Reddit
reddit.com › r/flipping › how does pirate ship make money?
r/Flipping on Reddit: How does pirate ship make money?
December 29, 2020 -
They seem to have the best rates, but I can't figure out how they make money. Do they sell your data?
Top answer 1 of 5
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Sailing the high seas afaik
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I can't back it up with a source. But my best guess is that they negotiated a rate with USPS that's lower than what they make available to us. So, as an example, if USPS charges $4 to ship an 8oz item Pirate Ship probably negotiated with USPS to ship it for $2 instead but Pirate Ship charges us $3 to ship it. Thus, they make a dollar off of us for that one item.
Pirate Ship
support.pirateship.com › en › articles › 1068006-i-ship-lots-of-packages-can-i-get-better-rates
I ship lots of packages, can I get better rates? | Pirate Ship Support
USPS & UPS discounts on Pirate Ship: With Pirate Ship, you get access to Commercial Pricing® for all USPS® services, and when you ship UPS on Pirate Ship, you get access to deeply discounted rates, no matter how many packages you ship.
Pirate Ship
pirateship.com › rates
Get the cheapest USPS and UPS rates | Pirate Ship
UPS, the UPS brandmark, and the color brown are trademarks of United Parcel Service of America, Inc. and are used with permission. UPS discounts are off Daily Rates, and are limited to shipments originating in the United States only. UPS may change their rates at any time without notice. Pirate Ship will always pass through the full UPS discounts with no monthly fees or hidden costs.
Pirate Ship
support.pirateship.com › en › articles › 1860717-how-does-pirate-ship-make-money
How does Pirate Ship make money? | Pirate Ship Support
No markups or hidden fees: Other shipping software charges monthly fees and adds markup on top of what the postage actually costs... so we understand why you're skeptical that we're truly doing this for free. How can Pirate Ship possibly stay in business when it's 100% free while offering the deepest USPS® and UPS® discounts available?
Clark Howard
clark.com › home › pirate ship review: pros & cons of this cheap shipping service
Pirate Ship Review: Pros & Cons of This Cheap Shipping Service
August 20, 2025 - We review Pirate Ship, which offers discounted shipping rates to individuals and small businesses by leveraging customer volume.
Pirate Ship
pirateship.com
Free UPS and USPS shipping software | Pirate Ship
UPS, the UPS brandmark, and the color brown are trademarks of United Parcel Service of America, Inc. and are used with permission. UPS discounts are off Daily Rates, and are limited to shipments originating in the United States only. UPS may change their rates at any time without notice. Pirate Ship will always pass through the full UPS discounts with no monthly fees or hidden costs.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/flipping › is pirateship discounts supposed to be only a little less than usps?
r/Flipping on Reddit: Is Pirateship discounts supposed to be only a little less than usps?
October 23, 2023 -
I'm shipping a box 8x8x3 and 12.3 ounces from Ohio 45044 to Wisconsion 53010. The usps cheapest price is $6.35 while pirateships lowest price is $6.07. Is that it? Is that the best discount you can get from pirateship? It's almost not even worth it.
I don't have any time to waste and need to ship today but I would like to know what others know about this.
Top answer 1 of 5
17
After 12oz you’re not getting cheaper shipping than $6.
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The discounts for less than 1 pound aren't much. You don't see big differences until you're over a pound. Over a pound you'll also get cool situations where Priority is cheaper than Ground Advantage and I think PirateShip automatically points that out for you.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/shipping › how do services like pirate ship dramatically decrease cost?
r/shipping on Reddit: How do services like pirate ship dramatically decrease cost?
June 12, 2025 -
With my older car, I buy a lot of parts to make it nicer through guys in group chats that go to junkyards for me, they get the part, box it and I create a label for them.
I just used pirate ship for the first time, and for a 49x33x5 package weighing in at 6 pounds, through the UPS site I was quoted $102. Through pirate ship it’s $49 through UPS.
I was expecting no more than like a 6 percent discount but not 50% !?
How can this be ?
Top answer 1 of 9
2
Yes, it is wild! I own a shipping store, and honestly, sites like Pirate Ship often get better pricing than I do at wholesale shipping rates. It doesn’t always make sense, but that’s the system we’re working in. The reason some people still choose to ship with us (even if it costs more) is because they value the service and peace of mind. We know how to pack things securely, and if something goes wrong, we’re the ones who go to bat with the carriers to get it resolved. I hear horror stories all the time from people who tried to deal with customer service through third-party resellers and couldn’t get anywhere. Funny enough, they’ll sometimes call us for help with labels they didn’t even buy from us. What’s even more interesting to think about is what happens after you print that 50% cheaper label. Most of the time, the package still gets brought to a small shipping store like mine for drop-off. We accept it, now at no cost to you, smile, and pass it on to the carrier. If we weren’t here, I do wonder what would happen to all those packages... Sure, there are a few drop boxes and carrier pickups, but for a lot of people, their “go-to plan” is still coming to us, without realizing that we are footing the bill to provide them with a free service. For now, I’m incredibly grateful for the customers who stick with us and trust us with their shipping needs, even if it costs a little more. Time will tell whether there are enough of them to keep local stores alive, or if independent shops like mine go the way of Blockbuster while shipping moves entirely to online platforms.
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There are multiple reasons for this, some of which are covered by another commentor. When you go to the UPS store (or in person to the post office), part of what you're paying for is the overhead of them basically holding your hand and walking you through the process of shipping something. You are charged full retail rate for this. When you buy online through a service like Pirateship, you get access to Commercial Rates. In part, these rates are lower because they assume you're going to need less attention - youll print out your label, give the package to the shipper all properly boxed up and ready to go, and won't need a lot of hand holding.
Pirate Ship
pirateship.com › usps › commercial-pricing
Get cheaper rates than USPS Commercial Pricing | Pirate Ship
By passing through Commercial Pricing with no markup or fees, Pirate Ship gives you the highest volume discounts available with absolutely no markup, so you can save more and invest in growing your business faster.
Pirate Ship
pirateship.com › ups › discounted-ups-shipping-rates
Discounted UPS Shipping Rates | Pirate Ship
The UPS rates that are available through Pirate Ship offer discounts of up to 85% off what you'd pay with UPS Daily Rates. By creating a free Pirate Ship account you'll get instant access to these competitive UPS rates for free, giving you all the options you need to save the most money possible no matter the size of package you’re shipping.
Top Bubble Index
topbubbleindex.com › home › pirate ship rates & pricing: your ultimate 2025 guide
Pirate Ship Rates & Pricing: Your Ultimate 2025 Guide
August 16, 2025 - This allows them to pass the deepest possible discounts directly to you without needing to add extra fees. Many users on platforms like Reddit often ask, “why is pirate ship so cheap reddit?” and the answer is this efficient, no-frills business model. This also answers the question “why is pirate ship cheaper than usps” retail rates—they provide access to commercial pricing tiers that individuals can’t normally get...
For A Bodies Only
forabodiesonly.com › home › forums › off topic forums › general discussion
Give me an education about this "PIRATE SHIP" method that has been discussed here. | For A Bodies Only Mopar Forum
December 23, 2023 - In a nutshell, you’re getting their bulk shipping discount. The UPS stores typically get a tiny bit of a discount vs online for the same reason but they charge you most of the discounted rate as their cut ... Yes, yes, yes and yes. Basically, you are using their commercial account. They charge you a small fee. Like minimal. Make an account at pirateship.com.
Bogleheads.org
bogleheads.org › board index › community › personal consumer issues
Pirate Ship - Save Up to 89% - Bogleheads.org
PirateShip is merely a broker service, and it's one of many out there. The discounted rates are lower than what USPS and UPS would offer to their respective individual customers online. I've must have used it more than 30 times in the past three years. Only drawback is that its insurance option maxes out at $5000/package. ... I use it for USPS shipping. For UPS/Fedex, their prices are OK, but I can get much bigger discounts with my employer.
Trapperman
trapperman.com › forum › ubbthreads.php › topics › 8044003 › pirate-ship-lower-rates
Pirate Ship lower rates - Trapperman Forums
Just received an email from Pirate Shipping they announced shipping rate changes shocked to see several reductions in rates and less fees tacked on now. Some reductions sounded significant.
Pirate Ship
support.pirateship.com › en › articles › 1067822-how-much-does-pirate-ship-cost
How much does Pirate Ship cost? | Pirate Ship Support
UPS labels: When you ship UPS on Pirate Ship, you get access to deeply discounted rates.
TidBITS
talk.tidbits.com › article comments
Pirate Ship Reduces Shipping Cost and Complexity - Article Comments - TidBITS Talk
June 20, 2024 - Originally published at: Pirate Ship Reduces Shipping Cost and Complexity - TidBITS If shipping packages via USPS or UPS frustrates you, check out Pirate Ship. It offers steeply discounted shipping rates, an elegant …
EBay
community.ebay.com › t5 › Shipping › In-what-instances-is-quot-Pirate-Ship-quot-cheaper-than-printing › td-p › 30871197
In what instances is "Pirate Ship" cheaper than printing through eBay shipping labels (Pitney Bowes)
April 22, 2020 - I just broke down and asked their ... And I'm like, "OK!" ... For domestic shipping pirateship is cheaper if a package qualifies for cubic shipping....
Pirate Ship
support.pirateship.com › en › articles › 4246073-why-is-my-pirate-ship-label-more-expensive-than-the-post-office
Why is my Pirate Ship label more expensive than the Post Office? | Pirate Ship Support
If any one of these is different, you'll get a different rate. Use our Rates Calculator to compare rates: Pirate Ship's Rate Calculator will show you how the Commercial Pricing rates you get from Pirate Ship compare to the Retail Rates you'd pay if you walked into a Post Office.
Trustdale
trustdale.com › blog › is-pirate-ship-legit-the-surprising-truth-about-discount-shipping
Is Pirate Ship Legit? The Surprising Truth About Discount Shipping - TrustDALE
September 22, 2025 - Customer reviews consistently praise the platform’s transparency. Pirate Ship doesn’t tack on hidden fees, mark up postage, or trap you in contracts. What you see is what you get – the cost of the label itself.
EBay
community.ebay.com › t5 › Selling › Does-anyone-use-this-Place-called-Pirate-Ship-for-Shipping › td-p › 33672362
Does anyone use this Place called Pirate Ship for Shipping Discounts?
April 9, 2023 - Like the others that have already commented I utilize Pirate Ship for some of my shipping needs. While they are about the same discounted rate as eBay for domestic they offer several shipping options like priority mail cubic that eBay does not. While I do not utilize UPS all that often I would NEVER purchase a UPS label through eBay those purchases are based totally on an estimate and you can get hit with unilateral charges from UPS, which eBay takes directly from your account, once the package is delivered.