When it comes to international shipping, USPS is easily one of the most cost-effective, fastest options available.
But does USPS ship to Canada specifically, and if so, what can you expect and how do you know which service to choose?
USPS To Canada In [currentyear]
You can use USPS to ship to Canada. There are four options available for shipping to Canada with USPS: Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, and First Class International Service. The cheapest option is First Class International Service, however, it’s also the slowest with a delivery time of 11-20 business days. The fastest option is Global Express Guaranteed, with a delivery time of 1-3 business days, but it’s also the most expensive option.
If you’re interested in seeing a side-by-side comparison of the price and speed of each of USPS’ shipping services, be sure to check out the rest of the article!
What Types Of Shipping Services Do USPS Offer To Ship To Canada?
There are four different shipping services that USPS uses for international shipping to Canada: Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, and First Class International Service.
Each of these shipping services has different price points and delivery windows as they all operate a little differently.
Global Express Guaranteed is a hybrid shipping service USPS offers partnered with FedEx, which means that using this service means you get the best of both companies at a competitive price.
This service is typically best suited for urgent packages that need to be delivered within a few days with a money-back guarantee.
Priority Mail Express International is the fastest service USPS offers alone, with built-in tracking, guaranteed delivery windows, and up to $200 of built-in insurance coverage for your package.
You’d typically want to use Priority Mail Express International for important, but not overly valuable, items that must arrive within a week.
Priority Mail International is a slightly slower, less expensive option than Priority Mail Express International that also comes with tracking and insurance built-in, but does not have guaranteed delivery windows.
Additionally, Priority Mail International shipping is usually used for packages 4 lbs or more that are not very urgent or valuable but still need to be handled carefully.
First Class International Service is the bargain option that USPS offers, coming in at about half the cost of Priority Mail International and not coming with any built-in features.
This service is typically best suited for items between 1 and 4 lbs that are worth less than $400 and have no urgent need to arrive at their destination.
How Much Does Shipping A USPS Package To Canada Cost?
USPS is a federally owned and operated organization, which means that the shipping costs per package vary with several factors.
As a general rule, shipping costs are calculated by taking into consideration a package’s weight, dimensions, and the distance that will be traveled, as well as whatever shipping service is used to ship the package.
We already know that the package is being shipped from the United States to Canada, so we have our distance variable.
If we assume the package has average dimensions and weighs approximately 4 lbs, we can start to put together an accurate price estimate for each of the shipping services.
If you were to ship a 4 lb package from the United States to Canada using Global Express Guaranteed, you can expect to pay about $105 in shipping costs.
Shipping the same package with Priority Mail Express International would cost around $72.
If you were to use Priority Mail International to ship your 4 lb package, it’d cost you about $56 in shipping costs.
Finally, if you were to use First Class International Service to ship your package, you’d pay around $22.
It’s important to keep in mind that all of these price estimates are just that: estimates!
Shipping costs for USPS can vary wildly depending on all of the factors listed above.
If you’re interested in getting a more accurate, tailored shipping costs estimate for your package, you can use this page of the USPS website to access their shipping costs calculator.
This page will require you to fill in the zip code you’re shipping from and to, as well as the weight and dimensions of your package, so be sure to have all of that information handy so you can see a side-by-side comparison of all of the shipping services available!
What Is The Cheapest USPS Option For Shipping To Canada?
The cheapest USPS option for shipping to Canada depends on the weight and size of your package more than anything else.
If you’re trying to ship something that weighs less than 1 lb and can fit in an envelope, then the cheapest shipping option for you would be First Class Mail International, which has price points starting from around $2.60.
Most of the time, however, when you’re comparing shipping costs it’s because you’re shipping a package, which is typically 2 or more lbs.
If you’re looking to ship a package that is over a pound, then your best bet for low costs will be First Class Package International Service.
First Class Package International Service ships large envelopes that weigh over 1 lb as well as boxes that weigh up to 4 lbs from prices starting at $14.25.
If your package weighs more than 4 lbs, however, you are not eligible to use First Class Package International Service.
The next cheapest USPS shipping service available for packages over 4 lbs would be Priority Mail International, which provides shipping from prices starting at $28.50.
Is USPS Shipping To Canada Fast?
The delivery windows for USPS tend to vary based on the shipping service used- as a general rule of thumb, the more expensive the service, the faster your package will be delivered.
The fastest shipping service available for packages going from the United States to Canada is Global Express Guaranteed, which guarantees delivery within 1 to 3 business days and offers a money-back guarantee if your package is late.
Priority Mail Express International is the next fastest shipping service, with a guaranteed delivery window of 3 to 5 business days, although no money-back guarantee is offered here.
Priority Mail International is the next speediest service, offering delivery windows of 6 to 10 business days, however there is no guaranteed delivery window or any kind of money-back guarantee.
The slowest shipping service available from USPS is First Class International Service, which typically delivers within 11 to 20 business days but is the best option USPS offers for when you want to save a little money.
To learn more, you can also check our posts on USPS shipping zones, USPS shipping restrictions, and how fast is USPS first class.
Conclusion
USPS offers four main shipping services that ship to Canada: Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail Express International, Priority Mail International, and First Class International Service.
First Class International Service is the cheapest option, with shipping costs starting from $14.25, however it is also the slowest option with delivery times ranging from 11 to 20 business days.
The fastest shipping service USPS offers is Global Express Guaranteed, which is a hybrid shipping service they offer in partnership with FedEx.
Global Express Guaranteed delivers within 1-3 business days with a money-back guarantee, but is also the most expensive option, with prices starting from $67.80.
