Shipping terms,
defined honestly.
Plain-English definitions of the terms that actually affect your shipping bill — written by the people who run shipping for a living, not by a marketing team.
USPS
USPS work-share
A USPS program where certified partners pre-sort and inject mail deeper into the postal network, earning discounted commercial postage rates.
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Certified Mail
A USPS service that provides proof of mailing and delivery confirmation for important correspondence.
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Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb)
The USPS barcode standard for tracking mail through the postal network from induction to delivery.
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Parcel
Dimensional weight (DIM)
Billable weight calculated from a parcel's dimensions rather than its actual weight — used when the parcel takes up more space than its weight implies.
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Multi-carrier shipping
A shipping strategy that rate-shops every parcel across multiple carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL) instead of being locked into a single carrier contract.
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Last-mile delivery
The final leg of a parcel's journey from a local distribution facility to the recipient's door.
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Rate & billing
GRI (General Rate Increase)
The annual rate hike major carriers (UPS, FedEx, DHL) apply across their rate cards — usually each January.
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Residential surcharge
A per-shipment fee carriers add when delivering to a residential address — typically $4-7 per parcel.
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