FedEx, UPS, or USPS—What’s the Best Shipping Choice for Businesses?

When you run your own company, it’s important to account for every necessary expense and make sure you’re getting only the best prices possible. When determining the cheapest way to ship products to customers, the three companies most often considered are FedEx, UPS, and USPS, but is there one of these that is more fiscally sound than the others? Before you decide which company to do business with, it’s important to consider several different shipping options to see which company comes out on top.

Shipping 2 LBS. or More with a 5-Day Delivery Window

The best shipping option for heavier packages depends a lot on the size of the package–heavy packages that are large and awkward in size always ship at a premium price. If the item you’re shipping is small enough to fit within a flat rate box from USPS, that’s definitely the best option. While FedEx will often offer discounts, especially when you set up an online account with them, the USPS is probably your best bet for the lowest shipping rate on heavy packages.

Shipping Less Than 2 LBS. with a 5-Day Delivery Window

The smaller the package, the lower the price you’ll pay for shipping with any company. USPS tends to be priced best, especially when it comes to smaller packages. However, shipping prices are pretty similar across the board.

Overnight and 2-Day Shipping

When you’re looking for faster shipping options, you can always expect to pay higher prices.  While FedEx and UPS offer overnight shipping with delivery first thing in the morning, USPS offers overnight shipping, but cannot guarantee early delivery. In fact, when it comes to a guaranteed delivery time, although USPS is typically cheaper, it tends to be the most unreliable option of the three.

Two-day shipping tends to be the same as overnight with each of the three companies—while USPS is the cheapest option, it is unreliable. The two-day guarantee from USPS actually just refers to a refund that’s possible in the event that a package isn’t delivered within the two-day window. This lack of reliability in spite of the discounted prices is often enough to leave business owners choosing the guaranteed delivery over the discounted price.

International Shipping

International small business shipping prices are typically quite a bit higher than domestic shipping. This increase in price makes identifying the best shipping companies for your needs even more essential. Parcel Monkey acts as a middle man, and tends to be the best choice for helping determine the best international shipping rates, with added perks like free pickup.

We Can Help

At Elite Ops, we know how much time and effort you put into juggling every aspect of your business. While it is possible to find reasonable shipping options with FedEx, UPS, and USPS, there is another better shipping option available to you.

Contact us to learn how a fulfillment center is hands down the best option for shipping management and get set up with us today.