USPS is one of the most popular choices for shipping online shopping purchases, and shoes are one of the top items bought online.
So is USPS a good choice for shipping shoes- what are the best services to use for shipping shoes, and how much does it cost?
Shipping Shoes USPS
USPS is the best option for shipping shoes. If you use the Priority Mail service, there are special shoe boxes that you can order for free from the USPS website. You can use Priority Mail to ship a pair of shoes for around $20, Retail Ground for about $15, and Media Mail for about $5, with delivery times that range from 2-7 days.
If you’d like to see a more in-depth cost comparison and get some insight into which shoes you can ship and how to ship them, be sure to read the rest of the article!
What Shoes Can You Ship With USPS?
USPS does not have any limits on the type of shoes you can ship, with some very uncommon exceptions.
Shoes you cannot ship would have to fall into the restricted or hazardous mail categories put forth by USPS.
For example, you could not ship a pair of shoes that has a detachable knife hidden in the heel.
Other than that, there are no limits on the types of shoes you can ship, only the weight of your package!
You can ship as many shoes in one package as you’d like, as long as the weight is less than 70 lbs, as that is the maximum weight of packages USPS will accept.
Which USPS Shipping Services Can You Use To Ship Shoes?
The best USPS shipping service for shoes is likely Priority Mail, which delivers in 2 days and comes with a built-in tracking feature at no extra charge.
The Priority Mail service also has boxes made specifically for shipping shoes that you can order for free off of the USPS website here.
Priority Mail isn’t your only option, however.
You can also use Priority Mail Express if you want your shoes to be delivered as quickly as possible, or if delivery time isn’t as important, you can use services such as Ground Retail or Media Mail.
It’s important to note that only Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and First Class Package include a tracking feature at no extra charge- you can always add tracking to other services, but be sure to factor that cost in when considering your options!
To get a full-price comparison of all of these different services, check out the next section!
How Much Does It Cost To Ship Shoes With USPS?
As we previously discussed, USPS Priority Mail is probably the best option to use when shipping shoes as it has the best delivery times and costs and even provides free shipping boxes that are specifically designed for shipping shoes.
USPS shipping costs largely depend on the weight of an item and the distance an item will travel when determining the price of shipping.
The average pair of shoes weighs about 2.5 lbs, so using that measurement, we can start to get an estimate of the approximate price by service.
Priority Mail Express is a shipping option that delivers in a day or less, and when shipping, an average pair of shoes will cost around $55.
Priority Mail is a less expensive option that still delivers quickly, usually 1-2 days, at a cost of around $16.
If you’re prioritizing lower costs over faster delivery, you can also use Ground Retail or Media Mail shipping services.
Ground Retail would cost around $14 and deliver in around 5 days, whereas Media Mail is the cheapest option coming in at around $5 with a delivery window of 5-8 days.
It’s important to note that all of the above prices were done with the approximate weight of one pair of shoes and that the distance traveled by your package is another very important factor in determining cost!
If you’re shipping locally, your shipping costs will be much lower than if you’re shipping shoes across the country, and your shipping costs will be much lower if you’re shipping one pair of shoes rather than 5.
Be sure to use USPS’ Price Calculator to plug in the dimensions, weight, and destination of your package to get a more personalized estimate of your shipping costs as well as a side-by-side price comparison of all of the services you can use.
How Do You Ship Shoes With USPS?
The first step to shipping anything is to make sure you’re packaging your item well for transit!
To ship a pair of shoes, the first thing to do is to wrap the shoes in paper (either tissue paper or newspaper) to help protect them from damage in transit.
Once your shoes are wrapped in paper, place them in the box and fill in any extra space with cushioning like more paper, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, etc., to limit how much your shoes shift in transit to help protect them from damage.
All that’s left of the packaging process is to secure your box well- packing tape does the trick!
Once you’ve packaged your shoes securely and are ready to ship, you can ship them as you would any other package- by dropping them off in a local USPS dropbox or by swinging by your local post office and putting them in the hands of a postal worker.
If you are looking to learn more, you can also read our posts on shipping clothes USPS, USPS jewelry shipping, and USPS laptop shipping.
