Postal Letter

US Postal Service Parcel Post; US Postal Service Priority Mail®?

How do these compare with the speed of a first class letter?

Public Comments

1. Parcel post is just that. It is used when sending out a parcel such as paper materials, books, that type of thing. And while it is cheaper, it may take a little longer than regular first class. Priority on the other hand is is faster that first class. Again, just as the name states, it is 'priority'. However, you will pay for the service. It will cost you extra to get it there by whatever time period you pay for: next day, two-day, etc.
2. It’s been my experience that the two services that you specified are as quick as mailing a letter. I’ve sent things to people in California, from Pennsylvania, and said packages arrived with the speed of a first class letter. There is one hitch though. It’s the government; therefore, it’s full of bureaucracy. You can’t track your packages progress as well as you can with FedEx and UPS. If your package is lost, forget about it. The quagmire of bureaucracy grinds to a halt and they’ll never find your package, and it will take months and months for a response. The time it takes to cash in on the insurance is forever. It’s like a lost person… They have to be missing for seven years before…
3. For the official delivery estimates, you can use the calculator at http://postcalc.usps.gov and see how long they expect it to take. In general, it's my experience that they all take around the same amount of time.