The whole errand fits between the kitchen table and the front step: price the box without a scale, buy the label, print it, and let a driver take it away. The part most guides skip is who charges for that last step. USPS collects on its normal round for nothing; UPS and FedEx put a one-time collection on the bill.
Rating, paying and labelling all happen at home. The hand-off is the only physical step, and it can happen at your own door.
On 2026-07-28 we typed “cardboard box of folded clothes” into our own calculator and asked for Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 to Atlanta, GA 30303. The estimated packed box was 16 × 12 × 10 in at 9 lb. Below is the full list the carriers returned for it, not a shortlist, because the cheapest line and the most convenient line are rarely the same one.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $17.56 | 4 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $17.57 | 6-7 business days |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $20.86 | 5-6 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $21.94 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $27.66 | 3-4 business days |
One cent separates the two economy lines at the top, and both of them beat the Postal Service on this box. Hold that thought until the collection section, because the two cheapest carriers are the two that bill you to come and get it.
Three carriers, three different answers, all read off their own pages on 2026-07-28. This is the single fact that decides whether the cheapest quote is really the cheapest way to get a box out of your house.
| Carrier | Collection at a home address | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Your letter carrier takes the parcels during the normal delivery round, once a qualifying premium item anchors the request | Nothing for that version. A scheduled two-hour window is sold separately as Pickup on Demand |
| UPS | A one-time request brings a driver out for the stop, same day or a future day | Billed per request, more for same day than for a future day, and a residential address adds a Residential Surcharge on top |
| FedEx | An on-call stop, bookable as a guest when the label is already paid for | Charged per stop under the pricing structure that took effect 18 August 2025 |
Sources read on 2026-07-28: USPS pickup rules at tools.usps.com/schedule-pickup-steps.htm, which states that a carrier can collect a shipment during regular mail delivery, that Pickup on Demand is the paid alternative with a two-hour window, and that nothing over 70 lbs or 130 inches can be accepted; UPS one-time collection at ups.com, which prices a same-day request above a future-day one and adds a residential surcharge; FedEx pickups at fedex.com, which charges on-call collection per stop and allows guest booking against a prepaid label.
The USPS condition catches people out. A Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Package Service, International or Returns item has to be in the request before other Postal Service products ride along with it, so a lone Ground Advantage parcel is not by itself a qualifying request.
Same day, same lane, three household boxes. The middle column is the lowest price of any carrier; the right-hand column is the Postal Service line that a letter carrier will collect on the normal round.
| What we described | Estimated box | Lowest quote of any carrier | USPS Ground Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pair of leather boots in a shoebox | 14 × 10 × 6 in 5 lb packed | $13.52 UPS Ground Saver | $14.02 |
| Cardboard box of folded clothes | 16 × 12 × 10 in 9 lb packed | $17.56 UPS Ground Saver | $20.86 |
| Countertop blender in its original box | 18 × 14 × 12 in 20 lb packed | $23.00 UPS Ground Saver | $33.44 |
The boots row is close enough that the postage difference disappears the moment a paid collection lands on the bill, so the mail route wins the errand. The blender row is not close, and the gap there is wide enough to pay for a booked stop and still come out ahead. That is the whole calculation: put the collection charge next to the postage gap and see which is bigger before you pick a rate.
Yes, from pricing through collection. You buy the label online, print it, tape it to the box and hand the box to a driver at the door. The only step that needs anyone else is the collection itself, and the Postal Service will do that on its normal delivery round.
Not for the ordinary version. USPS collects prepaid parcels during regular mail delivery at no charge, and sells a paid Pickup on Demand slot for people who need a two-hour window instead. UPS and FedEx both bill a one-time collection as its own line.
No. Describe the contents and the calculator estimates the packed box, which is how the three quotes on this page were produced. A kitchen scale makes the estimate tighter, and carriers re-measure in their own network either way.
Plain paper works. Cut the label out, tape every edge flat against the largest face of the box, and keep tape off the barcode itself so a scanner can still read it. A thermal printer is a convenience, not a requirement.
USPS will not take a pickup item over 70 lbs or 130 inches in length plus girth. Past that you are looking at a staffed drop-off, a UPS or FedEx collection, or a pallet quote if the thing is genuinely freight.