If you haven’t mailed anything in a long time, the United States Postal Service, and its accompanying website, can seem a bit daunting. Click-N-Ship is the way to go for printing labels, but what about boxes?
USPS.com sells boxes, but it’s a tad confusing if you’re unused to the site. Do you need help on how to order USPS boxes? You are not alone, and luckily, it’s so easy you’ll be a pro in no time. See below for the details!
How To Order USPS Boxes In 2024?
Customers can order USPS boxes online at USPS.com, where Flat Rate boxes and envelopes are free as of 2024. Not only are the Flat Rate boxes free to buy, but the Postal Service also delivers them for free; your Postal carrier brings them to your front door. Customers can obtain Flat Rate boxes in post offices.
To learn more about how to actually order USPS boxes, whether you have to pay for any USPS boxes, and even if it makes more sense to reuse an Amazon box, keep going! I have all you need to know!
How Do You Get A USPS Box?
Getting a USPS box if you want to ship something Flat Rate is simple and free! Also, perhaps the most convenient way to do it is to order the boxes online.
To do this, you must have a USPS.com account; if you don’t already, set one up.
When logged in, navigate to “Quick Tools” in the top menu bar; from the drop-down menu, select “Free Boxes.”
Then, this will take you right to the Postal Store, where all the free shipping products reside.
Choose what you want – remember, they’re free, so if you’re unsure which box your item will fit into, you can get as many different kinds as you want.
Moreover, add what you want to your cart and opt to keep shopping, view cart or check out.
When you’re ready to check out, it will take you to your cart overview and ask you to check out one more time.
Next, you will choose or add an address to ship to, look over billing (even if you have a card on file, it won’t be charged), review the order, and submit it.
That’s it! You can just sit back and wait for your Postal carrier to bring it to you.
Alternately, if you don’t want to wait, you can always visit your local post office and grab free Flat Rate boxes.
Further, even when the “retail” part of the post office closes, there is generally a lobby area with the free shipping supplies accessible to all, any time of the day or night.
Can You Get USPS Boxes For Free?
You can get USPS boxes for free, but it is important to note that not all boxes from USPS come without a price tag.
For example, Flat Rate boxes and envelopes are always free as a courtesy to customers (and to encourage them to use the service).
However, the Postal Service also has its own brand of shipping supplies called Ready Post.
Ready Post supplies, including boxes, bubble wrap, and envelopes, and feature the on-brand brown color, are decidedly not free.
That said, they are sold both in stores and online, but online, you can only purchase them in bulk (and it’s pricey).
In stores, they are located in the “retail” part of the post office, so they are not accessible during after-hours.
Is it Cheaper To Use USPS Boxes Or Your Own?
Depending on what mail class you choose and whether you have boxes available at home, it can be cheaper to use USPS boxes.
Let me be more specific: If you are shipping Priority Mail Flat Rate, using a free USPS box or your own box costs the same – nothing.
However, if you’re shipping with First-Class Package or regular Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express, and you don’t have a box, it’s more expensive to use a USPS box.
That said, USPS boxes for those mail classes would have to come from the Ready Post collection.
Moreover, Ready Post are the USPS branded shipping supplies that are sold in post offices and online.
If you are home-bound or immobile and can’t get to a post office, Ready Post boxes could cost you, indeed.
Also, they’re only sold in bulk (sets of ten, 20, or more), and can cost as much as $80!
Can You Reuse Amazon Boxes To Ship USPS?
You absolutely can reuse Amazon boxes to ship with USPS if you’re not using a mail class that offers free Flat Rate boxes.
However, you will want to prepare the boxes for reshipment, which means peeling off or blacking out the previous shipping information.
Also, if the boxes held cosmetics or cleaning supplies (since Amazon doesn’t sell alcohol), any indication must be “removed or obliterated.”
Overall, a little bit of work to clean up the old Amazon box is way easier than having to buy one for your shipment.
To know more, you can also read our posts on USPS mailbox regulations, who delivers USPS in Canada, and how much is a PO box at USPS.
Conclusion
Ordering USPS boxes online makes obtaining shipping supplies for Flat Rate shipping more convenient than ever.
That said, they will be delivered to you for free, and the boxes themselves are totally free. Also, you are always welcome to go into the post office to pick up boxes in person.
