Most real shipments clear the low bar
A box worth sending on purpose rarely declares under the tax threshold. Plan on Mexican import tax applying rather than hoping a modest declared value dodges it.
Mexico-bound
What FedEx charges to send a package toward Mexico
$17.52 on 2026-08-25, for a 5 lb box run from Berkeley Heights, NJ to a forwarder ZIP near Laredo, TX on FedEx Ground Economy. That is the leg SMKlog actually prices; the hop across the border is a separate arrangement with whoever forwards it into Mexico, the same pattern our other cross-border guides use.
Domestic leg quoted 2026-08-25Mexico customs rules, datedBorder leg routed to a forwarder
Two legs, one of them ours
FedEx Ground Economy prices the run to the border like any other domestic parcel. What happens after that ZIP code is a separate job.
The domestic leg, quoted through FedEx
A 12 × 9 × 6 in box of ordinary packaged goods, 5 lb, quoted from Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 to a forwarder ZIP near Laredo, TX, 78045, on 2026-08-25. SMKlog's checkout stops at that ZIP code; the crossing into Mexico is a separate arrangement.
| Carrier and service | Price | Transit window |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground Saver | $15.41 | not returned |
| USPS Ground Advantage | $15.91 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS Ground | $17.00 | 5-6 business days |
| FedEx Ground Economy | $17.52 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS 2nd Day Air | $28.68 | 2-3 business days |
FedEx Ground Economy came in fourth of five on this box, a couple of dollars above the cheapest, UPS Ground Saver. The gap is narrow enough that a heavier box or a different forwarder ZIP could reorder it; requote before assuming FedEx is either the cheapest or the most expensive option.
The number that actually gates a package into Mexico
USPS's Individual Country Listing for Mexico, read 2026-08-21, sets two thresholds that apply no matter which US carrier hands the box to a forwarder. Mexico's own customs authority starts collecting import tax the moment a shipment's declared value crosses 50 US dollars, a line that has stood since March 1, 2019, and a second, stricter rule kicks in at 1,000 US dollars: past that point the shipment needs its own import permit or license before it can clear.
Stacking goods risks the permit line
A single item in the box may sit comfortably under the permit threshold, but combining several goods into one shipment can push the total declared value past it.
FedEx doesn't set the tax rate either
USPS's listing names the two dollar lines but not Mexico's actual tax rate for a given category of goods; that comes from Mexico's own customs schedule at the time of entry, and it has nothing to do with which US carrier ran the domestic leg.
What FedEx Ground Economy will actually carry
FedEx's own Ground Economy service page states packages up to 70 lbs. and 130 inches in length plus girth, read 2026-08-16. That ceiling is what applies to the domestic leg SMKlog prices toward a border forwarder; the box in this capture, at 5 lb, is nowhere near it.
Past that limit, or once a shipment is truly a pallet rather than a parcel, our own checkout does not price it. Send the details to freight review and a person quotes the lane, including whichever leg actually needs to cross into Mexico.
Where these rules come from
- SMKlog checkout, live quote for a 12 × 9 × 6 in, 5 lb box, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 to 78045. Captured 2026-08-25.
- USPS, Individual Country Listing for Mexico — the $50 tax threshold and $1,000 permit threshold. Read 2026-08-21.
- FedEx, FedEx Ground Economy — the 70 lb and 130 inch length-plus-girth ceiling. Read 2026-08-16.
Carriers and customs authorities both revise their own numbers on their own schedule. Requote your own box, and confirm current Mexican customs thresholds, before you ship.
Common questions
How much does it cost to send a package to Mexico with FedEx?
For the domestic leg, which is what SMKlog actually sells: $17.52 on FedEx Ground Economy for a 12 x 9 x 6 in, 5 lb box from Berkeley Heights, NJ to a forwarder ZIP near Laredo, TX, quoted 2026-08-25. UPS Ground Saver undercut it at $15.41 on the same box and lane. The border crossing itself is priced separately by whoever handles the Mexico-side leg.
Does FedEx take a package all the way into Mexico through SMKlog's checkout?
No. SMKlog sells US domestic parcel labels. Our checkout prices the run to a border-area ZIP code; a forwarder or broker on the other side handles the actual crossing into Mexico, along with any customs paperwork.
Will my package get taxed entering Mexico?
Very likely, if it holds any real merchandise. USPS's Individual Country Listing for Mexico states that Mexican import taxes apply once a package's declared value passes 50 US dollars, a threshold in force since March 1, 2019, and that a shipment needs an import permit or license once declared value passes 1,000 US dollars. Mexico's own customs authority sets the tax rate, not the carrier.
How big a box can go on FedEx Ground Economy toward the border?
FedEx's own Ground Economy service page states a ceiling of 70 lbs. and 130 inches in length plus girth, read 2026-08-16. That is the limit for the domestic leg SMKlog prices; past it, the shipment needs a different service or a freight review.