Quote:
Originally Posted by Wallbright
Whats the difference? It arrives in the same time?
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1st class can take up to 5 working days to cross the country, typically, though it takes 2-3. Priority takes 2-3 days, and often arrives in 2. Priority mail will trump 1st class bins for space on the planes and trucks too.
!st class is limited to 13oz, Priority is 80lbs max. There are some new A-rate and B-rate boxes that are limited to lower weights and cost less to ship.
If you purchase priority postage online from the USPS website, not only do you get a discount on the rate, you get the DC number included for free. The USPS does not offer the ability to purchase 1st class postage online, you have to go to a 3rd party for that, and there are typically setup or equipment fees and/or the requirement to maintain a funded account balance with them. DC numbers also cost extra for 1st class - $0.75 at the counter and $0.19 if applied via the USPS ship manager standalone software.
Priority is just very convenient for a lot of people. USPS will give you flat rate boxes for free, deliver them directly to your house if you want, whatever fits in the box ships, weight is generally irrelevant, so you don't need a scale, you can print the paid postage label from any computer with no special hardware and no extra fees, and, since it's a traceable label, you do not need to hand packages weighing over 13oz directly to a postal service employee, you can simply drop them in the big blue parcel boxes or parcel drop at the post office.
I use both, it just depends on the situation and how much I'm sending. 1st class costs me less, but it can be a PITA.