Ohio sits within a day's drive of a huge share of the US population, and its parcel pricing reflects that centrality: mid-zone from both coasts with tight ground spreads.
Live rates from 2026-07-27 for one real box; the tables carry the route so you can rerun it yourself.
Columbus, quoted from both coasts on 2026-07-27. The parcel was our usual 12 × 10 × 6 in box at 5 lb of household goods, and the SMKlog calculator's results are reprinted below without adjustment. A price in these tables is the entire checkout charge, label and SMKlog's charge combined.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $11.09 | 4 business days |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $11.55 | 3-4 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 |
| 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 |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $20.50 | 7-8 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $27.17 | 3-4 business days |
On 2026-07-27, UPS Ground Saver led from Newark at $11.09 and USPS Ground Advantage led from Los Angeles at $17.30. Cleveland and Cincinnati price alongside Columbus once the origin is distant, so the tables generalize across the state fairly well. They still expire, though. Quote your own ZIP pair before acting.
Ohio sits within a few zones of most of the eastern half of the country, and zones are what base rates are built on. That is why the Newark table opens at $11.09 while the true cross-country run from Los Angeles opens at $17.30.
From Newark, UPS Ground quoted 2-3 business days at $12.32, beating slower tiers that cost within a dollar of it. Midwest lanes from the East Coast often hide these bargains, so scan the whole table, not just the top row.
If a box is large relative to its weight, carriers substitute a volume-based billing weight for the real one. Our 5 lb test box avoided that penalty by being compact. Yours should aim for the same ratio.
Cheapest 2026-07-27 rows for our 12 × 10 × 6 in, 5 lb box: $11.09 from Newark, $17.30 from Los Angeles. Prices are whole checkout amounts, the label plus the SMKlog charge. For a current figure on your route, run a live quote.
Newark quotes on our run included UPS Ground at 2-3 business days and nothing slower than 4 among the cheap tiers; the cheapest Los Angeles tier quoted 6-7. Each service's own window is listed beside its price above.
UPS Ground Saver at $11.09 from Newark; USPS Ground Advantage at $17.30 from Los Angeles. Two lanes, two winners, one lesson: rankings depend on the route and the week, so let a fresh comparison decide.
No. Enter what the item is and where it is going, get live prices from USPS, UPS, and FedEx, and pay for the tier you choose. The label comes back immediately and carries its tracking number.