--- title: "How much to ship a 3 lb package with USPS (2026 prices)" description: "A 3 lb package costs $9.04-$16.30 by USPS Ground Advantage online and $11.80-$23.15 at the Post Office, Zones 1-9 (holiday prices). Media Mail: $5.86." canonical: https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/3-lb/ last_updated: 2026-10-19 publisher: "The Reseller Index" --- # How much does it cost to ship a 3 lb package with USPS? **A 3 lb package costs $9.04 to $16.30 by USPS Ground Advantage with a label bought online** (USPS's commercial prices) and $11.80 to $23.15 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 **$5.86** 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 3 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/3-lb/#holiday-h) Rates verified on Oct 19, 2026 - **Ground Advantage online, Zone 4 (up to about 600 mi)** $10.07 - **Post Office counter, Zone 4** $14.20 - **Media Mail, any zone (books and media only)** $5.86 - **Buying the label online saves** $2.76-$6.85 ## USPS Ground Advantage at 3 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 3 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. Flat Rate: the cheapest Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope or box whose online price is below Ground Advantage online in that zone; USPS charges it regardless of weight up to 70 lb ([DMM 123.1.4](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/123.htm)), if your item fits. Selling platforms and label services can have their own rates.* | Zone | Distance | Post Office (retail) | Online (commercial) | Online saves | Priority Mail online | Priority Mail Flat Rate, if it fits | | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | --- | | Zone 1 | up to 50 mi | $11.80 | $9.04 | $2.76 (23%) | $9.85 | none cheaper | | Zone 2 | up to about 150 mi | $12.50 | $9.06 | $3.44 (28%) | $10.11 | none cheaper | | Zone 3 | up to about 300 mi | $13.15 | $9.54 | $3.61 (27%) | $11.15 | none cheaper | | Zone 4 | up to about 600 mi | $14.20 | $10.07 | $4.13 (29%) | $13.08 | none cheaper | | Zone 5 | up to about 1,000 mi | $15.70 | $12.12 | $3.58 (23%) | $17.41 | Flat Rate Envelope, $11.97 | | Zone 6 | up to about 1,400 mi | $17.20 | $14.14 | $3.06 (18%) | $19.71 | Flat Rate Envelope, $11.97 | | Zone 7 | up to about 1,800 mi | $19.70 | $14.91 | $4.79 (24%) | $21.36 | Flat Rate Envelope, $11.97 | | Zone 8 | over 1,800 mi | $23.15 | $16.30 | $6.85 (30%) | $21.42 | Flat Rate Envelope, $11.97 | | Zone 9 | Palau, Micronesia, Marshall Is. | $23.15 | $16.30 | $6.85 (30%) | $44.76 | Flat Rate Envelope, $11.97 | | Media Mail | any zone | $5.86 (same online and at the counter) | | n/a | | books and media only | - The biggest step between neighboring zones online is Zone 4 to Zone 5 (past about 600 miles): +$2.05. At the Post Office it's Zone 7 to Zone 8 (past about 1,800 miles): +$3.45. - Cheapest online at 3 lb, if the item fits the Flat Rate packaging: Ground Advantage online in Zones 1-4 ($9.04 to $10.07) and the Flat Rate Envelope in Zones 5-9 ($11.97). - Zone 9 (Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands) costs the same as Zone 8 at this weight. [Check 3 lb for your zone in the postage calculator](https://resellerindex.com/calculators/postage/?lb=3) USPS's [zone chart tool](https://postcalc.usps.com/DomesticZoneChart) gives the zone between two ZIP Codes. ## Which packages pay the 3 lb price - From 1 lb, USPS rounds any fraction of a pound up, so anything over 2 lb up to 3 lb pays the 3 lb price: a 2 lb 1 oz package costs the same as a 3 lb one ([DMM 283.1.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/283.htm)). - Go over 3 lb, even to 3 lb 1 oz, and it pays the 4 lb price: $0.81 to $2.76 more online and $1.05 to $2.60 more at the Post Office, depending on the zone. Part of that step is the holiday add-on, which goes from $0.40 to $0.65 online in Zones 1-4 and from $0.55 to $1.05 in Zones 5-9 at 4 lb. - A 2 lb package costs $0.58 to $2.88 less online and $0.45 to $3.35 less at the Post Office. ## Cheaper ways to ship 3 lb - **Small and dense? A Flat Rate envelope can beat it.** Priority Mail Flat Rate costs the same at any weight up to 70 lb, so at 3 lb these cost less than Ground Advantage online: the Flat Rate Envelope ($11.97 online, 12-1/2 x 9-1/2 in. or smaller) in Zones 5-9, the Legal Flat Rate Envelope ($12.51 online, 15 x 9-1/2 in.) in Zones 6-9, the Padded Flat Rate Envelope ($12.84 online, 12-1/2 x 9-1/2 in.) in Zones 6-9 and the Small Flat Rate Box ($12.95 online, 8-5/8 x 5-3/8 x 1-5/8 in. inside) in Zones 6-9. Priority Mail is also faster (2-3 days). The item has to fit, and only the envelopes and the Small Flat Rate Box are cheaper at this weight. [Flat Rate prices](https://resellerindex.com/rates/priority-mail-flat-rate/) - **Media Mail, if it qualifies:** $5.86 to any zone, $3.18 to $10.44 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:** $2.76 to $6.85 less than the counter at this weight (18% to 30%), the most in Zones 8 and 9. - **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 3 lb, every cubic tier up to 0.30 cubic feet (518 cubic inches) costs less to Zone 4 than the weight price: $9.63 against $10.07, and to Zone 8 every tier up to 0.30 cubic feet does ($15.22 against $16.30). 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 3 lb package in a 13 x 13 x 13 in. box bills as 16 lb: $18.99 online to Zone 4 instead of $10.07. 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 3 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 | $8.64 | $9.04 | $11.30 | $11.80 | | Zone 2 | $8.66 | $9.06 | $12.00 | $12.50 | | Zone 3 | $9.14 | $9.54 | $12.65 | $13.15 | | Zone 4 | $9.67 | $10.07 | $13.70 | $14.20 | | Zone 5 | $11.57 | $12.12 | $14.95 | $15.70 | | Zone 6 | $13.59 | $14.14 | $16.45 | $17.20 | | Zone 7 | $14.36 | $14.91 | $18.95 | $19.70 | | Zone 8 | $15.75 | $16.30 | $22.40 | $23.15 | | Zone 9 | $15.75 | $16.30 | $22.40 | $23.15 | 3 lb is the heaviest weight in USPS's 0-3 lb band, so a package just over it pays the 4 lb price and a bigger add-on: $0.40 becomes $0.65 online in Zones 1-4, and $0.55 becomes $1.05 in Zones 5-9. 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/3-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/) ## Questions ### How much does it cost to ship a 3 lb package? By USPS Ground Advantage, $9.04 to $16.30 with a label bought online (USPS's commercial prices) and $11.80 to $23.15 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 $10.07 online and $14.20 at the counter. Books, CDs and DVDs can go by Media Mail for $5.86 ([USPS Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm)). ### What is the cheapest way to ship a 3 lb package? If it's books, CDs, DVDs or other media on USPS's list, Media Mail: $5.86 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: Ground Advantage online in Zones 1-4 ($9.04 to $10.07) and the Flat Rate Envelope in Zones 5-9 ($11.97), if the item fits the Flat Rate packaging. 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 3 lb? It pays the 4 lb price. USPS rounds up any fraction of a pound ([DMM 283.1.1](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/283.htm)), so a 3 lb 1 oz package costs $0.81 to $2.76 more online and $1.05 to $2.60 more at the Post Office than a 3 lb one. ### Will a 3 lb package cost less after Jan 17, 2027? The holiday add-on ends at 12 a.m. CT on Jan 17, 2027. At 3 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 $8.64 to $15.75 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. ### Is Priority Mail Flat Rate cheaper than Ground Advantage for a 3 lb package? In Zones 5-9, yes, if the item fits: the Flat Rate Envelope costs $11.97 online and beats Ground Advantage online in Zones 5-9, the Legal Flat Rate Envelope costs $12.51 online and beats Ground Advantage online in Zones 6-9, the Padded Flat Rate Envelope costs $12.84 online and beats Ground Advantage online in Zones 6-9 and the Small Flat Rate Box costs $12.95 online and beats Ground Advantage online in Zones 6-9. Flat Rate prices don't depend on weight up to 70 lb, so the heavier the item, the more often they win; by weight, Priority Mail costs $0.81 to $28.46 more than Ground Advantage at 3 lb ([Notice 123](https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm)). ### Does a package just over 3 lb pay a bigger holiday add-on? Yes. 3 lb is the top of USPS's 0-3 lb holiday band. Over it, the package pays the 4 lb price, and the add-on inside that price goes from $0.40 to $0.65 online in Zones 1-4 and from $0.55 to $1.05 in Zones 5-9, until Jan 17, 2027 ([USPS](https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0825-usps-announces-temporary-price-change-for-2026-holiday-shipping-season.htm)). ## 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](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/1-lb/) - [2 lb](https://resellerindex.com/rates/usps-shipping-cost/2-lb/) - 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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