How Long Does Flat Rate Shipping Take (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 2 to 3 Business Days

When it comes to shipping services, many service providers in the market offer competitive rates. One of the leading players in the shipping market is USPS. The United States Postal Services gives a wide range of services ranging from priority mail to even flat rate shipping.

Flat rate shipping is the service provided under both priority mail and priority mail express. It is a good option for businesses that ship bulk amounts of products and incur massive shipping costs. It can save a lot of money on the overall shipping cost for bulk orders.

How Long Does Flat Rate Shipping Take?

Flat rate shipping is considered as one rate for all products. Under the fixed rate shipping, all the items that are shipped are charged the same price. Even the delivery times are predetermined in flat rate shipping services. The prices of the shipping remain the same irrespective of the size or weight of the products. The zones in which it is being shipped do matter.

On average, any shipping takes time, be it priority mail or express. There are different times that it will take to deliver different types of shipping packages. When it comes to the shipping of products under the Flat rate services, it may take around 2 to 3 business days.

There are some scenarios in which the timing can exceed a bit due to unforeseen changes. The flat rate shipping can be a good option for both businesses and shipping partners. With that, even the management of the freight becomes much more simplified. Since there is a standard rate in flat rate shipping weighing the objects is not done, and it saves a lot of errors.

It is mentioned in the offerings that it will take two to three business days, but in some cases, it can even take lesser time. It happens if the freight is being shipped out to a location that is closer to the postal office.

Why Does Flat Rate Shipping Take That Long?

Shipping and logistics involve a lot of details that can consume days. With priority mail and express services, it has become possible to even ship or receive a product in under 24 hours. There are a lot of factors that determine the time it takes for various shipping services like flat rate shipping. Some of the reasons are as below:

• The primary reason is the distance that freight will travel before reaching the final destination. Usually, the time for shipping depends upon the zone the depends upon the package is to be delivered. But since the flat rate shipping falls under the priority mail, it takes about 2 to 3 business days. It can even be delivered in a day if the distance of the delivery is lesser.
• Since the flat rate shipping comes under the priority mail services, it is made sure that it is delivered on priority. However, a period of two to three days is mentioned to the customer just to be prepared for any type of contingencies that may arrive. In that way, even if the delivery is getting delayed by a day due to unforeseen risks, the package will still be delivered between 2 to 3 busines days.
• When the package comes in, many activities are undertaken that finally result in the delivery. The activities include sorting, labeling, and then shipping. Since mostly the orders are in bulk in flat rate shipping, it can take anywhere between 2 to 3 days to complete all the background work and send the package for delivery.

Conclusion

Flat rate shipping has been introduced for businesses that deal in bulk commodities. This way, they do not have to worry about the varying prices for different products. Plus, it is delivered in just 2 to 3 days. It saves time and money for the business. 

Given all the benefits, flat rate shipping services are the most commonly chosen form of delivery for many orders that postal services receive.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11747-011-0281-2.pdf
2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10660-019-09348-5