Merchants are experiencing issues with USPS Ground Advantage not appearing as a shipping option at checkout for packages under 1 lb, despite configuring it in their settings. Instead, customers are being charged Priority Mail rates, leading to frustration over inflated shipping costs (e.g., $10+ shipping for $10 items).
Identified Solution:
Navigate to Settings > Shipping and delivery > Saved packages in Shopify admin
Verify that a saved package meets USPS Ground Advantage size requirements
Ensure the default package is set to a generic package that fits Ground Advantage specifications, not a flat rate box
Key Issue:
Having a USPS flat rate box set as the store default was blocking calculated Ground Advantage rates from displaying. Switching to a compliant generic package resolved the problem for affected users.
The discussion includes links to USPS Ground Advantage requirements and Shopify documentation on packages and shipping weights for further reference.
Summarized with AI on November 14.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
Our website used to sell alot of products under 1 lb and use first class mail. During the last month all of those products are charging priority mail instead even though I have selected in the shipping settings ground advantage? Is anyone else having this problem?? I have many frustrated customers wondering why they are paying over $10 shipping for something that only costs $10… please assist if you know anything.
Ground Advantage does not show up as an option to use for shipping no matter what settings I change.
In your Shopify admin, can you navigate to Settings > Shipping and delivery > scroll down to the Saved packages section, and double check that there is a package within your list that meets the size requirement for the Ground Advantage service as listed by USPS here please?
Typically, when stores are missing specific services from their checkout, their default package will need to be changed to suit the service that they’d like to offer to customers on checkout. Keep in mind also that while USPS offers specific package dimensions within the Shopify admin, they are only for Priority Mail, so you’ll need to create your own custom package that fits the Ground Advantage requirement.
Once you’ve checked for or created the necessary packaging on your store, you can navigate to your store’s checkout to see whether or not the Ground Advantage option will now show up.
I’ll leave some resources below for you as well in case you need more information about what I’ve discussed above:
I was having the same problem. I definitely had a saved package that meets the requirements for Ground Advantage but it was not showing up as an option.
It turns out I had a small flat rate USPS box set as the store default which was messing up the calculated rates. Once I switched the default to a generic package that fits the ground advantage requirements everything started working again.