costs $8.01 to $11.22 by USPS Ground Advantage with a label bought online** (USPS's commercial prices) and $10.05 to $13.65 at the Post Office counter, depending on the zone. Zone 1 is the cheapest and Zones 8 and 9 the most expensive. If it's books, CDs or DVDs, Media Mail costs **$4.39** to any zone. **Temporary holiday prices.** The Ground Advantage prices on this page are USPS's holiday prices, in effect from 12 a.m. CT Oct 4, 2026 to 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027. Media Mail isn't part of the holiday increase. [What they add at 1 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/1-lb/#holiday-h) Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 - **Ground Advantage online, Zone 4 (up to about 600 mi)** $8.55 - **Post Office counter, Zone 4** $11.10 - **Media Mail, any zone (books and media only)** $4.39 - **Buying the label online saves** $1.92-$2.55 ## USPS Ground Advantage at 1 lb, every zone Online is USPS's commercial price (Click-N-Ship and label services); the Post Office price is retail. Zones: [what each zone covers](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost-by-weight/#zone-h) ([DMM 608.9](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/608.htm)). *USD, weight not over 1 lb. USPS Notice 123, effective Oct 4, 2026, holiday prices in effect to 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027. Zone distances: DMM 608.9. Priority Mail: commercial price at this weight. Selling platforms and label services can have their own rates.* | Zone | Distance | Post Office (retail) | Online (commercial) | Online saves | Priority Mail online | | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | Zone 1 | up to 50 mi | $10.05 | $8.01 | $2.04 (20%) | $9.44 | | Zone 2 | up to about 150 mi | $10.45 | $8.08 | $2.37 (23%) | $9.72 | | Zone 3 | up to about 300 mi | $10.70 | $8.40 | $2.30 (21%) | $10.11 | | Zone 4 | up to about 600 mi | $11.10 | $8.55 | $2.55 (23%) | $10.80 | | Zone 5 | up to about 1,000 mi | $11.70 | $9.29 | $2.41 (21%) | $13.82 | | Zone 6 | up to about 1,400 mi | $12.10 | $10.18 | $1.92 (16%) | $15.32 | | Zone 7 | up to about 1,800 mi | $12.70 | $10.53 | $2.17 (17%) | $15.93 | | Zone 8 | over 1,800 mi | $13.65 | $11.22 | $2.43 (18%) | $16.07 | | Zone 9 | Palau, Micronesia, Marshall Is. | $13.65 | $11.22 | $2.43 (18%) | $33.33 | | Media Mail | any zone | $4.39 (same online and at the counter) | | n/a | | - The biggest step between neighboring zones online is Zone 5 to Zone 6 (past about 1,000 miles): +$0.89. At the Post Office it's Zone 7 to Zone 8 (past about 1,800 miles): +$0.95. - No Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope or box beats Ground Advantage online at 1 lb in any zone; Priority Mail by weight costs $1.43 to $22.11 more. - Zone 9 (Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands) costs the same as Zone 8 at this weight. [Check 1 lb for your zone in the postage calculator](https://resellerindex.com/calculators/postage/?lb=1) USPS's [zone chart tool](https://postcalc.usps.com/DomesticZoneChart) gives the zone between two ZIP Codes. ## Which packages pay the 1 lb price - Only a package of exactly 1 lb (16 oz) pays the 1 lb price; at 15.999 oz or less it pays the ounce price ([DMM 283.1.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/283.htm)). - Go over 1 lb, even to 1 lb 1 oz, and it pays the 2 lb price: $0.26 to $2.20 more online and $1.25 to $6.15 more at the Post Office, depending on the zone. - A 15.999 oz package costs $0.68 to $2.27 less online and the same at the Post Office. ## Cheaper ways to ship 1 lb - **Priority Mail costs more here.** At 1 lb, a Priority Mail label online is $1.43 to $22.11 more than Ground Advantage online, depending on the zone; none of the Flat Rate envelopes or boxes beats Ground Advantage at this weight. You pay that for 2-3 day delivery. - **Media Mail, if it qualifies:** $4.39 to any zone, $3.62 to $6.83 less than an online Ground Advantage label. Only books (at least 8 pages), CDs, DVDs and the other media on USPS's list qualify, not video games ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/ship/mail-shipping-services.htm); [what qualifies](https://resellerindex.com/usps/media-mail/)). Guides: [books](https://resellerindex.com/guides/cheapest-way-to-ship-books/) · [video games](https://resellerindex.com/guides/how-to-ship-video-games/). - **Buy the label online:** $1.92 to $2.55 less than the counter at this weight (16% to 23%), the most in Zone 4. - **Small and heavy? Cubic prices go by size.** USPS's commercial Ground Advantage also prices parcels of up to 20 lb, 1 cubic foot and 22 in. on the longest side by package size and zone instead of weight ([DMM 283.1.3](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/283.htm)). At 1 lb, every cubic tier up to 0.10 cubic feet (173 cubic inches) costs less to Zone 4 than the weight price: $8.39 against $8.55, and to Zone 8 every tier up to 0.10 cubic feet does ($10.68 against $11.22). You need a label service that offers cubic prices. [Cubic tiers](https://resellerindex.com/rates/ground-advantage-cubic/) · [by weight or cubic](https://resellerindex.com/guides/cheapest-way-to-ship-clothes/#compare-h) - **Watch the box size.** A box bigger than 1 cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches; a 12 x 12 x 12 in. box is exactly 1 cubic foot) is billed at the greater of its actual weight and its dimensional weight: length x width x height, each side rounded up to the inch, divided by 139 and rounded up ([DMM 283.1.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/283.htm)). Any box over 1 cubic foot bills as at least 13 lb. A 1 lb package in a 13 x 13 x 13 in. box bills as 16 lb: $18.99 online to Zone 4 instead of $8.55. On top: $4.50 over 22 in. long, $10.00 over 30 in., $21.00 over 2 cubic feet, and the oversized price over 108 in. in length plus girth ([all fees](https://resellerindex.com/rates/ground-advantage/#fees-h)). ## Holiday prices until Jan 17, 2027 Every Ground Advantage price above includes USPS's temporary holiday add-on, from 12 a.m. CT Oct 4, 2026 to 12 a.m. CT Jan 17, 2027 ([USPS, announced Aug 25, 2026](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0825-usps-announces-temporary-price-change-for-2026-holiday-shipping-season.htm)). At 1 lb, in USPS's 0-3 lb band, it adds $0.40 online and $0.50 at the Post Office in Zones 1-4, and $0.55 and $0.75 in Zones 5-9. Media Mail is not affected. *Before: USPS Notice 123 of [Jul 12, 2026](https://pe.usps.com/Archive/NHTML/DMMArchive20260712/Notice123.htm), in effect until Oct 3, 2026 (today's price minus the holiday add-on, which matches that edition). Now: [Notice 123 effective Oct 4, 2026](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm).* | Zone | Online, before | Online, now | Post Office, before | Post Office, now | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | Zone 1 | $7.61 | $8.01 | $9.55 | $10.05 | | Zone 2 | $7.68 | $8.08 | $9.95 | $10.45 | | Zone 3 | $8.00 | $8.40 | $10.20 | $10.70 | | Zone 4 | $8.15 | $8.55 | $10.60 | $11.10 | | Zone 5 | $8.74 | $9.29 | $10.95 | $11.70 | | Zone 6 | $9.63 | $10.18 | $11.35 | $12.10 | | Zone 7 | $9.98 | $10.53 | $11.95 | $12.70 | | Zone 8 | $10.67 | $11.22 | $12.90 | $13.65 | | Zone 9 | $10.67 | $11.22 | $12.90 | $13.65 | On Jan 17, 2027 the holiday add-on ends, and so does USPS's 8% time-limited increase, in place since Apr 26, 2026 ([tracker entry](https://resellerindex.com/changes/usps/2026-04-26-usps-time-limited-8-percent/)). USPS's Governors ordered prices "rolled back to approved levels" then (Governors' Decisions [26-1](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/30/2026-06025/change-in-rates-of-general-applicability-for-competitive-products) and [26-7](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/28/2026-17640/change-in-rates-of-general-applicability-for-competitive-products)). What that means for these prices: [questions below](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/1-lb/#faq-h) · [what's known about 2027 prices](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-price-change-2027/) · [USPS holiday prices in detail](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-holiday-2026/) ## What a 1 lb package cost before - Media Mail: $4.47 under the Jul 13, 2025 Notice 123 and $4.39 now (-$0.08, -2%). The biggest step in these editions was Jul 12, 2026: -$0.08. - Ground Advantage at the Post Office, Zone 1: $8.70 under the Jul 13, 2025 Notice 123 and $10.05 now, including the temporary holiday add-on (+$1.35, +16%). The biggest step in these editions was Apr 26, 2026: +$0.70. *Selected editions of USPS Notice 123 from Postal Explorer and its archive (the Oct 5, 2025 holiday edition is not included). Full series: [Media Mail price history](https://resellerindex.com/history/media-mail/) · [USPS package price history](https://resellerindex.com/history/usps-packages/).* | Notice 123 effective | Media Mail | Ground Advantage at the Post Office, Zone 1 | | --- | ---: | ---: | | [Jul 13, 2025](https://pe.usps.com/Archive/NHTML/DMMArchive20250713/Notice123.htm) | $4.47 | $8.70 | | [Jan 18, 2026](https://pe.usps.com/Archive/NHTML/DMMArchive20260118/Notice123.htm) | $4.47 | $8.85 | | [Apr 26, 2026](https://pe.usps.com/Archive/NHTML/DMMArchive20260406/Notice123.htm) | $4.47 | $9.55 | | [Jul 12, 2026](https://pe.usps.com/Archive/NHTML/DMMArchive20260712/Notice123.htm) | $4.39 | $9.55 | | [Oct 4, 2026](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) | $4.39 | $10.05 | ## Questions ### How much does it cost to ship a 1 lb package? By USPS Ground Advantage, $8.01 to $11.22 with a label bought online (USPS's commercial prices) and $10.05 to $13.65 at the Post Office, depending on the zone. These are USPS's temporary holiday prices, in effect until Jan 17, 2027. To Zone 4 (up to about 600 miles) it's $8.55 online and $11.10 at the counter. Books, CDs and DVDs can go by Media Mail for $4.39 ([USPS Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm)). ### What is the cheapest way to ship a 1 lb package? If it's books, CDs, DVDs or other media on USPS's list, Media Mail: $4.39 to any zone, in 2-8 days against 2-5 for Ground Advantage ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/ship/mail-shipping-services.htm)). Otherwise, at published online prices: an online Ground Advantage label, from $8.01 in Zone 1 to $11.22 in Zones 8 and 9. In a small box, Ground Advantage Cubic can undercut the weight price. Keep the box at 1 cubic foot or less: a bigger box is billed as at least 13 lb. ### What if my package weighs a little more than 1 lb? It pays the 2 lb price. USPS rounds up any fraction of a pound ([DMM 283.1.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/283.htm)), so a 1 lb 1 oz package costs $0.26 to $2.20 more online and $1.25 to $6.15 more at the Post Office than a 1 lb one. ### Will a 1 lb package cost less after Jan 17, 2027? The holiday add-on ends at 12 a.m. CT on Jan 17, 2027. At 1 lb it is $0.40 online and $0.50 at the Post Office in Zones 1-4, and $0.55 and $0.75 in Zones 5-9 ([USPS](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0825-usps-announces-temporary-price-change-for-2026-holiday-shipping-season.htm)). Before it started on Oct 4, 2026, the same package cost $7.61 to $10.67 online. USPS's 8% time-limited increase ends the same day. USPS's Governors ordered both temporary increases "rolled back to approved levels" at 12 a.m. on Jan 17, 2027 (Governors' Decisions [26-1](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/30/2026-06025/change-in-rates-of-general-applicability-for-competitive-products) and [26-7](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/28/2026-17640/change-in-rates-of-general-applicability-for-competitive-products)); the restored prices apply "unless the Governors take further action to adjust prices." USPS filed those prices with the Postal Regulatory Commission (Dockets [CP2026-4](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/31/2026-06162/competitive-postal-products) and [CP2026-10](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/31/2026-17656/competitive-postal-products)), but they aren't in a Notice 123 price list yet, so this page shows no price from Jan 17, 2027, and the earlier prices above aren't a forecast. ## Shipping cost at other weights - [8 oz](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/8-oz/) - [12 oz](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/12-oz/) - 1 lb - [2 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/2-lb/) - [3 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/3-lb/) - [4 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/4-lb/) - [5 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/5-lb/) - [6 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/6-lb/) - [7 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/7-lb/) - [8 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/8-lb/) - [10 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/10-lb/) - [15 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/15-lb/) - [20 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/20-lb/) - [25 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/25-lb/) - [30 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/30-lb/) - [40 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/40-lb/) - [50 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/50-lb/) - [70 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/70-lb/) Every weight on one page: [USPS shipping cost by weight](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost-by-weight/) · full tables: [Ground Advantage rates](https://resellerindex.com/rates/ground-advantage/), [Media Mail rates](https://resellerindex.com/rates/media-mail/), [Priority Mail prices](https://resellerindex.com/rates/priority-mail/) ## Sources Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 from each official page below. - [USPS Notice 123 (effective Oct 4, 2026)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm) - [Postal Explorer archive: Notice 123, July 12, 2026](https://pe.usps.com/Archive/NHTML/DMMArchive20260712/Notice123.htm) - [USPS: temporary price change for 2026 holiday shipping (Aug 25, 2026)](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0825-usps-announces-temporary-price-change-for-2026-holiday-shipping-season.htm) - [USPS: transportation-related time-limited price change (Mar 25, 2026)](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0325-usps-announces-transportation-related-time-limited-price-change.pdf) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 283: Ground Advantage commercial (weight steps, cubic prices, dimensional weight)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/283.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 173: Media Mail (priced per pound, 1 lb minimum)](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/173.htm) - [USPS Domestic Mail Manual 608.9: postal zones](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/608.htm) - [USPS: Mail and shipping services (Media Mail and Ground Advantage rules)](https://www.usps.com/ship/mail-shipping-services.htm) - [Governors' Decision No. 26-1 (8% time-limited increase): prices "rolled back to approved levels" on Jan 17, 2027 (Federal Register)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/30/2026-06025/change-in-rates-of-general-applicability-for-competitive-products) - [PRC Order No. 9490, Docket No. CP2026-4 (Federal Register)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/31/2026-06162/competitive-postal-products) - [Governors' Decision No. 26-7 (holiday prices): prices "rolled back to approved levels" on Jan 17, 2027 (Federal Register)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/28/2026-17640/change-in-rates-of-general-applicability-for-competitive-products) - [PRC Order No. 9703, Docket No. CP2026-10 (Federal Register)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/31/2026-17656/competitive-postal-products) Subscribe: https://resellerindex.com/subscribe/ Pricing postage into every listing? 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