All three boxes here weighed well under USPS's 70 lb ceiling. Only the biggest one failed to price.
Three TVs, one lane, one afternoon
All three boxes left the same New Jersey ZIP for the same Chicago ZIP in the same capture, so nothing below moves except the carton. The 55-inch box is not a smaller carrier's problem — UPS priced it just fine, at $178.75 on Ground.
| TV box | USPS Ground Advantage | UPS Ground Saver | UPS Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-inch, original box 26 × 18 × 4 in, 10 lb | $25.36 4-5 business days | $20.56 4 business days | $21.94 4-5 business days |
| 32-inch, original box 30 × 20 × 5 in, 18 lb | $40.07 4-5 business days | $24.62 4 business days | $25.95 4-5 business days |
| 55-inch, TV shipping box 56 × 35 × 7 in, 44 lb | Not returned | Not returned | $178.75 4-5 business days |
USPS answered for both smaller boxes and beat nothing on price, but it was a real option on both. On the 55-inch box, UPS Ground Saver came back empty as well; UPS Ground, at $178.75, was the cheapest service that returned a rate for it. A carrier not pricing a box on a given day is not proof it never will — but it is worth knowing before you tape one shut assuming USPS is an option.
The line the 55-inch box crosses
USPS Ground Advantage publishes a combined size ceiling separate from its weight limit, and the 55-inch box sits on the wrong side of it. USPS's own page, read 2026-08-19, states: “Maximum combined length and girth (girth is the distance around the thickest part) is 130 inches.” The maximum weight is 70 lb on the same page.
| Carton | Length plus girth | Against the 130 in USPS line |
|---|---|---|
| 26 × 18 × 4 in (24-inch TV) | 70 in | Well under |
| 30 × 20 × 5 in (32-inch TV) | 80 in | Under |
| 56 × 35 × 7 in (55-inch TV) | 140 in | 10 in over the ceiling |
The weight ceiling never came into it — the heaviest box here was 44 lb, well inside the 70 lb USPS allows. It is the width and depth of a flat-screen TV carton, not the panel's actual heft, that pushes the combined measurement over the line, and that is a shape problem no amount of trimming weight will fix.
Where these rules come from
- United States Postal Service, USPS Ground Advantage — the 70 lb weight limit and the 130 inch maximum combined length and girth. Read 2026-08-19.
- Prices come from our own capture of three TV parcels against production on 2026-08-19, quoted from Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 — none of this page is a list price or an estimate.
USPS moves both its rates and its size limits without announcement. Treat this page as one capture set against one reading of USPS's own page, both dated — pull a fresh quote before you tape the box shut.
Common questions
Can you ship a TV with USPS?
Up to a point. A 24-inch TV boxed to 26 x 18 x 4 in at 10 lb quoted $25.36 on USPS Ground Advantage, and a 32-inch TV boxed to 30 x 20 x 5 in at 18 lb quoted $40.07, both from Berkeley Heights, NJ to Chicago, IL on 2026-08-19. A 55-inch TV boxed to 56 x 35 x 7 in at 44 lb returned no USPS rate at all on the same lane, the same afternoon.
Why did the 55-inch TV get no USPS rate?
Its length plus girth comes to 140 inches: 56 inches of length plus twice its 35-inch width plus twice its 7-inch height. USPS Ground Advantage caps combined length and girth at 130 inches, per usps.com, read 2026-08-19. The 24-inch and 32-inch boxes came in at 70 and 80 inches on the same measurement, both comfortably under the line.
Is USPS the cheapest way to ship a small TV?
Not on this capture. UPS Ground Saver beat USPS Ground Advantage on the 24-inch box, $20.56 against $25.36, and UPS Ground beat it by more on the 32-inch box, $25.95 against $40.07. USPS was in the running on both, just not the winner.
What is USPS Ground Advantage's actual weight limit?
70 lb, per usps.com, read 2026-08-19. None of the three TV boxes in this capture came close to it. Size, not weight, is what rules a TV in or out of USPS.
What about a TV bigger than 32 inches?
UPS and FedEx both publish a longer combined length-and-girth ceiling than USPS, but a bigger allowance is not a promise of a price: on this capture UPS priced the 55-inch box, from $178.75 on Ground, while FedEx returned nothing for it. Run the exact box through the calculator rather than assuming a screen size in or out.