Comparison of Shipping/Mailing Services: USPS, UPS, DHL, FedEx

When mailing a box or large envelope in the United States, there are four major shipping service choices: the Postal Service (USPS), UPS, DHL, and Federal Express (FedEx). Each service has advantages, either in speed, price, or included free services.

The U.S. Postal Service offers a variety of mailing options, including Parcel Post, Priority, First Class, and Media Mail. First Class Mail is usually the cheapest for light items (usually small boxes and large envelopes), while Parcel Post or Media Mail are least expensive for heavier packages. Parcel Post is usually cheaper than UPS, except when mailing some types of heavy objects. Media Mail can only be used for mailing particular items, such as books and cassette tapes, and packages may take up to two weeks to arrive at their destination.

The main advantages of USPS Priority Mail are the ability to use free boxes and the faster shipping speed. It may or may not be cheaper than UPS, but is often faster. Some lightweight packages are not much more expensive to ship using Priority, especially if they are being mailed to a nearby destination, and may cost as little as $0.10 more than Parcel Post. Mailing insurance costs extra on all USPS services except Express, which can be quite expensive. The USPS online tracking system usually provides minimal information.

Flat rate USPS Priority Mail boxes should be considered for contents of medium-to-heavy weight. These boxes are free and allow you to pay the same amount as long as the box's weight doesn't exceed 70 pounds. This lets you more easily budget mailing costs and use heavier packaging materials (like newspaper) without increasing the cost. Flat rate envelopes are also available. At some mailing centers (such as Goin' Postal) the flat rate boxes can only be mailed at regular weight-based rates. It is generally not worth the cost to ship very lightweight packages or in-state items with Priority Mail. First Class Mail is almost as quick and substantially cheaper for sending light packages, and items being mailed in the same state often arrive just as fast with Parcel Post.