Michigan prices as upper-Midwest mid-zone from both coasts, with Detroit's dense industrial routes keeping windows tight in the southeast of the state.
We ran an actual parcel through the calculator on 2026-07-27 and printed what the carriers said, unedited.
Detroit is the test city here. On 2026-07-27 we quoted a 12 × 10 × 6 in box at 5 lb, ordinary household contents, through the SMKlog calculator from both Newark and Los Angeles, and pasted the carrier responses into the tables below. Every figure is the total at checkout, with the label and SMKlog's charge already merged.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $11.09 | 4 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $12.32 | 2-3 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $12.38 | 3-4 business days |
| USPS | Priority Mail | $16.16 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $17.95 | 2-3 business days |
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $17.30 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $19.14 | 6 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $19.30 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $27.17 | 3-4 business days |
| USPS | Priority Mail | $28.19 | 2-3 business days |
UPS Ground Saver had the Newark floor at $11.09, and USPS Ground Advantage the Los Angeles floor at $17.30, on 2026-07-27. Lower Michigan quotes tightly. The Upper Peninsula is its own animal, routing long and landing at the tail of whatever window is quoted. Reprice with your own ZIPs; these tables are a snapshot, not a promise.
Marquette and the rest of the Upper Peninsula ride longer routes than the quoted Detroit windows suggest. If your recipient is above the bridge, plan on the late edge of the window and consider a quicker tier for anything time-sensitive.
From Newark, UPS 3 Day Select quoted 2-3 business days at $17.95, and plain UPS Ground quoted the same window at $12.32. When two rows share a window, take the cheaper one; the table makes those pairs easy to spot.
You do not need a new carton. Strip or black out old labels, tape every seam, and make sure the walls have not gone soft. Since pricing follows the outer dimensions, avoid a bigger box than the item needs.
Our 5 lb, 12 × 10 × 6 in parcel priced at $11.09 from Newark and $17.30 from Los Angeles on 2026-07-27, cheapest tiers. Totals include everything, label and SMKlog charge alike. Expect different numbers for a different box.
Every Newark tier we saw quoted between 2-3 and 4 business days; from Los Angeles the cheapest row quoted 6-7. The authoritative window for each service sits next to its price in the tables above, per carrier, from 2026-07-27.
It split on our run: UPS Ground Saver at $11.09 won from Newark while USPS Ground Advantage at $17.30 won from Los Angeles. That split is exactly why comparing live beats loyalty to any one carrier.
No signup exists to skip. Describe the item, or give box dimensions if you know them, enter the ZIPs, compare, and pay. Tracking is bundled with the label automatically.