Four countertop appliances, boxed the way most people actually pack them and quoted on the same morning: a coffee maker, a blender, a hand mixer and an electric kettle, all going from Berkeley Heights, NJ to Portland, OR on 2026-08-19. The spread runs from $12.95 for the lightest box to $47.48 for the heaviest one on a rushed service.
These are the actual cartons and the actual ZIP pair, quoted 2026-08-19. Prices move, so pull your own when you ship.
| Appliance | Packed box | Cheapest returned | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand mixer with beaters | 10 x 6 x 5 in 3 lb | $12.95 UPS Ground Saver | Not returned for this row |
| Electric kettle, 1.7 liter | 10 x 8 x 10 in 4 lb | $14.70 USPS Ground Advantage | 4-5 business days |
| Countertop blender, glass jar | 11 x 9 x 16 in 8 lb | $22.59 FedEx Ground Economy | 8-9 business days |
| 12-cup drip coffee maker | 14 x 10 x 14 in 7 lb | $24.69 FedEx Ground Economy | 8-9 business days |
Weight alone does not set the order here. The coffee maker weighs less than the blender but costs more to move, because its box is the largest of the four by volume. A carton this size on a coast-to-coast lane starts paying for the space it takes on a trailer, not only for what the scale reads.
The cheapest row is not the whole picture. Here is every service that returned a rate for each of the four appliances, so a rushed order can be weighed against the standard one.
| Appliance | Carrier | Service | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee maker | FedEx | Ground Economy | $24.69 |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $25.51 | |
| UPS | Ground | $29.55 | |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $32.15 | |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $47.48 | |
| Blender | FedEx | Ground Economy | $22.59 |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $22.85 | |
| UPS | Ground | $22.94 | |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $22.95 | |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $37.20 | |
| Hand mixer | UPS | Ground Saver | $12.95 |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $13.04 | |
| UPS | Ground | $13.40 | |
| USPS | Priority | $17.50 | |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $21.95 | |
| Electric kettle | USPS | Ground Advantage | $14.70 |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $17.21 | |
| UPS | Ground | $17.26 | |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $17.59 | |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $24.96 |
The gap between the cheapest and the fastest service is largest on the coffee maker: $47.48 against $24.69, more than double for the same box. On the hand mixer that same gap is under nine dollars. Bigger, heavier boxes pay a steeper premium for speed than small ones do.
The molded inserts that came with a coffee maker or blender are shaped to hold it still, which is the whole job of a shipping carton. Replace any crushed foam corner with bubble wrap rather than tossing the box out for a plain one.
A glass blender jar or coffee carafe left sitting on the base rattles against the motor housing with every bump. Wrap it on its own and pack it a few inches away from the base instead.
A cord left hanging finds the edge of the box first. Coil it against the body and hold it with a twist tie or tape, not wound around a blade or a set of beaters.
$12.95 to $47.48 for the four appliances quoted on this page, going Berkeley Heights, NJ to Portland, OR on 2026-08-19. A hand mixer sat at the bottom of that range and a coffee maker on the timed service sat at the top.
It changed by item on the lane quoted here. FedEx Ground Economy was cheapest on the blender and the coffee maker. UPS Ground Saver was cheapest on the hand mixer, nine cents ahead of USPS Ground Advantage. USPS Ground Advantage was cheapest on the kettle. None of the four had one carrier that was cheapest across the board.
No, and you usually should not. The original carton and its molded foam or cardboard inserts are shaped to hold the appliance still, which is exactly what a shipping box needs to do. Reuse it, replace any crushed insert with bubble wrap, and tape over the original barcode so a scanner does not read the wrong label.
Wrap it and pack it away from the base rather than leaving it seated on the appliance. A blender jar or a coffee carafe rattling against a motor housing is the single most common breakage on a small appliance shipment, and a few inches of separation and padding stops it.
Coil it and tuck it against the body rather than letting it hang loose, and secure it with a twist tie or tape rather than wrapping it around a blade or beater. A loose cord finds its way to the edge of the box, where it is the first thing to take a hit.