Many shippers need to realize there are two package rates for all UPS shipping rates. The amount you pay for shipping depends on a few factors; therefore, it is crucial to ensure you are using the correct designation. Additionally, retail shipping rates might differ entirely from the UPS published rates. Let’s look at the difference in UPS daily rates vs. UPS retail rates.
UPS Shipping Rates – Daily Rates
To begin, UPS daily rates are the rates that all businesses and volume shippers use. These are the published base rate for all services, weights, and zones before any discounts are applied. All contract discounts are based on these published daily rates. UPS Daily Rates apply to UPS account holders who:
- Have a scheduled daily UPS
pickup received daily rates prior to July 11, 2016, or- shippers who establish a six-digit UPS account on or after July 11, 2016, or
- agreed in writing by UPS.
UPS Daily Rates Ground Pricing
| Zones | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1 Lb. | $ 10.10 | $ 10.51 | $ 11.46 | $ 11.98 | $ 12.38 | $ 12.52 | $ 12.74 |
| 2 Lbs. | $ 10.90 | $ 12.01 | $ 13.11 | $ 13.40 | $ 13.98 | $ 14.50 | $ 14.75 |
| 3 Lbs. | $ 11.34 | $ 12.65 | $ 14.38 | $ 14.38 | $ 14.97 | $ 15.47 | $ 16.23 |
| 4 Lbs. | $ 11.67 | $ 12.73 | $ 15.71 | $ 15.17 | $ 15.59 | $ 16.61 | $ 17.39 |
| 5 Lbs. | $ 11.98 | $ 13.31 | $ 15.85 | $ 15.85 | $ 16.49 | $ 17.38 | $ 18.42 |
UPS Retail Rates
Shippers who do not receive daily rates will be charged UPS retail rates. In summary, if you ship from a UPS retail location and do not have a daily UPS pickup or payment account, more than likely, the published rates are UPS retail rates.
UPS Retail Rates Ground Pricing
| Zones | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1 Lb | $ 11.76 | $ 12.25 | $ 12.76 | $ 13.27 | $ 13.70 | $ 13.96 | $ 14.09 |
| 2 Lbs | $ 12.50 | $ 13.34 | $ 14.05 | $ 14.28 | $ 14.60 | $ 15.33 | $ 16.64 |
| 3 Lbs | $ 12.51 | $ 13.36 | $ 14.07 | $ 14.61 | $ 15.16 | $ 17.55 | $ 20.85 |
| 4 Lbs | $ 12.54 | $ 13.39 | $ 14.10 | $ 15.95 | $ 18.31 | $ 19.58 | $ 22.32 |
| 5 Lbs | $ 12.56 | $ 13.34 | $ 14.35 | $ 16.79 | $ 19.35 | $ 21.33 | $ 23.38 |
Retail rates usually
Retail Shipping Rates May Vary
Third-party retailers charge for value-added services, and other surcharges may vary from the published rate set by UPS. Generally, costs by UPS Authorized Shipping Outlets and certain UPS Alliance Locations will be more expensive.
- Alliance Location (Staples) – Offers exclusive access to UPS services.
- Offers UPS domestic and international shipping.
- UPS Authorized Shipping Outlet – Third-party pack-and-ship retailers.
- Usually, these stores offer a full portfolio of business and packing services.
- UPS Customer Center – UPS-staffed customer shipping locations.
- Minimal packing supplies are offered.
- The UPS Store – Offers shipping, packing services, and packaging supplies.
- These are franchises owned by individuals.
UPS Daily Rates vs UPS Retail Rates
When analyzing UPS shipping rates, the published rate for packages on the face is cheaper using retail rates. Coupled with discounts in a shipper’s agreement, daily rates and discounts will be the more affordable shipping option for large-volume shippers.
