Shipping cost estimator

Say what you are sending, what the sealed package weighs and what the cards are worth. The estimator lists the USPS services that fit, each with its postage, its tracking, its insurance at that value and the total, from USPS's own price list.

Checked October 12, 2026. Next check by November 12, 2026.

What you are sending

Raw cards in a plain envelopeRaw cards in a bubble mailer or boxGraded cards in a box

Number of cards

Packed weight

Weigh the sealed package, packing included.

Declared value, in US dollars

Distance zoneUSPS shows the zone when you price a label.

Where you buy the postage

Add Signature Confirmation

Box size, for a large box

A box over one cubic foot can be billed by its size. Enter all three sides, in inches.

Length

Width

Height

6 options fit. Prices run from zone 1, the nearest, to zone 8. Zone 9 is priced on its own when you choose it. USPS prices effective October 4, 2026, checked October 12, 2026.

USPS Ground Advantage

Postage: $8.40 to $10.20
Tracking: Included
Insurance: Included, up to $100.00
Signature: Not added
Total: $8.40 to $10.20

Priority Mail

Postage: $11.50 to $17.95
Tracking: Included
Insurance: Included, up to $100.00
Signature: Not added
Total: $11.50 to $17.95

Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope

Postage: $13.90
Tracking: Included
Insurance: Included, up to $100.00
Signature: Not added
Total: $13.90

Size: 12 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches or smaller.

Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope

Postage: $15.00
Tracking: Included
Insurance: Included, up to $100.00
Signature: Not added
Total: $15.00

Size: 12 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches.

Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box

Postage: $14.65
Tracking: Included
Insurance: Included, up to $100.00
Signature: Not added
Total: $14.65

Size: 8 5/8 by 5 3/8 by 1 5/8 inches inside.

Registered Mail

Postage: $8.40 to $10.20
Registered Mail fee: $21.50
Tracking: Included
Insurance: Included in the Registered Mail fee, up to $50,000
Signature: Not added
Total: $29.90 to $31.70

Handed to a clerk at a Post Office, and priced here at Post Office prices.
Sent by USPS Ground Advantage in a box sealed with paper or cloth tape, not a padded or plastic mailer.

How the estimator works

USPS prices most mail by weight, rounded up to the next step. A letter steps at 1, 2, 3 and 3.5 oz. A USPS Ground Advantage parcel steps at 4, 8, 12 and 15.999 oz, and above that by the pound, so a 4.2 oz parcel pays the 8 oz price and an 8.3 lb one the 9 lb price. Priority Mail goes by the pound. A box larger than one cubic foot is billed at its length times width times height divided by 139, in pounds rounded up, when that comes to more than it weighs. A Flat Rate box or envelope costs the same at any weight up to 70 lb.

USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and the Flat Rate options include insurance up to $100. Above that, the estimator prices insurance on the whole declared value, as our shipping guides do, and USPS sells it up to $5,000 a package. Above $5,000, it shows what splitting the order across packages would cost, and Registered Mail, whose fee includes insurance up to $50,000. A letter has no tracking and no insurance priced here.

Signature Confirmation costs $5.15 at a Post Office and $4.15 online, and mail insured for more than $500 comes with a signature at no extra charge. The estimator leaves out Priority Mail Express, supplies, and the extra fees for a parcel over 22 inches long or over two cubic feet, which each option notes when your box passes them, and it prices no parcel over 108 inches of length and girth combined. Our guides to shipping raw cards, shipping a graded card and shipping a large order cover the packing.

Example: each option for the values the estimator opens with, at Post Office prices. A bar's solid part runs from the zone 1 price to the zone 8 price.

Where the figures come from

Every price comes from USPS's own price list, Notice 123, effective October 4, 2026, and every rule from USPS's own pages, read on October 12, 2026. USPS can change its prices on any day, so check the price when you buy the label.

Sources: Notice 123: Price List (effective October 4, 2026), USPS Postal Explorer, checked October 12, 2026; DMM 503: Extra Services, USPS Postal Explorer, checked October 12, 2026; USPS Ground Advantage, USPS, checked October 12, 2026; Priority Mail, USPS, checked October 12, 2026; First-Class Mail, USPS, checked October 12, 2026; Shipping Insurance and Delivery Services, USPS, checked October 12, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know my zone?

No. Without one, the estimator shows each price from zone 1, the nearest, to zone 8, and zone 9 when you choose it. USPS works the zone out from the two ZIP Codes and shows it when you price a label. Letter and Flat Rate prices are the same in every zone.

Can a card go in a plain envelope with a stamp?

As a First-Class Mail letter, if the envelope weighs 3.5 oz or less and bends. One that will not bend, such as an envelope with a toploader inside, pays a $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge. USPS Tracking is not offered on letters, so a card that needs tracking goes as a parcel.

What does it cost to insure a card worth $250?

USPS's price list, Notice 123, charges $4.55 to insure a package declared at $200.01 to $300, added to the postage. The estimator prices insurance on the whole declared value, so a $250 card by Ground Advantage comes to the postage plus $4.55. A card worth $100 or less needs nothing added, since Ground Advantage and Priority Mail include $100 of insurance.

What does Registered Mail add?

Insurance up to $50,000 inside its fee, and its fee falls below the insurance fee from about $2,200 of value. It also brings a mailing receipt with proof of delivery on request. It is handed to a Post Office clerk, and USPS will not register a padded or plastic mailer.