Which shipping option is the best for your business?

USPS is usually the best fit when it comes to shipping smaller and lightweight items in both cost as well as convenience. If your products are under three pounds it is hard to beat their rates and in general USPS will give you the best price for distance traveled, as well as speed.

There are a few different options within the USPS suite of services. Priority Mail is the most used. It includes packages up to 70 lbs (and you do not need to weigh your parcel if it’s under 70 lbs.). Priority Mail Flat Rate is a subset of that which is calculated on the size of the packaging (which they supply for free). All flat-rate options ship Priority (with a 1-3 day delivery window). The prices start from $7.55 for a Priority Mail envelope to $18.70 for a large box. (Note that these are commercial rates, and individual prices are a bit higher.)

For larger shipments UPS (United Parcel Service) is likely to be the best option. Unlike USPS, they don’t have a size limit when it comes to their services, so anything over 70 lbs. is best shipped via UPS.

They offer many great options for small businesses including guaranteed day ground delivery, overnight, two-day and three-day delivery as well as international delivery to over 220 countries and territories. They have over 63,000 locations to drop off your shipments. For an additional $6 fee you can also arrange for UPS to come to your home or office to pick up your packages (this is an exclusive price for Mrs. Shippie customers). They offer $100 in insurance as well as tracking via their Quantum View software so you and your customers can stay informed on your shipments location and arrival status. They also have a free service called UPS Marketplace Shipping that allows your online store to integrate with your UPS account so you can keep track of shipping expenses as well as print labels directly from their website.

While USPS might be the best low-cost option, if you want to ensure fast delivery for your customers, UPS has more reliably and speedy service.

UPS is usually going to be the best option if speed of delivery is the primary concern for your shipments. They offer cross-country same day shipping, overnight shipping, two- and three-day shipping, as well as ground delivery with a one to four business day window. And one of the great things about UPS is that these are not just available for domestic deliveries, but also for international ones. You can also arrange a pickup for less than $7 (this is an exclusive price only for Mrs. Shippie customers). All shipments are insured up to $100 and tracking is also available. We have several options available to integrate with your e-commerce store as well and dynamic additional insurance available, including perishable insurance.

If you have a low volume of orders or an extremely inconsistent volume, you’re probably still doing your own fulfillment, and that’s a good thing. Outsourcing can be costly if you have products sitting on the warehouse shelf for long periods of time.

USPS can be a good option for small order volume. UPS can offer more options in terms of speed, and packaging, but that may not affect your fulfillment strategy.

Your best bet if you’re fulfilling in-house is to do a very thorough cost analysis of each type of package you ship—all the sizes and weights. Then create a spreadsheet of each major carrier and use their shipping calculators to estimate what your total costs will be for your projected volume. The carrier and service with the lowest option wins.