Is Pirate Ship Legit? Yes! 2025 Review - The Seller Journal (2025)

December 2024 update: After re-reviewing what we’ve written about Pirate Ship and the platform, we maintain that Pirate Ship is an excellent free shipping service for many folks, especially individuals, looking to ship packages via USPS and UPS across the United States.

Pros and Cons

Pirate Ship At a Glance

Pirate Shipis great for small businesses. For a free service, Pirate Ship offers just the features you need and nothing you don’t. You won’t find FedEx or DHL here, but if that doesn’t matter, I can confidently say you’ll be hard-pressed to find better rates anywhere else.

Their branding, featuring the ‘jolly roger’ theme, emphasizes a playful and unconventional approach to shipping. Pirate Ship operates without imposing any added per-label or monthly fees.

Shipping in large volumes will become arduous if you’re not using eBay, Shopify, or Etsy to generate orders. While you can import them using a spreadsheet, that process will get old quickly.

Pirate Ship’s true beauty lies in the platform charging no fees, subscriptions, or per-label costs. To that end, the next question is how Pirate Ship makes money. With theiragreements with USPSand UPS, they get a small cut of every item shipped and a cut of any supplemental shipping insurance purchased for a shipment, too. There may also be additional costs related to shipping services.

Pirate Ship is decidedly more straightforward than most other shipping platforms. Their target audience isn’t necessarily big businesses shipping thousands of packages daily. Still, smaller operations, individuals, and e-commerce businesses are looking for an affordable solution for generating a USPS or UPS label for customer orders.

Their user-friendly experience is paired with popular e-commerce platforms like Etsy, PayPal,Shopify, and eBay. However, their integration list is short, so if you’re not selling on one of those platforms, you’ll generate labels manually.

Pirate Ship makes it easy to have a carrier come by and pick up your shipments on a day you choose. Your local mail person picks up USPS packages, while UPS either sends someone to pick up your shipment as a part of their delivery route or will task your regularly scheduled UPS driver to pick up your package as they deliver one to you.

USPS pickups are free of charge, while UPS charges a few dollars. This convenience is a significant advantage over going to the post office, where you might encounter long lines and hidden fees.

If you need to find out how much something will cost to ship, Pirate Ship offers a free-to-use tool that’ll give you the best rate across all the shipping options for USPS and UPS. You’ll also be able to compare services and speeds on one screen. You can quickly refund the label if you no longer need it. For USPS labels, refunds take up to 30 days to arrive. UPS labels can be refunded much quicker, often within an hour.

Pirate Ship supports sending packages internationally and will help facilitate the necessary customs forms. However, if there are any taxes or duties to be paid for the shipments, those won’t necessarily be covered, so keep that in mind. Also, be cautious of unauthorized charges attributed to the shipping carrier after shipping the item.

Our Favorite Pirate Ship Features

How does Pirate Ship Compare?

Who is Pirate Ship Best For?

Pirate Ship is a shipping software platform built specifically for individuals and the smallest of businesses that:

• Only ship occasionally or don’t have the volume to justify a paid-for platform.
• Don’t need to ship with any other carriers besides UPS or USPS.
• Only receive orders through eBay, Shopify, or Etsy or are otherwise fine with manually entering shipment information or uploading a spreadsheet.

Pirate Ship is particularly beneficial for small businesses looking to save on shipping costs.

Why We Like Pirate Ship

• Pricing.As an authorized partner of USPS, Pirate Ship offers access to deeply discounted postage rates, which can significantly reduce shipping expenses. Many shipping platforms offer commercial-plus pricing from USPS, but Pirate Ship took it a step further. In some cases, Pirate Ship offers rates below commercial-plus, making them a cheaper option than anyone else, including the USPS Website. The discount applies based on package size and destination. However, these lower rates came with a catch from USPS: they can’t be publicly advertised. To determine if you get this rate for your package, use their rate estimator or create an account and start the label creation process.
• User Interface.Pirate Ship knows its target audience well and has designed a simple, clean interface that does precisely one thing: create shipping labels and track their progress. You won’t find fancy order management pages or custom branding here.
• Helpful customer support.If you’re ever stuck, Pirate Ship support can help walk you through the process and answer any questions. I’ve called upon them a few times, even if it was just a sanity check to ensure I used the best service.
• Inexpensive international shipping.Pirate Ship offers a one-of-a-kind rate table for small packages that can save you a lot of money if you’re shipping overseas. They call it “Simple Export Rate.” It’s not as quick as regular international shipping for most countries but has immense value in cost savings.

Pirate Ship Support

When it comes to customer support, Pirate Ship truly shines. The platform offers email and chat support with a real live pirate, available 14 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The support team is knowledgeable, friendly, and always ready to assist with shipping-related issues or questions. Whether you need help navigating the platform or have a query about shipping rates, Pirate Ship support guides you.

Additionally, Pirate Ship provides a comprehensive FAQ section and a blog filled with tips and resources on shipping and e-commerce. It’s like having a trusty first mate by your side, ensuring smooth sailing.

Pirate Ship Offers and Discounts

Pirate Ship is all about delivering value, including a range of offers and discounts. Users get instant access to pre-negotiated discounts for UPS and USPS, allowing them to compare carriers and choose the cheapest or fastest service for free.

The platform’s free rate quote feature helps users find the deepest discounts available, ensuring they get the best deal every time they ship. With various shipping options to suit different needs and budgets, Pirate Ship makes it easy to save money while getting packages where they need to go. It’s like finding buried treasure every time you ship.

What We Think Pirate Ship Could Improve On

• Adding additional carrier support. We’d love to see FedEx and DHL hop onto the list.
• Integrations. The lack of support for other major e-commerce platforms, such as WooCommerce, Squarespace, Magento, and BigCommerce, is a bit disappointing.
• Branded tracking. We can see this being a paid add-on, but a simplified shipping software platform with a simplified tracking page businesses can send their customers to with their logo would go nicely together.

Conclusion

Pirate Ship is a legitimate shipping software platform offering a free service to help individuals and small businesses save on shipping costs.

With its pirate-themed branding and comprehensive features, Pirate Ship is an attractive option for those looking to reduce their shipping expenses. The platform’s excellent customer support, range of discounts and promotions, and user-friendly interface make it a great choice for anyone looking to ship packages efficiently and affordably.

Whether you’re a small business owner or an individual looking to send gifts to loved ones, Pirate Ship is worth considering. So hoist the Jolly Roger and set sail for savings with Pirate Ship!