A Few Helpful Tips for Shipping Oversized Packages


A Few Helpful Tips for Shipping Oversized Packages Most postal and courier companies charge for shipping based on dimensional weight, which reflects the amount of space that a parcel takes up in a shipping truck, on a plane, or on a ship. Because of this, large parcels are expensive to ship even when they’re not particularly heavy for their size. Today, let us offer you a few tips for shipping oversized packages that might help you save on shipping.

First things first; let’s figure out what qualifies as an oversized package. Most postal carriers limit the size and weight of commercial parcels; common limits are a maximum combined length and girth of 108 inches and a maximum weight of 70 pounds. Some carriers allow to ship packages that are larger and/or heavier than that but charge an additional fee.

However, oversized parcels still have their limits; any parcel that exceeds them is classified as freight and charged accordingly. These limits are:

  • USPS: a maximum combined length and girth of 130 inches and a maximum weight of 70 (the USPS does not carry commercial packages exceeding 70 pounds).
  • UPS: a maximum combined length and girth of 165 inches, a maximum length of 108 inches, and a maximum weight of 150 pounds.
  • FedEx: a maximum combined length and girth of 165 inches, a maximum weight of 150 pounds.

In this article, we’ll focus exclusively on shipping oversized parcels because freight shipping is a whole different thing. Here are a few tips that will hopefully help you save some money on mailing oversized pakages.


Know and Compare Your Options


No matter which carrier and shipping service you choose, you will be charged more for an oversized parcel than for a regular one. However, some options will be less expensive than others. In order to save on shipping, you should get to know all your options, compare them, and choose the best one. To do this, you need to take a few simple steps:

  1. Weigh and measure your package to determine a) whether it qualifies as a standard parcel, oversized parcel, or freight and b) whether it will be charged by gross weight or dimensional weight (carriers typically charge by whichever weight is higher).
  2. Use a shipping calculator to estimate and compare shipping costs.
  3. Choose the carrier that offers the best price.

Consider Dividing Your Shipment into Several Packages


Of course, this advice won’t help if you’re shipping a single large item. However, if your shipment contains several smaller items, you should consider shipping them in separate packages to avoid being charged the oversized fee. Of course, you will still need to pay the standard shipping rate for each of the smaller packages, but the total cost of shipping a bunch of small parcels may end up being lower than the cost of shipping an oversized package. Although it is not always the case, you won’t know this until you calculate and compare the two.


Look for Discounts


There are several ways to get shipping discounts. For example, if you’re a frequent shipper and ship large volumes, you can reach out to the carrier’s representative and negotiate a personal shipping discount directly. However, if you only ship oversized packages (or any packages) occasionally, you will have to look for different ways to get a discount.

Carriers usually offer discounts to shippers who purchase postage and print shipping labels online from their account on the carrier’s website instead of paying at the post office. However, you can get an even bigger discount if you sign up for a third-party online service that lets you print shipping labels online; just make sure to look for one that doesn’t charge you a monthly fee.

For example, PostageMaker offers discounted USPS and UPS shipping labels, both domestic and international, allowing you to save up to 25% on postage. We don’t charge a monthly fee or any other additional fees (except for a payment processing fee that may be charged when you add funds to your PostageMaker account and a cancellation fee that is charged when you cancel a shipping label), as well as offer a number of additional features such as a shipping calculator, an address book for frequent shippers, and a tracking tool.