Is Pirate Ship the Same as USPS in 2024? (Your Full Guide)

As a 10-year ecommerce industry veteran, one of the most common questions I receive is whether Pirate Ship is the same as the United States Postal Service, or USPS.

The short answer is no—Pirate Ship is a private shipping technology company that partners with USPS, UPS, and other carriers to offer discounted parcel delivery rates. But there‘s more to understand about how Pirate Ship achieves these low rates and what services they offer compared to USPS directly.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unpack everything you need to know about how Pirate Ship works to save your business money on shipping.

How Does Pirate Ship Offer Such Low USPS Rates?

Pirate Ship provides users access to significantly discounted USPS Commercial Plus rates and below through individually negotiated service agreements.

These rates beat even the deepest discounts offered by traditional USPS Commercial Plus plans, which are typically only available to very high-volume shippers. Pirate Ship passes on negotiated carrier pricing directly to its users without any monthly fees or added commissions.

For example, here’s a cost comparison of a 5 lb. package going from New York City to Los Angeles using current 2023 rates:

Based on the above, Pirate Ship rates represent nearly 30% savings over public USPS prices. These add up to major bottom-line benefits for ecommerce merchants and small business owners.

Cubic Shipping: A Cost-Effective Option for Small & Light Items

One unique advantage Pirate Ship provides is access to the USPS Cubic pricing model without any monthly volume requirements.

With Cubic, packages are priced based on volume (length x width x height) rather than just weight. This makes it perfect for bulky, lightweight packages like:

• Poly mailers & padded envelopes
• Light apparel like t-shirts
• Custom boxes and packaging

Here’s a look at how much a 12" x 10" x 2" package would cost to ship from Los Angeles to New York City at 1 lb. vs. 3 lbs. weight:

As you can see, Cubic provides excellent discounts for bulky lightweight packages up to 20 lbs. Rather than paying more for additional weight, you pay based on cubic size.

This allows smaller ecommerce companies to stay cost competitive with weighing and dimensional (DIM) pricing typically only accessible to big shippers.

What Shipping Services Does Pirate Ship Offer?

Pirate Ship grants users access to the following USPS and UPS parcel delivery options:

USPS Shipping Services

• Priority Mail
• Priority Mail Cubic
• Priority Mail Express
• First-Class Package Service
• Parcel Select Ground

UPS Shipping Options

• UPS Ground
• UPS SurePost (uses USPS for final delivery)
• UPS Next Day Air

So while Pirate Ship doesn’t provide every USPS Special Service or Extra, it does unlock all the most popular options used by small and medium ecommerce businesses today.

Can You Use USPS Boxes, Envelopes, and Packaging?

Yes, Pirate Ship allows you to use all the same free packaging and supplies offered by the USPS directly including:

• Flat rate boxes & envelopes
• Regional rate boxes
• Priority mail supplies
• Standard mailers and boxes

Just note if you utilize a USPS flat rate or regional rate box, you must ship at those same fixed rates using Pirate Ship as well.

Bottom Line: Major Shipping Savings

While Pirate Ship doesn’t replace the Postal Service, it offers users unprecedented access to deeply discounted Commercial Plus and custom USPS rates typically only available to huge shipping companies.

For small ecommerce businesses, these savings—which often exceed 25-40% off baseline rates—go straight to your bottom line.

If you’re currently buying USPS labels at full price, I highly recommend the free Pirate Ship service to see how much you could potentially save in 2024.