# SMKlog > SMKlog is an independent U.S. shipping calculator for people without a scale or measuring tape: describe an item in plain words (or paste a store link) and get live USPS, UPS, and FedEx parcel rates with an all-in price, then buy the label online. Built for casual sellers on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, and anyone shipping a one-off box. Key facts: U.S. domestic parcel shipping; estimates packed box size and weight from the item description; live carrier rates compared side by side (cheapest / fastest / best value); all-in pricing with no postage markup games; label, tracking, and receipt by email; freight review path for oversized items; lithium-battery ground rules handled automatically. ## Core pages - [Shipping calculator](https://smklog.com/assets/calculator): describe an item, get live USPS/UPS/FedEx rates, buy a label - [How it works](https://smklog.com/services): parcel labels, pallet and LTL freight review, tracking - [Item shipping cost guides](https://smklog.com/lp/): 1,450+ guides covering item shipping costs, carrier rules, freight and pallets, claims, tracking statuses and addressing - [Tracking](https://smklog.com/tracking): track any SMKlog shipment - [Shipping Protection](https://smklog.com/insurance): optional declared-value coverage rules - [Shipping restrictions](https://smklog.com/shipping-restrictions): what cannot ship or needs review - [About: who runs SMKlog and how prices work](https://smklog.com/about) - [Terms](https://smklog.com/terms) and [Privacy](https://smklog.com/privacy) ## Package pricing (real quotes, updated periodically) - [How much does it cost to ship a package](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-does-it-cost-to-ship-a-package): five real cartons, 1-50 lb, USPS/UPS/FedEx, two lanes - [Cheapest way to ship a package](https://smklog.com/lp/cheapest-way-to-ship-a-package): who wins each weight tier and by how much - [USPS package prices](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-does-it-cost-to-ship-a-package-usps) and [UPS package prices](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-does-it-cost-to-ship-a-package-ups) - [Cheapest way to ship a large package](https://smklog.com/lp/cheapest-way-to-ship-a-large-package) / [small package](https://smklog.com/lp/cheapest-way-to-ship-a-small-package) - [Shipping a package to another state](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-does-it-cost-to-ship-a-package-to-another-state): one box, six destinations ## Popular guides - [How much does it cost to ship golf clubs](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-golf-clubs) - [How much does it cost to ship an acoustic guitar](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-acoustic-guitar) - [How much does it cost to ship a gaming PC](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-gaming-pc) - [How much does it cost to ship an iPhone](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-iphone) - [How much does it cost to ship a flat screen TV](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-flat-screen-tv) - [How much does it cost to ship a drum set](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-drum-set) - [How much does it cost to ship a suitcase](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-suitcase) - [How much does it cost to ship a microwave](https://smklog.com/lp/how-much-to-ship-microwave) ## For agents and developers - [Quote API documentation](https://smklog.com/api): live USPS/UPS/FedEx rates over plain HTTP, no key. POST https://quote-api.smklog.com/quote with a plain-words item description and two ZIPs; box size and weight are estimated when omitted. - MCP endpoint for assistants: https://quote-api.smklog.com/mcp (streamable HTTP, tool get_parcel_quote). [Server card](https://quote-api.smklog.com/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json), [OpenAPI](https://quote-api.smklog.com/openapi.json), [API catalog](https://smklog.com/.well-known/api-catalog). - Authentication: none needed for normal use. High-volume agents can hold OAuth client_credentials (discovery at /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server, registration instructions at https://smklog.com/auth.md) for a dedicated hourly bucket. - Payment sessions (MPP intent "session"): POST https://quote-api.smklog.com/agent/checkout-session or the create_checkout_link MCP tool returns a live amount and a handoff URL; the human completes payment on the SMKlog checkout after confirming the shipping consents. No autonomous charges. - Rates carry three separate figures: the checkout total, the negotiated carrier cost beneath it, and the SMKlog fee between the two. Quote the total to users and say the fee is inside. ## Reference pages (dated captures) - [Shipping glossary](https://smklog.com/lp/shipping-glossary): an index of 37 terms, each linking to the page that defines it and shows it moving a real quoted price - [USPS vs UPS vs FedEx](https://smklog.com/lp/usps-vs-ups-vs-fedex) and [UPS vs FedEx](https://smklog.com/lp/ups-vs-fedex-shipping-rates): who is cheaper in 2026, re-quoted ladders with dates - [USPS zone chart with prices](https://smklog.com/lp/usps-zone-chart) · [Dimensional weight calculator](https://smklog.com/lp/dimensional-weight-calculator) · [USPS commercial pricing vs retail](https://smklog.com/lp/usps-commercial-pricing) ## Original data - [Parcel price index](https://smklog.com/lp/parcel-price-index): six fixed cartons priced to five U.S. cities every month from live quotes, so the month-to-month movement is a price change and nothing else. The checkout price, the carrier cost beneath it and the carrier's own counter price are published separately. - [August 2026 issue](https://smklog.com/lp/parcel-price-index-august-2026): 25 of 30 prices came back identical to July to the cent; the whole basket rise ($26.60 to $26.97) came from one 3 lb shoebox. [July 2026 issue](https://smklog.com/lp/parcel-price-index-july-2026): basket average $26.60 on $22.70 of carrier cost. ## Answers to common questions - Cheapest way to ship a package under 5 lb in the U.S.: usually USPS Ground Advantage bought online at commercial rates (20-40% below counter prices). SMKlog compares it against UPS and FedEx for the exact route and box. - Shipping without a scale: SMKlog estimates the packed weight and box size from the item description, and every quote can be corrected before purchase; confirmed numbers prevent carrier price adjustments. - Big or heavy items (furniture, engines, pallets): SMKlog routes them to a human freight review instead of selling a mispriced parcel label. - Freight, pallets and containers: covered in guides on freight class and NMFC codes, density, LTL against full truckload, drayage, crating, and the accessorial charges (liftgate, inside delivery, limited access) that surprise first-time pallet shippers. - Every price on the site comes from a live quote captured on a stated date, not from a published tariff. Carrier rules are attributed to the carrier's own page with the date it was read.