A boxed 43-inch set priced $77.59 on UPS Ground, Berkeley Heights, NJ to Denver, CO, quoted 2026-08-19. The same day, on the same lane, a 50-inch set in a larger box returned no UPS rate at all, only FedEx and USPS. Whether either number is worth paying depends on what the set is worth to you against buying new or selling and rebuying locally, and the two captures below give real numbers to run that math against instead of a guess.
Screen size did not just change the price. On the larger box it changed which carriers showed up at all.
A 43-inch set boxed to 43 x 26 x 6 in at 24 lb, and a 50-inch set boxed to 48 x 30 x 7 in at 30 lb, both quoted Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 to Denver, CO 80202 on the same afternoon. Every rate either box returned is below, printed as the checkout received it.
| Carrier and service | 43-inch 43 × 26 × 6 in, 24 lb | 50-inch 48 × 30 × 7 in, 30 lb |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground | $77.59 5-6 business days | Not returned |
| UPS Ground Saver | $79.41 | Not returned |
| FedEx SmartPost | $72.07 6-7 business days | $124.71 6-7 business days |
| UPS 3 Day Select | $123.49 5-6 business days | Not returned |
| FedEx Ground | $161.85 5-6 business days | $174.98 5-6 business days |
| FedEx Express Saver | Not returned | $251.94 4-5 business days |
| FedEx 2Day | Not returned | $302.14 4-5 business days |
| USPS Ground Advantage | Not returned | $314.33 4-5 business days |
The cheapest option on the 43-inch box was FedEx SmartPost at $72.07, with UPS Ground close behind at $77.59. On the 50-inch box, UPS returned nothing at all on this quote; the cheapest option that did come back was FedEx SmartPost at $124.71, more than the 43-inch box's most expensive UPS option. Carrier availability on a given day and lane can shift for either size, and this table is one dated capture, not a standing price list.
"Worth it" only has an answer once the shipping total sits next to what the alternative actually costs. There are two comparisons worth running, and they point in different directions depending on the screen size.
A working 43-inch set shipped for around $72 to $78 on this lane costs less than most new 43-inch sets at retail, so keeping the set you already own and paying to move it usually beats replacing it, especially if the set still has resale or sentimental value.
Compare the shipping total to what the set would fetch used, not to what it cost new. On the 43-inch box, the UPS Ground price is well under most working sets' resale value, so shipping keeps more value in your pocket than selling low locally and buying another set at the destination.
Once the box size pushes the total past $150 to $300, as the 50-inch example shows, that number starts to approach what a used large-screen set sells for. At that point selling locally and buying again at the destination is worth pricing out side by side, not assumed away.
Box volume, not the screen's actual weight, is what drove the 50-inch total so much higher on every carrier that did quote it. A 48 x 30 x 7 in box works out to a large dimensional weight against only 30 lb of actual TV, and that gap is what carriers bill against under dimensional pricing. Our flat-screen TV shipping cost guide walks through that arithmetic on a different lane, and how to pack a TV covers the double-box method that keeps a panel from cracking regardless of which carrier ends up on the label.
$77.59 on UPS Ground for a 43-inch set boxed to 43 x 26 x 6 in at 24 lb, Berkeley Heights, NJ to Denver, CO, quoted 2026-08-19. UPS Ground Saver came back close behind at $79.41, and UPS 3 Day Select at $123.49. A 50-inch set in a larger box, quoted the same day on the same lane, returned no UPS rate at all.
The quote does not say, and this page will not guess at a reason it cannot verify. What is documented is the fact itself: the identical lane on the identical day returned five UPS options for the smaller box and zero for the larger one. FedEx and USPS still priced the larger box, so the shipment itself was not refused outright.
That depends on what the set is worth to you. A working 43-inch set shipped for roughly the price of UPS Ground here costs less than most new 43-inch sets, so shipping wins on a set you already own and want to keep. On a large screen where every carrier option jumps past $150 to $300, comparing that total against buying new or selling locally and buying again at the destination is the honest math, not a blanket rule.
Run both numbers before deciding. A 43-inch set's shipping cost on this lane sits well under most resale values for a set in working condition, so shipping usually keeps more value than selling low and rebuying. A 50-inch or larger set's carrier total, once a service that actually prices it is found, can approach a used set's resale price, at which point selling and rebuying locally is worth pricing side by side rather than assuming the shipment wins.
Box volume, not the extra pounds. The 50-inch box's dimensional weight ran far ahead of its 30 lb actual weight, which is what a flat, wide panel box does under every carrier's dimensional pricing formula. The 43-inch box was smaller in every dimension and priced accordingly lower across every service that quoted it.