Deep Dive Into UPS 3 Day Select® For Ecommerce Shipping

Time-sensitive delivery on domestic packages. Economical prices. That’s UPS 3 Day Select in a nutshell. Want to know more? Here’s how it works, how long it takes, how much it costs, and how to save.

What is UPS 3 Day Select^®?

UPS 3 Day Select^® as the name suggests, offers reliable delivery within three business days and is available for packages being shipped within the contiguous 48 United States.

Essentially, it’s a nice middle ground between expediency and affordability. While it’s not as fast as other services like UPS 2nd Day Air^® or UPS Next Day Air^®, it still gets packages to your customers quickly, but at a lower cost.

Note that tracking is included with UPS 3 Day Select^®, and you can take advantage of free packaging from UPS. Insurance can also be added for an extra fee.

How Long Does UPS 3 Day Select^® Take?

UPS 3 Day Select^® delivery time is three business days. Business days include Monday through Friday.

How Late Can a UPS Package Arrive?

It will arrive by the end of the third business day, at the latest. Specific delivery times vary by delivery route and volume.

What’s the Difference Between UPS^® Ground and UPS 3 Day Select^®?

Packages sent through UPS^® Ground typically take one to five business days to arrive, depending on the distance between the seller and recipient. UPS Three Day Select^® service, on the other hand, offers air transport delivery that takes a maximum of three business days to arrive.

While packages often arrive in less than five days with UPS^® Ground shipping (as quickly as the end of the day next business day for nearby locations in some cases), it’s generally considered to be the more economical of the two services. When it comes to the question of UPS^® Ground vs UPS 3 Day Select^® services, the latter will usually get your package to a customer more quickly. As a result, for more urgent shipments, you’ll typically want to go with UPS 3 Day Select^® vs UPS^® Ground.

Does UPS 3 Day Select^®Include Weekends?

Yes, but only in select locations on Saturdays specifically. Furthermore, it is only available for Shippo API users and will require them to manually request a Saturday delivery at no extra charge.

Unfortunately, Saturday delivery is not available for Web App users at this time.

How Large Can a Package Be?

You can send packages that weigh up to 150 pounds through UPS 3 Day Select^®. These packages can also have a maximum length of 108 inches and a maximum combined length and girth of 165 inches. Packages that exceed these weight and size limits are subject to additional fees.

What’s notable is that this is more than double the weight you can send through USPS (limited to only 70 pounds). The maximum combined length and girth is also considerably larger, as you’re limited to 130 inches when shipping through USPS. As a result, UPS tends to be the better option if you’re sending domestic packages over 70 pounds.

Can You Save Money on UPS 3 Day Select^®?

Generally speaking, UPS 3 Day Select service is already one of the more economical domestic shipping options available with UPS. However, you can save even more and find UPS^® Air discounts as high as 73% off with Shippo. Not only do we partner with 50+ carriers around the world, we’ve built a shipping solution that helps e-commerce merchants maximize their profits by finding the best deals on UPS Three Day Select^® shipping.

But that’s not all you can do with Shippo. You can also:

• Easily create commercial invoices and packing slips
• Print scan-based and standalone return labels for streamlined returns
• Validate addresses to ensure packages always reach the right destination
• Generate UPS End of Day reports for shipments
• Send customers delivery alerts and notifications to keep them up-to-date on the status of their packages
• Leverage comprehensive analytics to track shipping spend, efficiency, and history

Learn more about everything you can do with Shippo, as well as how it can help your e-commerce business grow and save.