Pirate Ship offers expedited domestic shipping services from USPS® and UPS®: Priority Mail Express® and Next Day Air®, respectively. We've laid out how to utilize both services below.
USPS: Priority Mail Express
Here's everything you need to know about USPS Priority Mail Express:
Delivery Timeframes: USPS Priority Mail Express features 1-day delivery between urban areas and 2-day delivery between rural areas. It's the fastest service USPS offers, and comes with free signature confirmation and $100 of insurance!
Post Office Cut-Off Times: Each Post Office has unique cut-off times when they stop accepting Priority Mail Express shipments for the day.
To see if your shipment qualifies for one-day shipping, check out the USPS Service Commitments here: https://postcalc.usps.com/ServiceCommitments
You’ll need to enter your Ship From and Ship To ZIPs, along with when you expect to drop the package off at the Post Office.
Hand the Package Off at the Post Office: Once you purchase your Priority Mail Express label on Pirate Ship, we recommend going into the Post Office and handing the package directly to an employee. This is the best way to ensure the package goes out at the right time!
Priority Mail Express Refunds: If USPS doesn’t deliver the package by the date and time stated in the Service Commitments, they will offer a full refund* on your label. Just send us a message to get that process started 👍
Note*: When shipping Priority Mail Express packages, you must drop your packages off on the same date that your label shows (your Ship Date). For USPS to honor the refund guarantee, your Ship Date and the Acceptance Date when USPS scans the package must match.
Learn more about choosing your Ship Date.
Some states & US Territories don't offer refunds for late PME packages
State & Territory Exemptions: Unfortunately, money-back guarantees for Priority Mail Express shipments don't apply if the package is sent to or from the following locations:
Alaska
Hawaii
Guam
American Samoa
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
The Republic of Palau
The Republic of the Marshall Islands
The Federated States of Micronesia
How to create a USPS Priority Mail Express Label
Selecting Your Package Type: To choose the Priority Mail Express service, you can select the package type you have on hand from the "Package Type" dropdown on the Create Label page. You can also use your own packaging.
Here's how that drop-down menu looks:
If You Use Non-USPS Packaging: If you're using your own packaging for Priority Mail Express, enter your package details on the Create Single Label page, and select the service from the dropdown on the Buy Label page. See below:
Signature Confirmation Included: Priority Mail Express shipments include free Signature confirmation service. To utilize the free Signature Confirmation, check the box for it under the Extra Services tab:
No Fee: The fee for Signature Confirmation will be shown as $0 on the Buy Label page when you select the Priority Mail Express Service:
UPS: Next Day Air
UPS offers Next Day Air, which features next-business-day delivery to domestic destinations. It's the fastest service UPS offers, includes $100 of carrier liability, and often beats Priority Mail Express in both speed and affordability!
There are three sub-services of Next Day Air, which feature different delivery speeds:
Next Day Air Saver (delivery by the end of the next business day)
Next Day Air
Next Day Air Early (delivery during the morning of the next business day)
Unlike Priority Mail Express, none of the UPS Next Day Air services come with free Signature Confirmation 😅
How to Create a UPS Next Day Air Label
Choosing Your Next Day Air Service: Once you enter your recipient & package info and click "Get Rates," select the Choose a Service drop-down menu on the Buy Label page, and scroll down to see the available UPS services.
Here's an example of what that looks like:
Three Next Day Air Options: As seen in the above screenshot, there are three options you'll see for Next Day Air:
Next Day Air Saver®: This is the most economical next-business-day delivery option, and UPS will deliver your package by the end of the day
Next Day Air®: This is the "standard" next-business-day delivery option, and UPS will deliver your package between 10:30 AM and 12 PM depending on where you're shipping from and to
Next Day Air Early®: This is the fastest next-business-day delivery option (and most expensive), and UPS will deliver your package first thing in the morning, typically around 8 AM
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