From Newark, Pennsylvania starts one zone away — Philadelphia quoted in the bottom band on our run. The state's western half stretches a zone or two further.
A dated pull, not an estimate: these carrier tables were fetched 2026-07-27 for one real parcel.
The prices below are a genuine calculator run: one 12 × 10 × 6 in, 5 lb box of household goods, quoted to Philadelphia from Newark and from Los Angeles on the same day. What you see per row is what checkout would have charged, SMKlog's part included, with no later add-ons.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $10.37 | 3 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $11.24 | 1 business day |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $11.42 | 2-3 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $15.22 | 1 business day |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $15.47 | 1 business day |
| 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 | 2-3 business days |
Philadelphia sits one zone from Newark, which is why UPS Ground Saver came back at $10.37 there while the Los Angeles run bottomed out at $17.30 on USPS Ground Advantage. Pittsburgh usually lands a band or so beyond Philly from East Coast origins; from LA the whole state prices as ordinary cross-country. Prices drift weekly, so use these rows as a dated benchmark and pull today's quote for your own pair of ZIPs.
Zone 2 postage sits near the floor of what any carrier charges. That is what a Newark-to-Philadelphia label enjoys, and why the first table undercuts the second by roughly seven dollars per row. Distance bands, not state lines, set the price.
From Newark, UPS Ground quoted next-business-day delivery at $11.24, just 87 cents over the slowest row. Short lanes compress transit differences into small money. Check the days column before defaulting to the minimum price.
For an item that would hurt to lose, add shipping protection at checkout and keep the sale receipt in case a claim is ever needed. The label price itself does not change with the value of the contents; the risk does.
From Newark, NJ our 12 × 10 × 6 in, 5 lb parcel started at $10.37 with UPS Ground Saver. From Los Angeles, CA the floor was $17.30 with USPS Ground Advantage. Those are complete checkout figures from 2026-07-27, SMKlog's charge folded in, and yours will differ with box and ZIPs.
On the short lane the carriers quoted 1 to 3 business days for most rows, with UPS Ground listing next day from Newark. The cross-country run came back at 6-8 days on ground tiers. All windows shown were returned live alongside the prices on 2026-07-27.
UPS Ground Saver won the nearby run at $10.37; USPS Ground Advantage won the distant one at $17.30. Two different winners on one page is a good argument for comparing rather than assuming. Run a live comparison before buying.
None. The flow is describe, quote, pick, pay. Both ZIP codes and a card are all you need, the label downloads on the spot, and tracking rides along at no extra step.