USPS: features of the American delivery service
United States Postal Service (USPS) is the postal service of the USA. You can recognize its employees on the streets by the funny look of their trucks :) By law, this company is required to serve all Americans, regardless of where they live in the country, at the same rates and with the same quality. Since 1810, USPS parcels have been delivered across the States 7 days a week. Now – 6 days (except Sunday). Thanks to this, online stores love this postal service. Almost all major retailers in the US use it for delivery. Including – outside the country.
When sending a parcel from America, USPS is one of the most popular options. You can find it at Amazon, Walmart, eBay and other stores if you choose direct shipping. All of them use the company's standard terms, so the cost and the size limits are roughly the same for everyone. You can get the same terms on your own if you order a parcel shipment from the USPS website.
16.05.2025
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USPS Delivery from the USA to Russia and CIS Countries
The company delivers to 170 countries worldwide, including Russia. This is a reliable delivery method for packages valued up to $5000. However, the speed is not very high, and prices cannot be called low. For a private package to Russia they usually start from $67.80. For comparison, Pochtoy.com delivers from America for $12-$15.
You can calculate the exact cost of shipping with USPS to Russia here.
The company offers three international shipping options:
Priority Express – for packages with a maximum length of up to 152 cm and a maximum length+width of up to 274 cm;
Priority International – maximum length 106 cm, length+width no more than 200 cm;
Global Express Guaranteed – packages with max. length 116, height 116, width 89 cm, maximum length+width – up to 274 cm.
Packages are automatically insured for up to $100. Additional insurance beyond that amount requires an extra charge. Delivery times – minimum 10-15 days (the fastest option is GEG, the slowest is PMI).
USPS can deliver fairly large boxes from the USA to Russia, which is the service’s main advantage. But if you order goods frequently, the high cost of packages will quickly become noticeable and will generally make shopping in America far less profitable. USPS is best chosen when the store offers no other options or when it is a one-time shipment of a large value and you need the additional security of a government service.
How to Read a USPS Tracking Number
There is only one element that lets you understand where your package is right now. This is the postal identifier (or tracking number). It's always nicer and calmer to know what's currently happening with your precious cargo and how it's being sent. Based on the tracking number alone (for example, one issued by an online store), you can already assess a lot.
First of all, pay attention to the first two and last two letters:
EA/EZ 000 000 000 US – the package is sent via USPS Priority Express;
CA/CZ 000 000 000 US – the package is going via USPS Priority International;
LA/LZ 000 000 000 US – a small package or letter sent with USPS First Class, no tracking available;
82 000 000 00 – Global Express Guaranteed.
As we can see, the first two letters of the tracking number indicate the type of shipment. Express (EMS) packages are marked from EA to EZ, Priority International – from CA to CZ. The middle tracking digits are your unique number that identifies your specific package. The last two letters of the tracking number are the sender's country code. If USPS is delivering a package from the USA, the code will be US, from Canada – CA, and so on.
To see what's currently happening with your package, you can also enter the tracking number right on the USPS website. It's also convenient to use the TrackChecker app for Windows and Android. It has many additional features, and you can track several shipments at once from any postal services.
Package information and its route are instantly sent to the recipient's e-mail as soon as the tracking number is created. Issuing an incorrect number is basically impossible: it is assigned automatically and immediately provided to customers in the notification.
By the way, even if you think something is wrong with your tracking number and it has, for example, stopped updating, don't worry. Packages from the USA get lost very, very rarely (in fact – never). Much more often there are delays in tracking updates or temporary freezes of tracking services. Even if USPS missed its delivery deadlines to Russia, that's still no reason to panic.
And what about us?
- We deliver packages from US stores to Russia cheaper than USPS.
Advantages of Pochtoy.com over USPS:
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Price. Regardless of package weight, shipping with Pochtoy.com will cost less. USPS delivery cost is several times higher.
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Speed. We can deliver from the US in 4-8 days if you enter your package details on our site in advance (service SuperFast).
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Ability to temporarily store packages in the US. Up to 70 days – free.
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Additional services (item inspection, photos, extra protective packaging, and more).
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Convenient delivery cost calculation. Simply visit our site, enter the package weight and your preferred method.
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Many package pickup options (mail, self-service point, courier to door).
Shopping in stores using Full Purchase Support in US Stores. Simply provide the product link in your personal account (section «Orders» → «Purchase through operators»), and our staff will process and buy it for you.
