The Reseller Index
Sponsor Your logo here: sponsor a week

How much does it cost to ship a 4 oz or 8 oz package with USPS?

Any package up to 8 oz, including 4 oz, costs $7.33 to $8.95 by USPS Ground Advantage with a label bought online (USPS's commercial prices) and $8.40 to $10.20 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. Notice 123 lists 4 oz and 8 oz as separate weights, but their prices are the same in every zone, online and at the counter.

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 8 oz

Rates verified on

Ground Advantage online, Zone 4 (up to about 600 mi)
$7.86
Post Office counter, Zone 4
$8.80
Media Mail, any zone (books and media only)
$4.39
Buying the label online saves
$0.94-$1.25

USPS Ground Advantage at 8 oz, 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 (DMM 608.9).

USD, weight not over 8 oz. 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.
ZoneDistancePost Office (retail)Online (commercial)Online savesPriority Mail online
Zone 1 up to 50 mi $8.40 $7.33 $1.07 (13%) $9.44
Zone 2 up to about 150 mi $8.55 $7.34 $1.21 (14%) $9.72
Zone 3 up to about 300 mi $8.65 $7.70 $0.95 (11%) $10.11
Zone 4 up to about 600 mi $8.80 $7.86 $0.94 (11%) $10.80
Zone 5 up to about 1,000 mi $9.35 $8.24 $1.11 (12%) $13.82
Zone 6 up to about 1,400 mi $9.50 $8.41 $1.09 (11%) $15.32
Zone 7 up to about 1,800 mi $9.70 $8.62 $1.08 (11%) $15.93
Zone 8 over 1,800 mi $10.20 $8.95 $1.25 (12%) $16.07
Zone 9 Palau, Micronesia, Marshall Is. $10.20 $8.95 $1.25 (12%) $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 4 to Zone 5 (past about 600 miles): +$0.38. At the Post Office it's the same step: +$0.55.
  • No Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope or box beats Ground Advantage online at 8 oz in any zone; Priority Mail by weight costs $2.11 to $24.38 more.
  • Zone 9 (Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands) costs the same as Zone 8 at this weight.

Check 8 oz for your zone in the postage calculator USPS's zone chart tool gives the zone between two ZIP Codes.

Which packages pay the 8 oz price

  • Under 1 lb, USPS prices Ground Advantage in ounce steps and rounds up, so anything over 4 oz up to 8 oz pays the 8 oz price: a 4.1 oz package costs the same as an 8 oz one (DMM 283.1.1). Notice 123 gives 4 oz and 8 oz the same prices in every zone, online and at the Post Office, so any package up to 8 oz pays the 8 oz price.
  • Go over 8 oz, even to 8.1 oz, and it pays the 12 oz price: the same online and $1.65 to $3.45 more at the Post Office, depending on the zone.
  • Online, USPS charges one price for every weight up to 15.999 oz ($7.33 to $8.95, Zones 1-9). At the Post Office the price steps up after 8 oz.

Cheaper ways to ship 8 oz

  • Flat and flexible? Send it as a large envelope. Up to 13 oz, First-Class Mail takes large envelopes (flats) up to 15 x 12 x 3/4 in. (DMM 101.2.1) for $1.69 to $3.72 in stamps at 1 to 8 oz, less than $7.33 for the cheapest Ground Advantage label. USPS charges parcel prices for a large envelope that is rigid, nonrectangular or not uniformly thick (Notice 123), so a boxed item or a lumpy mailer doesn't qualify. Large envelope prices by the ounce
  • Priority Mail costs more here. At 8 oz, a Priority Mail label online is $2.11 to $24.38 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, $2.94 to $4.56 less than an online Ground Advantage label. Media Mail has a 1 lb minimum, so an 8 oz package pays the 1 lb price. Only books (at least 8 pages), CDs, DVDs and the other media on USPS's list qualify, not video games (USPS; what qualifies). Guides: books · video games.
  • Buy the label online: $0.94 to $1.25 less than the counter at this weight (11% to 14%), the most in Zones 8 and 9.
  • 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). Any box over 1 cubic foot bills as at least 13 lb. An 8 oz package in a 13 x 13 x 13 in. box bills as 16 lb: $18.99 online to Zone 4 instead of $7.86. 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).

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). At 8 oz, 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, 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.
ZoneOnline, beforeOnline, nowPost Office, beforePost Office, now
Zone 1$6.93$7.33$7.90$8.40
Zone 2$6.94$7.34$8.05$8.55
Zone 3$7.30$7.70$8.15$8.65
Zone 4$7.46$7.86$8.30$8.80
Zone 5$7.69$8.24$8.60$9.35
Zone 6$7.86$8.41$8.75$9.50
Zone 7$8.07$8.62$8.95$9.70
Zone 8$8.40$8.95$9.45$10.20
Zone 9$8.40$8.95$9.45$10.20

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). USPS's Governors ordered prices "rolled back to approved levels" then (Governors' Decisions 26-1 and 26-7). What that means for these prices: questions below · what's known about 2027 prices · USPS holiday prices in detail

What a 4 oz package cost before

  • Ground Advantage online, Zone 1, 4 oz label: $4.20 under the Jul 13, 2025 Notice 123 and $7.33 now, including the temporary holiday add-on (+$3.13, +75%). The biggest step in these editions was Jul 12, 2026: +$1.43.
  • The Jul 12, 2026 step is when USPS dropped the ounce steps from its commercial prices, so a 4 oz label now costs the same as a 15.999 oz one (tracker entry).
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 · USPS package price history.
Notice 123 effectiveGround Advantage online, Zone 1, 4 oz label
Jul 13, 2025$4.20
Jan 18, 2026$5.09
Apr 26, 2026$5.50
Jul 12, 2026$6.93
Oct 4, 2026$7.33

Questions

How much does it cost to ship an 8 oz package?

By USPS Ground Advantage, $7.33 to $8.95 with a label bought online (USPS's commercial prices) and $8.40 to $10.20 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 $7.86 online and $8.80 at the counter. Books, CDs and DVDs can go by Media Mail for $4.39 (USPS Notice 123).

How much does it cost to ship a 4 oz package?

The same as 8 oz: $7.33 to $8.95 with a label bought online and $8.40 to $10.20 at the Post Office, depending on the zone. USPS charges the same price for both (Notice 123 lists 4 oz and 8 oz as separate rows with equal prices). Online, a 4 oz label to Zone 1 cost $4.20 under the Jul 13, 2025 Notice 123 and costs $7.33 now, including the temporary holiday add-on.

What is the cheapest way to ship an 8 oz 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). Otherwise, at published online prices: an online Ground Advantage label, from $7.33 in Zone 1 to $8.95 in Zones 8 and 9. A flat, flexible item can go First-Class Mail as a large envelope for $1.69 to $3.72. 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 8 oz?

It pays the 12 oz price. USPS rounds up to the next ounce step (DMM 283.1.1), so an 8.1 oz package costs the same online and $1.65 to $3.45 more at the Post Office than an 8 oz one.

Will an 8 oz package cost less after Jan 17, 2027?

The holiday add-on ends at 12 a.m. CT on Jan 17, 2027. At 8 oz 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). Before it started on Oct 4, 2026, the same package cost $6.93 to $8.40 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 and 26-7); 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 and CP2026-10), 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.

Can an 8 oz item go First-Class Mail instead?

Yes, if it's flat and flexible enough to mail as a large envelope: up to 15 x 12 x 3/4 in. (DMM 101.2.1) and 13 oz. First-Class Mail large envelopes cost $1.69 to $3.72 in stamps at 1 to 8 oz (Notice 123), against $7.33 or more for Ground Advantage online. A rigid, nonrectangular or lumpy envelope pays parcel prices instead.

Sources

Rates verified on from each official page below.

Know when USPS prices change

The holiday prices on this page end Jan 17, 2027. Our free email will cover USPS, label and selling-fee changes like that, with what each one costs on a $10, $25 and $50 sale. Weekly, once the newsletter starts.