And How It Will Affect You

On June 23, USPS Will Apply DIM Weights to All Zones

On June 23rd, the US Postal Service is making changes to the way it charges for shipping parcels that are larger than one cubic foot. Largely, the changes simplify things, but it does mean higher shipping rates on these larger packages, overall.

eFulfillment Service actively looks for ways to keep your costs down, with every shipment. Our team looks for opportunities to nest multiple products where appropriate. Our wide variety of box shapes accommodates most products efficiently. And, of course, when you use our rate shopping option, with the best rate shipping codes, you’ll always get the cheapest shipping whether it’s on FedEx or the USPS, automatically.

Interested in the details? Here’s what’s changing:
On June 23, 2019 USPS will apply dimensional weight policies to all zones. (Previously, dimensional weight calculations only came into play when shipping to zones 5 – 8.) And they’ve changed how they calculate the figure.

Step 1—Is your package one cubic foot or larger?
Multiply the width, height and length (w x h x l). Is the result 1728 or less? Then you don’t have to worry about dimensional weight. If the result is 1728 or higher, you’ll need to figure out the dimensional weight to determine what the shipping will be.

Hint: Do you use eFulfillment’s stock packages?
Check out the eFulfillment Service stock package list. All the A packages are under 1 cu. ft and B2, B5 and B7. The rest of the B packages and all of the F packages are bigger than 1 cu. ft.

Step 2—What is the dimensional weight of my package?
Take the result of your calculations in step 1 and divide by 166*. So (height x width x length) ÷ 166 = your dimensional weight. The USPS rounds up for any part of a pound.

*Prior to June 23, USPS was using a factor of 194. This change means the dimensional weights will go up; it’s another reason that USPS shipping charges are going up for these larger packages.

Step 3—Which is higher?
Is the real weight of your package higher than the dimensional weight? In that less likely case, use that figure. In most cases the dimensional weight will be higher and the USPS requires you to use that weight to calculate shipping rates.

Here’s an example:

14” x 14” x 17” box = 3,332 cubic inches
3,332 cubic inches divided by 166 = 20.07, rounded up to 21 lbs. DIM Weight
The actual package weighs 5 lbs., so, the USPS will use the DIM Weight of 21 lbs. to determine the shipping rate.

So after the June 23 change, eFulfillment Service clients using the rate shopping option, with the best rate shipping codes, will still get the lowest option available. And you may see more shipments using FedEx, but only if your packages are larger than 1 cu. ft.

Anything Else To Think About?

If you charge for shipping, you should review those charges to make sure you’re collecting enough to cover these increases across all zones and using the factor of 166 to figure out the dimensional weights.

eFulfillment Service clients with questions can contact the Client Care Team. 

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