UPS Updates 2021 Peak Season Surcharges

UPS updated its peak surcharges with UPS Air Residential, UPS Ground Residential, and UPS SurePost parcels getting hit the most.

Effective October 31, 2021, the following surcharges will apply to all UPS shippers with more than 25,000 packages during any week following February 2020.

UPS SurePost

• 110% to 200% of February 2020 volume – $1.15 per package
• >200% to 300% of February 2020 volume – $2.15 per package
• >300% to 400% of February 2020 volume – $3.15 per package
• >400% to 500% of February 2020 volume – $4.15 per package
• >500% of February 2020 volume – $5.15 per package

UPS Ground Residential

• 110% to 200% of February 2020 volume – $1.15 per package
• >200% to 300% of February 2020 volume – $2.15 per package
• >300% to 400% of February 2020 volume – $3.15 per package
• >400% to 500% of February 2020 volume – $4.15 per package
• >500% of February 2020 volume – $5.15 per package

UPS Next Day Air Residential

• 110% to 200% of February 2020 volume – $2.15 per package
• >200% to 300% of February 2020 volume – $3.15 per package
• >300% to 400% of February 2020 volume – $4.15 per package
• >400% to 500% of February 2020 volume – $5.15 per package
• >500% of February 2020 volume – $6.15 per package

All Other UPS Air Residential

• 110% to 200% of February 2020 volume – $2.15 per package
• >200% to 300% of February 2020 volume – $3.15 per package
• >300% to 400% of February 2020 volume – $4.15 per package
• >400% to 500% of February 2020 volume – $5.15 per package
• >500% of February 2020 volume – $6.15 per package

These rates will apply from October 31, 2021 to January 15, 2022.

UPS Peak Surcharges for Additional Handling and Large Packages

From October 3, 2021 to January 15, 2022, UPS will apply the following surcharge for packages requiring additional handling and large packages.

This surcharge is applicable for all for all US domestic, US import, and US export shipments, by qualifying UPS shippers who have shipped more than 1,000 total packages, or more than 10 packages that require Additional Handling or Large Packages, during any week following February 2020.

• Additional Handling – $6 per package
• Large Package Surcharge – $60 per package
• Over Maximum Limits – $250 per package

Additional Handling is defined as:

• Any article that is encased in an outside shipping container made of metal or wood.
• Any cylindrical item, such as a barrel, drum, pail or tire, that is not fully encased in a corrugated cardboard shipping container.
• Any package with the longest side exceeding 48 inches or its second-longest side exceeding 30 inches.
• Any package with an actual weight of more than 70 pounds.

Large Packages are defined as:

• For domestic shipments, a package is considered a “Large Package” when its length (longest side of the package) plus girth [(2 x width) + (2 x height)] combined exceeds 130 inches or its length exceeds 96 inches.
• For international shipments, a package is considered a “Large Package” when its length (longest side of the package) plus girth [(2 x width) + (2 x height)] combined exceeds 130 inches.
• With the exception of UPS Ground with Freight Pricing packages, Large Packages are subject to a minimum billable weight of 90 pounds (40 kgs).

Note: An Additional Handling charge is not assessed when a Large Package Surcharge is applied.

Over Maximum Limit surcharges apply when a package exceeds any of the following UPS maximums:

• Packages can be up to 150 pounds.
• Packages can be up to 165 inches in length and girth combined.
• Packages can be up to 108 inches in length.

In addition, UPS also updated international peak season surcharges for many inbound (to US) shipments. See the full UPS Peak Season guide here.

Impact of UPS Peak Season Surcharges on Small Sellers

The good news is that the volume surcharges will not impact small sellers.

However, the Additional Handling and Large Packages surcharges are passed on by most online shipping platforms that offer discounted UPS rates, the UPS online shipping tool, and eBay’s shipping tool eBay Label.

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