A shipping and handling fee is charged whenever a forwarding request is processed. This fee includes various costs including postage, packaging and handling. This page outlines general protocols for postage, handling and packaging:

SHIPPING

The cost to ship your mail or package is referred to as postage and is determined by the carrier, not Freedom Mailbox. The cost for postage varies widely depending on (but not limited to) the carrier, delivery destination, weight, contents, packaging, special delivery instructions, insurance, delivery day of the week, etc..

Postage Premium
In addition to the postage cost, a fee may apply to help offset costs incurred for rebilling. Freedom Mailbox incurs the actual cost of postage at the time your shipment is processed and inturn we bill you. When we rebill, we incur various fees for billing by credit card. As such, the postage total is subject to the following:

  • If the postage total is $10 or greater, a 15% premium will be calculated on the cost of postage and applied.
  • If the postage total is less than $10, no additional premium will apply.

Supported Carriers

The most popular and economical way to request you mail be forwarded is USPS First-Class Mail. If you want to track your shipment, we recommend USPS Priority Mail as the next best economical option as that often results in faster delivery over First-Class Mail and also includes a tracking number. If your mail is important and requires overnight delivery, we recommend USPS Priority Express.

By default, the only carrier available for forwarding mail in the Freedom Mailbox® platform is the United States Postal Service. We do this in an effort to guide our customers to the most economical choice for shipments. In you prefer to use another major carrier, we will be happy to accomodate. We are shipping partners with UPS and FedEx and get discount pricing for shipments through these carriers which we gladly pass to you. However, even with the discount, shipping via USPS is usually more economical.

If you prefer to use another carrier, please contact us to arrange it. You are encouraged to research your preferred carrier for estimates on cost, delivery limitations and receiving instructions to see which option is best suited for your needs and budget prior to contacting support.

Express / Overnight Shipments

Express or Overnight shipments have strict drop-off time deadlines, thus no express requests will be processed same day if the request is made after 12pm Pacific. Additionally, all express forwarding requests are only processed Monday-Thursday. Friday processing of express shipments means Saturday delivery, which is not standard for most overnight carriers, thus constitutes special handling as outlined below. As with every forwarding request, we will always make a best effort to process and get your forwarding shipment prepared as quickly as possible.

International Shipments

International shipments require a customs declaration form to be attached to the shipment. A member of our Freedom Mailbox staff will reach out to you via email prior to processing the forwarding request to ask for the contents of mail items in order to fill out the required customs form. It is important not to be too vague or misleading about the contents of the mail items requested forwarded. By doing so, you risk shipping delays with customs when leaving the United States or when entering the destination country.

Handling Fees

Handling fees apply to each shipment and are in addition to the cost of postage. Standard handling fees are as follows:
  • Domestic USPS First-class with a total weight less than or equal to 13 oz - $3.00
  • Domestic USPS Priority Mail fitting into non-padded Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope (12.5" x 9.5") - $3.00
  • All other shipments - $5.00

Standard Packaging

Mail is packaged and forwarded using a variety of envelope sizes. There are weight and size limits for certain types of shipping methods, so Freedom Mailbox staff will make a best effort to fit your forwarding mail into an envelope designed for the least expensive and most efficient way to ship. Freedom Mailbox staff also reserves the right to change the shipping method requested or divide forwarding mail into multiple shipments if the weight and/or size exceeds the limits imposed by the carrier for any particular shipping method.

We ship using premium Kraft paper heavyweight envelopes designed to securely conseal the contents.

  • Letter - 6.5" x 9.5" Kraft heavyweight premium envelope. Max weight 15.99 oz. Max thickness 0.75"
  • Business - 9" x 12" Kraft heavyweight premium envelope. Max weight 15.99 oz. Max thickness 0.75"
  • Oversize - 12" x 15" Kraft heavyweight premium envelope. Max weight 15.99 oz. Max thickness 0.75"
  • USPS Priority Mail - Various sized letter envelopes and boxes. Flat rate based on size and reasonably packed.
  • FedEx / UPS / USPS Overnight Envelope - 9.5" x 12.5" letter envelope. Used for overnight shipments only. Max weight 8 oz.

Any mail that doesn't fit into one of the above envelope sizes may require special packaging or may be bumped to another next level service by the carrier. We work to accomodate mail forwarding requests in the most economical way possible, but must abide by the carrier's shipping rules and policies.

Special Packaging and/or Handling

Any shipment requiring custom packaging, special handling or special delivery instruction will incur additional fees based on the requirements needed. Below outlines more common fees for custom packaging and handling:
  • Shipments using existing box or packaging - $5.00
  • Express shipments for Saturday delivery - $10.00
  • Packaging contents weighing more than 5 lbs - $10.00
  • Packaging dimensions less than 84" (length + 2x width + 2x height) - $10.00
  • Packaging dimensions between 85" and 108" (length + 2x width + 2x height) - $15.00
  • Packaging dimensions between 109" and 130" (length + 2x width + 2x height) - $25.00
If a shipment matches more than one of the above, the higher handling fee will apply. If your shipment doesn't match any outlined above, a Freedom Mailbox representative may contact you via email or text prior to forwarding to confirm fees and/or options.

Consolidated Packing

Freedom Mailbox staff will make a best effort to fit your forwarding mail into an envelope or box designed for the least expensive and most efficient way to ship. The maximum box size for consolidating your multiple mail items is 20" x 20" x 20" (8,000 sq. inches). If your mail items will not fit into a 20x20x20 box, we may split your forwarding into multiple packages or ship your items individually using the existing box in which it was received.

All rates posted are subject to change without notice.

Policy last modified on December 01, 2019