Skip to content
All posts

DHL vs DPD: A Comparison

If you manage an e-commerce business than you know the importance of choosing the proper mail courier. DHL vs DPD will be directly compared to a variety of services to help you choose the best courier.

Choosing the correct courier is not just a search for the right supplier. It’s about identifying a serious ally that will help you deliver the best value and service to your customers.

The right courier will satisfy your customers with the best quality, speed, and cost effective services. To choose the best courier for your e-commerce consider:

  • DHL vs UPS
  • DHL vs FedEx
  • DHL vs TNT

DHL vs DPD 

Here at ShippyPro, we want to help you in your search for that perfect carrier.

In this article we will be analyzing DHL vs DPD National US services, National UK services, European, and international services.


DHL vs DPD: National US Shipments

 

DHL     DPD
Service Delivery Time Cost Service
DHL SmartMail Parcel By end of 2-3 business days No service provided in the US
DHL SmartMail Parcel Plus By end of 2-3 business days  
DHL SmartMail Parcel Return By end of 1-3 business days  
DHL Smart Mail Flats By end of 2-5 business days  
DHL SmartMail Bundle Printed Matter By end of 2-5 business days  

 

The table above only shows DHL’s domestic services within the United States because DPD does not provide services in the United States.

DHL’s US domestic services can be broken into three categories based on delivery time.

DHL SmartMail Parcel and DHL SmartMail Parcel Plus both guarantee delivery between 2-3 days. The only difference between the two is DHL SmartMail Parcel Plus has a maximum weight 25lbs while DHL SmartMail Parcel only has a maximum weight of 1lb.

Subsequently DHL SmartMail Parcel Plus costs a bit more.

DHL SmartMail Bundle Printed Matter and DHL Smart Mail Flats both guarantee delivery in 2-5 days. The only difference between the two is DHL SmartMail Bundle Printed Matter has a maximum weight 15lbs while DHL Smart Mail Flats only has a maximum weight of 1lb.

As a result, DHL SmartMail Bundle Printed Matter costs slightly more than DHL Smart Mail Flats.

There is also DHL SmartMail Parcel Return that easily handles return packages within 1-3 days.

DHL vs DPD: National UK Shipments

This table compares DHL and DPD’s domestic services throughout the UK.

 

DHL     DPD    
Service Delivery Time Cost Service Delivery Time Cost
DHL Domestic Express 9:00 Delivery by 9:00 am next business day DPD 10:30 Next business day delivery by 10:30 am
DHL Domestic Express 12:00 Delivery by 12:00 pm next business day DPD 12:00 Next business-day delivery by 12:00 pm
DHL Domestic Express Delivery by end of next business day DPD Next Day Next business-day delivery by end of day
DHL Domestic Express Easy Delivery by end of next business day once handed over to a DHL Service Point Saturday and Sunday Delivery Next day delivery on Saturdays and Sundays
      Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scilly Islands and Scottish Highlands and Islands Delivery Two business day delivery before 12:00 pm

 

DHL’s UK services all offer next business day delivery with variations in time of delivery.

The options for time of delivery the next day are 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, by the end of the day, and by the end of the day once the parcel reaches a DHL Service Point.

Additionally, all of these services come with tracking and liability protection.

DPD provides domestic UK services that will deliver the parcel the next business day with varying times of delivery.

They also provide a special Saturday and Sunday delivery service for those packages that just can’t wait until the working week.

DPD has a sophisticated service that provides parcel delivery to all parts of the UK as well.

DPD 10:30, 12:00, and Next Day offers next business-day delivery by their respective times Monday through Friday.

Saturday and Sunday Delivery provides the option of next day delivery specifically on these days, Some other companies don’t deliver on these days and this becomes very advantageous.

Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scilly Islands and Scottish Highlands and Islands Delivery provides two business day delivery before 12:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to all these locations.

DHL vs DPD: Europe

DHL     DPD    
Service Delivery Time Cost Service Delivery Time Cost
DHL Same Day
Sprintline
One business day after the withdrawal DPD Classic 1-4 Business Days
DHL Express Worldwide One business day
after the withdrawal
     
DHL Express 9:00 By 9:00 am next business day      
DHL Express 12:00 By 12:00 pm next business day      
DHL Economy Select By end of day in 1-4 business days      

DHL ships to Europe using many of the same services it uses for international shipments. Express Worldwide is the most used service, reaching around 220 countries worldwide.

The Economy Select service is the most used service in Europe. It is a door to door service that allows to send single, multicolored packages and pallets in Europe.

The delivery is from 1 to 4 working days, with a weight limit of is 30 kg per package and volumetric weight of 200 kg per m³.

It is the cheapest service DHL provides for shipments in Europe, the service can be integrated with additional options to improve the quality.

One of these additional options is continuous monitoring, which allows you to follow progress of the goods from start to finish.

The Same Day Sprintline service is the fast road service that reaches the entire euro zone. The speed of the service does raise the cost, even if the distances are relatively short.

DPD provides one European service, DPD Classic.

DPD Classic reaches all major European destinations in 1-4 business days to serve your European delivery needs.

DHL vs DPD

DHL vs DPD: International

 

DHL     DPD    
Service Delivery Time Cost Service Delivery Time Cost
DHL Sameday Jetline By end of business day via air DPD Air Classic 2-5 business days
DHL Sameday Sprintline By end of business days via ground DPD Express 1-3 business days
DHL Express Worldwide By end of 1 business day from withdrawal DPD Direct 3-8 business days
DHL Express 12:00 By 12:00 pm in 1 business day DPD International Mail Priority 2-7 days in Europe and 6-10 days in the rest of the world
DHL Express Envelope End of one business day (documents only) DPD International Mail Standard 7-14 days in Europe and 14-21 days in the rest of the world

 

Internationally, DHL offers a large variety of services with different costs and shipping times.

DHL provides many services, some as expensive as the Same Day service available both by air and by road.

WorldWide Express  is the most frequently used service, with slightly longer times but at a lower cost.

The exclusive DHL Envelope service reserved only for documents, enables rapid delivery of documentation in approximately 220 countries around the world.

DPD provides multiple international services, catering to both economic and luxurious options. 

DPD Air Classic reaches 230 countries and can get parcels to these worldwide locations in 2-5 business days.

DPD Express can reach the same 230 countries in 1-3 business days for an increased price from the DPD Air Classic option.

DPD Direct partners with local postal carriers in 34 countries to expedite delivery time to 3-8 days.

DPD International Mail Priority provides different delivery times based on the destination location. A delivery time of 2-7 days in Europe and 6-10 days in the rest of the world is guaranteed by this service. This service is reserved for businesses sending 2 kg of mail a day.

DPD International Mail Standard also provides different delivery times depending on what part of the world the parcel is being sent. Delivery time range from 7-14 days in Europe and 14-21 days in the rest of the world. This service is also reserved for businesses sending 2 kg of mail a day. This is also the most economic international option DPD has to offer.

DHL vs DPD: Additional Services for E-commerce

Both companies have well-structured services that are full of additional options.

DHL offers its customers express delivery at DHL Service Points. These are authorized stores where DHL customers can choose to receive the goods.

This service allows the customer to pick up the package when it best suits them.

Specific industries such as fashion and food have their own special services.

DHL offers services designed for the fashion industry: DHL Express for Fashion offers solutions for the fashion industry and an ad hoc packaging, with an elegant and refined design.

DHL vs DPD

 

DHL Medical Express manages the transportation of time sensitive and temperature sensitive shipments for the Life Science sector.

For non-perishable food products, DHL Express Food & Beverage packages and places these items in suitable packaging.

DHL vs DPD

 

DPD also offers a large selection of additional sophisticated features.

  • Euro Bullet – Dedicated delivery by ground to and from Europe
  • Euro Freight – Heavy shipments into and out of Europe
  • Air Freight – Heavy shipments via scheduled or chartered flights
  • Ocean Freight – Large shipments by sea
  • Exhibition Services – Delivery to or from exhibitions, plus on-site services
  • On-Board Courier – Personal delivery service by air
  • UK Freight and Same Day – For pallets, bulk movements and book-ins that cannot be moved through our network (over three pallets per collection)
  • Worldwide Imports – The shipment of goods into the UK where the UK customer is paying for the distribution

DHL vs DPD: Reviews and Considerations

We at ShippyPro operate in the e-commerce sector, especially in the field of online shipments. We are in daily contact with many domestic and international couriers.

Evaluating all the work of a courier is not an easy task.

The one perfect courier does not exist, however, there are certain couriers that are more suited for the needs of your business.

In this article we have introduced the main services of both DHL and DPD, used heavily at a national and international level.

We want to help you choose the ideal logistics partner for your needs, but there are other considerations we need to look at.

To do this, we will show you the only meter of transparent judgment we have; the reviews of our customers who use DHL and DPD daily to ship domestically and around the globe.

Below are the total reviews of the two couriers formed on the basis of daily feedback from our customers.

DHL vs DPD

DHL vs DPD: Who do we choose to ship?

At this point you understand how difficult it is to determine which courier is better than another.

It is well known that some carriers work better in some areas than others.

Now, considering that your goal is to provide the best customer service, there is nothing better than trying to enter into a contract with not one, but multiple couriers.

This way you will be able to offer excellent service in every area and every category of product.

Don’t limit yourself to a single shipping service provider

Instead, look to choose different couriers, each for a specific scope, significantly reducing asset management costs.

In fact, each freight forwarder charges very different tariffs in relation to the weight, size, and destination of the goods.

Compare and choose the best carriers for any type of shipping you make!

Comparing all these carriers is a time-consuming process, but there are services for managing the various shippers that can help.

It’s convenient to pick a software like ShippyPro, which automatically allows you to set shipping rules, saving you time and money.

Sign up for ShippyPro   →

ShippyPro Team

ShippyPro is the complete shipping software for online and offline retail. With Label Creator, Track & Trace, Easy Return and Analytics features, our software simplifies your shipping operations. ShippyPro integrates with over 160 couriers and 80 sales channels, making it compatible with a wide range of products and use cases.