USA Best Shipping Carriers
If you are delivering physical goods to your customers, you’ll need to find out at some stage how you’ll provide the products to their destinations. There are several different ways to ship products, like shipping carriers, and it can get very complicated to determine which is the best choice for your online stores.
Choosing a Shipping Carrier in the USA
There are two types of carrier services in the United States: trackable and assurance or delivery confirmation. Trackable services include door-to-door trackings like FedEx, UPS, and the US Postal Service’s Express service. A trackable service usually costs more than a “confirmation of delivery” service, such as Priority and First Class package services from the US Postal Service.
These services may also be regarded as International Carriers (UPS, FedEx, and DHL), Regional Carriers (OnTrac, Lone Star Overnight), and Postal Consolidators (FedEx Smartpost, UPS Surepost, DHL Global Mail) or Postal Solutions (Canada Post, USPS).
What is Delivery Confirmation?
Delivery Confirmation is confirmation of delivery by the carrier, and sometimes pick up, but shows no visibility between those points. The United States Postal Service (USPS) typically offers this with its base services.
How Reliable are Tracking and Delivery Confirmation?
No service is 100 percent efficient all the time. We notice that even the higher-end providers often miss a delivery package and fail to check it. Confirmation of delivery is the least accurate, with a high number of shipments displaying no scan, or only a pick-up scan, even though the package was shipped free. (For more info, talk to our Amazon expert USA)
In this article, you will find the best shipping carriers in the USA and a list of the best shipping companies. So, moving on to the USA shipping carriers does not take much time.
USA Best Shipping Carriers List
There are mainly five most popular shipping carriers in the United States, and they are-
- United States Postal Service (USPS)
- United Parcel Service (UPS)
- FedEx Shipping
- Amazon Partnered Courier
- DHL Express
1. United States Postal Service (USPS)
If your parcel weighs less than 2 pounds, USPS is your cheapest shipping option. Shipping packages weighing 13 ounces or less is even more affordable, which qualifies for first-class postage. Currently, USPS provides three primary shipping services-
- First Class Mail – Arrives within 2-5 business days
- Priority Mail – Arrives within 2-3 business days
- Express Mail – 1 – 2 business days depending on location
If you are on a shipping budget and typically ship items weighing less than 2 pounds, choosing USPS is a no-win situation. USPS is a fantastic deal if your parcel weighs more than 2 pounds and can fit into a flat rate box for prior mail.
Express Mail is the cheapest next-day delivery service in the United States. The only drawback with Express Mail is that USPS offers remote areas only for 2nd-day delivery. So if your client lives in Podunk, Wyoming, your parcel will take two days to arrive there.
Reliability
The low price of choosing USPS to ship your parcels comes at the expense of reliability. Including Express Mail; USPS does not guarantee your packages’ arrival date. This means you can never predict exactly when a parcel is coming in.
The other issue with USPS is that they offer inaccurate tracking. Occasionally, tracking only kicks in once your parcel has reached its destination, making it useless.
2. UPS
If you are shipping a high volume of packages, you can always negotiate lower rates with UPS. We’ll presume out-of-the-box pricing for our research.
The cost of shipping to UPS is higher. We are unsure why the unnegotiated prices are so high, but we suspect they are because UPS is unionized. UPS delivery is generally only economical if the shipment reaches 3 pounds. In addition to ground shipping, UPS offers shipment for three days, two days, and the next day, depending on your needs.
Reliability
UPS is one of the most reliable shipping carriers in the USA. You can track your package at any time to find out exactly where it is. They are almost always on time.
3. FedEx
Fed Ex is known primarily for its delivery service from the next day or next day delivery service. They have also offered a ground service for a while now at low prices. For products over 3 pounds, Fed Ex is cheaper than UPS and USPS. If you sign up for an account, you will also receive an additional 15 percent off-the-bat shipping.
Reliability
Fed Ex is just as reliable as UPS. They also offer tracking of your package at every step. There are two forms of delivery such as,
Ship a Single Envelope or Large Package.
FedEx Ship Manager® Lite is a simple, and easy way to ship a small, one-piece envelope or a package. With FedEx Ship Manager Lite you can:
- Ship without creating a FedEx account
- Email the shipping label to the recipient
- Send shipments using your phone, tablet or laptop
Ship Multiple Packages or Regulated Items.
Use FedEx Ship Manager® for the advanced features. It is designed to manage international shipments of any size. With FedEx Ship Manager you can:
- Declare an item over $2,500 USD
- Ship items with an export license
- Take appropriate measures to handle restricted items and hazardous materials
4. Amazon Partnered Courier
With Amazon fulfillment, managing your online orders is simple. Suppose you want to use Amazon’s fulfillment service for a single sales channel or want Amazon’s multi-channel fulfillment streamlined. As a partnered courier for Amazon fulfillment, they provide leading FBA shipping, tracking, and cross-platform fulfillment support. Set an order to “fulfill” when you usually create FBA labels, and Amazon will take care of the rest.
Reliability
The Amazon FBA makes standardizing orders from your online stores quick and easy. Easily keep up with orders from FBA shipping, tracking, and order management right at your customer’s door.
- Use FBA in the US, Canada, and even the UK.
- Easily create FBA shipping labels for orders in these regions.
- Check inventory for products to make sure FBA can fulfill the shipment.
- Receive status updates from Amazon regarding fulfillment.
- Automatically receive notifications on the status of FBA shipping, tracking, & order updates.
- Update store automatically once fulfillment is complete.
5. DHL Express
The best way to save your business time and money on online shipping is by using the DHL express service. DHL Express shipping is the carrier of choice if you are shipping globally with growing features such as paperless billing, world-class shipping automation, and customer contact tools, not to mention easy-to-print DHL Express labels and automated import from wherever you sell your orders.
Reliability
With DHL Express shipping, you can send a parcel, get express shipping rates, find exact locations, and much more. They are available to support you with customs expertise, diverse shipping solutions, and a wealth of international shipping knowledge.
DHL Express is the fastest way to check your shipment status. No need to call Customer Service – our online results provide real-time, detailed progress as your shipment through the DHL network is speeding.
DHL EXPRESS BUSINESS FEATURES
- Print labels using your specially negotiated rates so you get the best deal possible.
- Every package shipped through DHL Express automatically receives a free electronic signature.
- Carrier insurance is available.
- Automatically generate International customs documentation.
Find the Best Shipping Companies
Individuals and business firms depend on shipping companies to deliver their packages and freight safely and quickly to their customers. But, How to choose the best shipping companies in the USA? Choosing the right shipping service provider is wholly based on what you want to ship when you want it to arrive at its destination and what services you might need. Find your right shipping carriers considering the following factors.
How to Choose The Right Shipping Carriers
If price is your main issue, go up to 2 pounds with USPS for packages. When your package is huge, consider using the flat rate boxes for Priority Mail when your item fits.
You can further reduce shipping costs by going with a USPS provider named ShippingEasy.com. It can provide significant discounts on shipping for almost all of the United States Postal Service’s services (USPS).
All other shipping carriers, such as FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL, are also perfectly incorporated quickly and effectively. Check them out, as the service for up to 50 monthly shipments is 100 percent free.
Otherwise, your next economical alternative is FedEx. Unless you can bargain prices down, we don’t see a justification for using UPS. We heard that UPS can become very defensive about pricing for large businesses.
UPS Vs USPS Vs FedEx: Finding The Right Shipping Carrier
When considering shipping carriers in the USA, the names that come to mind are UPS, USPS, and FedEx. Each of these carriers has its pros and cons, so it’s essential to research to find the right one for your specific needs.
UPS is known for its reliability and speed, with a strong focus on business-to-business shipping. They offer various services, including ground, air, and international shipping, as well as freight and logistics solutions. UPS is a good choice for those who need fast and reliable delivery, especially for business purposes.
USPS, on the other hand, is a more affordable option with a wider range of services. They offer everything from standard mail delivery to priority and express shipping and international opportunities. USPS is a good choice for those who need to ship smaller packages or letters or are looking for an affordable option for their shipping needs.
Finally, FedEx is a good choice for those who need a mix of speed and affordability. They offer various services, including ground, air, and international shipping, as well as freight and logistics solutions. FedEx is a good choice for those who need fast and reliable delivery but want to keep costs down.
Overall, Choosing the best shipping carriers in the USA will depend on various factors, including your budget, the size and weight of your packages, and your shipping destination. Be sure to compare the different options carefully to find the right one for you.
Best shipping company for small business
As this blog is about small business shipping solutions, the cheaper option you mostly like to have is FedEx. Make sure to negotiate for pricing.
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Conclusion
The United States Postal Service (USPS) remains a modern eCommerce shipping carrier option due to its affordable rates and federal mandate that requires it to deliver to every address in the United States. Now it’s your preference according to your shipping requirement for the shipping carriers.
