South Dakota holds the plains pattern — near-symmetric coast pricing and a tight carrier spread, with windows that stretch on rural routes.
These are the carriers' own 2026-07-27 numbers for a single real box, kept exactly as returned.
Sioux Falls was the target for this test: a 12 × 10 × 6 in, 5 lb box of household goods priced through the SMKlog calculator from New Jersey and from California. The rows below are the raw results, and each shows the whole sum checkout collects, SMKlog's charge within it.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $15.12 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $15.49 | 5 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $15.67 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $22.81 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $23.99 | 2-3 business days |
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $15.12 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $15.49 | 6 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $15.67 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $22.81 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 2nd Day Air | $23.99 | 2-3 business days |
Both origins bottomed out at $15.12 on USPS Ground Advantage, a neat illustration of how mid-continent destinations flatten the coast difference. Sioux Falls anchors the state's routing; West River ZIPs tend to use the far end of each quoted window. A dated table is a reference, not a promise. Prices move with the week and the box, so quote your actual shipment before deciding.
From Newark, UPS Ground at $15.67 quoted 3-4 business days while USPS Ground Advantage at $15.12 quoted 6-7. Fifty-five cents for roughly three days is one of the better trades a table like this ever prints. It only shows up if you read past the price column.
Zone charts step up with ZIP-to-ZIP distance, and South Dakota sits far from both coasts in nearly equal measure. The result is Newark and Los Angeles quotes that match to the cent on several rows. Origin state matters less here than almost anywhere.
Describe what's going in the box and SMKlog estimates the packed size and weight for you; exact measurements are welcome when you have them. Live USPS, UPS and FedEx prices come back for that parcel, and the label you buy includes tracking.
The 2026-07-27 test put our 12 × 10 × 6 in, 5 lb box at $15.12 by USPS Ground Advantage from Newark, NJ and, identically, $15.12 from Los Angeles, CA. Checkout would charge exactly those totals, SMKlog's part included. Different boxes land differently; quote yours live.
Carrier-quoted, per the 2026-07-27 tables: ground rows mostly 3-7 business days, with UPS 2nd Day Air at 2-3 days for $23.99 and 3 Day Select at 3-4 for $22.81 when speed justifies the spend.
USPS Ground Advantage at $15.12 from either coast, with UPS Ground Saver 37 cents behind at $15.49. Margins that thin flip routinely as carriers reprice, so the standing answer is a live comparison for your box on your day.
It doesn't. State what you're shipping, provide origin and destination ZIPs, choose a rate, pay. The printable label with tracking arrives immediately, and no profile is created.