Shipping Rate Comparison (USPS, UPS, FedEx)

"Find the Best Shipping Rate Instantly" by John Rippy | johnrippy.link

🏆 2025 Zapier Automation Hero of the Year — Project Phoenix: A 95-step AI sales pipeline cutting development time by 50%. Read more →

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Compare Shipping Costs Across All Major Carriers

Shipping costs vary wildly between carriers. The same package can cost $8 with USPS or $25 with FedEx — but most people don't have time to check all three.

What if you could instantly compare every shipping option?

The Shipping Rate Comparison actor queries USPS, UPS, and FedEx APIs simultaneously and returns:

• All available shipping services
• Prices sorted from cheapest to most expensive
• Delivery timeframes for each option
• Cheapest option highlighted
• Fastest option highlighted
• Best value (price per day) highlighted

Stop overpaying for shipping. Find the best rate in seconds.

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Features

Real-Time Rate Comparison

• Query all three carriers simultaneously
• Get actual retail or negotiated rates
• Prices include all surcharges and fees

Smart Recommendations

Recommendation	Description
💰 Cheapest	Lowest total price
⚡ Fastest	Shortest delivery time
🎯 Best Value	Best price-to-speed ratio

All Service Levels

Carrier	Services Included
USPS	Priority Mail, Priority Express, Ground Advantage, Media Mail, First Class
UPS	Ground, 3 Day Select, 2nd Day Air, Next Day Air Saver, Next Day Air
FedEx	Ground, Home Delivery, Express Saver, 2Day, Standard Overnight, Priority Overnight

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Quick Start

Basic Rate Comparison (Demo Mode)

{
  "originZip": "78701",
  "destinationZip": "90210",
  "weight": 2,
  "weightUnit": "lb",
  "demoMode": true
}

With Package Dimensions

{
  "originZip": "78701",
  "destinationZip": "10001",
  "weight": 5,
  "weightUnit": "lb",
  "length": 12,
  "width": 10,
  "height": 8,
  "demoMode": true
}

Production with API Credentials

{
  "originZip": "78701",
  "destinationZip": "90210",
  "weight": 3,
  "weightUnit": "lb",
  "length": 10,
  "width": 8,
  "height": 6,
  "demoMode": false,
  "carriers": ["USPS", "UPS", "FedEx"],
  "uspsUserId": "YOUR_USPS_USER_ID",
  "upsClientId": "YOUR_UPS_CLIENT_ID",
  "upsClientSecret": "YOUR_UPS_SECRET",
  "fedexApiKey": "YOUR_FEDEX_KEY",
  "fedexSecretKey": "YOUR_FEDEX_SECRET"
}

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Output Format

{
  "origin": {
    "zipCode": "78701",
    "country": "US"
  },
  "destination": {
    "zipCode": "90210",
    "country": "US"
  },
  "package": {
    "weight": 2,
    "weightUnit": "lb",
    "length": 10,
    "width": 8,
    "height": 6,
    "dimensionUnit": "in"
  },
  "rates": [
    {
      "carrier": "USPS",
      "service": "Ground Advantage",
      "serviceCode": "GROUND_ADVANTAGE",
      "price": 5.25,
      "currency": "USD",
      "deliveryDays": 5,
      "deliveryDate": null,
      "guaranteed": false,
      "trackingIncluded": true,
      "insuranceIncluded": false,
      "signatureRequired": false
    },
    {
      "carrier": "USPS",
      "service": "Priority Mail",
      "serviceCode": "PRIORITY",
      "price": 8.95,
      "currency": "USD",
      "deliveryDays": 2,
      "deliveryDate": null,
      "guaranteed": false,
      "trackingIncluded": true,
      "insuranceIncluded": false,
      "signatureRequired": false
    },
    {
      "carrier": "FedEx",
      "service": "FedEx Ground",
      "serviceCode": "FEDEX_GROUND",
      "price": 11.85,
      "currency": "USD",
      "deliveryDays": 5,
      "deliveryDate": null,
      "guaranteed": false,
      "trackingIncluded": true,
      "insuranceIncluded": false,
      "signatureRequired": false
    }
  ],
  "cheapest": {
    "carrier": "USPS",
    "service": "Ground Advantage",
    "price": 5.25,
    "deliveryDays": 5
  },
  "fastest": {
    "carrier": "USPS",
    "service": "Priority Mail Express",
    "price": 26.95,
    "deliveryDays": 1
  },
  "bestValue": {
    "carrier": "USPS",
    "service": "Priority Mail",
    "price": 8.95,
    "deliveryDays": 2
  },
  "queriedAt": "2025-01-14T12:00:00.000Z"
}

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Use Cases

E-commerce Checkout

Show customers the cheapest and fastest shipping options at checkout. Let them choose based on price vs. speed.

Shipping Cost Calculator

Build a shipping calculator widget for your website. Help customers estimate costs before buying.

Order Management Systems

Automatically select the best carrier for each order based on delivery requirements and cost.

Dropshipping Optimization

Compare rates for every order to minimize shipping costs and maximize margins.

3PL and Fulfillment

Route shipments to the most cost-effective carrier while meeting SLAs.

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Demo Mode

Enable demoMode: true to test with realistic sample rates:

• No API credentials required
• Rates scale based on package weight
• All three carriers included
• Perfect for testing integrations

Demo mode is free — test all you want before connecting real APIs.

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Pay-Per-Event Pricing

You only pay for what you use. No monthly fees. No setup costs.

Event	Description	Price
rate_query	Each rate comparison request	$0.01

Cost Examples

Usage	Monthly Cost
100 queries	$1.00
1,000 queries	$10.00
10,000 queries	$100.00

Much cheaper than paying each carrier separately!

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API Credentials Setup

USPS Web Tools (Free)

1. Go to USPS Web Tools
2. Register for a free Web Tools account
3. Copy your User ID

UPS Developer

1. Go to developer.ups.com
2. Create an application
3. Get Client ID and Client Secret
4. Enable Rating API access

FedEx Developer

1. Go to developer.fedex.com
2. Create a project
3. Get API Key and Secret Key
4. Add your account number for negotiated rates

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
originZip	string	Yes	-	Sender's ZIP code
destinationZip	string	Yes	-	Recipient's ZIP code
weight	number	Yes	-	Package weight
weightUnit	string	No	lb	Weight unit (lb, oz, kg)
length	number	No	10	Package length in inches
width	number	No	8	Package width in inches
height	number	No	6	Package height in inches
carriers	array	No	All	Carriers to query
demoMode	boolean	No	true	Use sample data

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API Integration

JavaScript/Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('localhowl/shipping-rate-comparison').call({
  originZip: '78701',
  destinationZip: '90210',
  weight: 2,
  demoMode: true
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
const result = items[0];

console.log(`Cheapest: ${result.cheapest.carrier} - $${result.cheapest.price}`);
console.log(`Fastest: ${result.fastest.carrier} - ${result.fastest.deliveryDays} days`);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")

run = client.actor("localhowl/shipping-rate-comparison").call(run_input={
    "originZip": "78701",
    "destinationZip": "90210",
    "weight": 2,
    "demoMode": True
})

items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items
result = items[0]

print(f"Cheapest: {result['cheapest']['carrier']} - ${result['cheapest']['price']}")

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/localhowl~shipping-rate-comparison/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "originZip": "78701",
    "destinationZip": "90210",
    "weight": 2,
    "demoMode": true
  }'

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Limitations

• US Only: Currently supports domestic US shipments only
• Retail Rates: Shows retail rates unless account credentials provided
• Real-Time: Rates are live and may change
• Weight Limits: Max 150 lbs for most services
• Size Limits: Max combined length + girth of 165 inches

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Support

• Email: john@johnrippy.link
• GitHub: Report issues on the repository

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Built by John Rippy | johnrippy.link

🏆 2025 Zapier Automation Hero of the Year — Project Phoenix: A 95-step AI sales pipeline cutting development time by 50%. Read more →

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Keywords

shipping rate calculator, usps rate calculator, ups rate calculator, fedex rate calculator, shipping cost comparison, shipping api, compare shipping rates, cheapest shipping, shipping quote api, ecommerce shipping, shipping rate api, multi carrier shipping