If you manage an e-commerce business then you know the importance of choosing the proper mail carrier.

Choosing the correct carrier 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 carrier will satisfy your customers with the best quality, speed, and cost effective services.

DPD vs Royal Mail

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

In this article we will be analyzing DPD vs Royal Mail’s National US services, National UK services, European, and international services.

Both are based in The United Kingdom, playing a key role in the UK market. They each effectively serve the international market as well.

DPD vs Royal Mail: National UK Shipments

The table below compares DPD and Royal Mail’s domestic services throughout the UK.

Royal Mail	DPD
Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Service	Delivery Time	Cost
Same Day Delivery	By end of same business day		DPD 10:30	Next business day delivery by 10:30 am
Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed	Guaranteed next business day by 9:00 am		DPD 12:00	Next business-day delivery by 12:00 pm
Royal Mail Signed for 1st Class	Aim to deliver by end of next business day		DPD Next Day	Next business-day delivery by end of day
Royal Mail Signed for 2nd Class	Aim to deliver by end of 2-3 business days		Saturday and Sunday Delivery	Next day delivery on Saturdays and Sundays
1st Class Mail	Aim to deliver by end of next business day		Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scilly Islands and Scottish Highlands and Islands Delivery	Two business day delivery before 12:00 pm
2nd Class Mail	Aim to deliver by the end of 2-3 business days

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.

Royal Mail offers cost effective options for same day, next business day, and 2-3 business day delivery. These services also differ on potential compensation coverage based on your needs. The other key difference to note is some services offer guaranteed delivery while others cannot promise the parcel will arrive on time, but the success rates are high.

Same Day Delivery guarantees delivery by the end of the day on the same day the delivery order was placed. A special £10,000 compensation coverage option is available for those who need it. Due to the expedited nature of this service it does cost more than their other options.

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed offers guaranteed delivery the next business day by 9:00 am. Royal Mail is so confident they can fulfill their guarantee that if the package does not arrive on time, the delivery is 100% free. A special £10,000 compensation coverage is also offered.

Royal Mail Signed for 1st Class aims to complete the delivery by the end of the next business day. While this is not a guarantee, the success rate of these deliveries is extremely high. There is an option to add up to £50 of compensation coverage as well.

The Royal Mail Signed for 2nd Class option aims to deliver the parcel by the end of 2-3 business days for a cost effective price. It is worth noting this 2-3 day delivery is only a goal and is not guaranteed, however it does enjoy a high success rate. The optional £50 of compensation coverage is also available.

Royal Mail’s 1st Class Mail serviceaims to complete the delivery by the end of the next possible business day. The success rate of this goal is also very high. Again the difference in compensation coverage is noticed. The potential coverage in this service is only up to £20 instead of the £50 option offered by its similarly priced services.

The 2nd Class Mail service aims to deliver the parcel by the end of 2-3 business days. While not a guarantee it is the most economic option if leniency in delivery time is allowable. Again the compensation is only £20 instead of £50. 

DPD vs Royal Mail: Europe

Royal Mail	DPD
Services	Delivery Time	Cost	Services	Delivery Time	Cost
International Tracked and Signed	Aim for end of 3-5 business days		DPD Classic	1-4 Business Days
International Tracked	Aim for end of 3-5 business days
International Signed	Aim for end of 3-5 business days
International Standard	Aim for end of 3-5 business days
International Economy	Aim for end of 10-15 business days

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.

Royal Mail’s international services are also offered in Europe with the reduction of delivery times. These services can be broken down into two economic options and three slightly more costly options based on the delivery needs.

International Tracked aims to complete the delivery by the end of 3-5 business days. This service also provides end to end tracking of the parcel, giving you peace of mind from start to finish.

International Signed aims to hand you the parcel by the end of 3-5 business days as well. The difference with this service is it requires a signature upon the arrival of the package. This is perfect for sensitive parcels that are too important to be left out sitting on the porch.

International Tracked and Signed brings the best of both worlds to the table. Offering end to end tracking on top of the required signature upon arrival. With the same delivery time of 3-5 days this option is very popular and is the most expensive of Royal Mail’s European/international options.

International Standard is the first of the two economic European options. With a goal of delivery in 3-5 business days and no required signature or tracking system, it is a happy middle ground between cost effective and expensive additional services.

International Economy is the most bare bones European service Royal Mail offers. Completion of the package is expected between 10-15 business days with none of the frills of the other services.

DPD vs Royal Mail: International 

Royal Mail	DPD
Services	Delivery Time	Cost	Services	Delivery Time	Cost
International Tracked and Signed	Aim for end of 5-7 business days		DPD Air Classic	2-5 business days
International Tracked	Aim for end of 5-7 business days		DPD Express	1-3 business days
International Signed	Aim for end of 5-7 business days		DPD Direct	3-8 business days
International Standard	Aim for end of 5-7 business days		DPD International Mail Priority	2-7 days in Europe and 6-10 days in the rest of the world
International Economy	Aim for end of 6-12 weeks		DPD International Mail Standard	7-14 days in Europe and 14-21 days in the rest of the world

Royal Mail’s International services are the same as their European services so this section will look very similar to their European services with adjusted longer delivery times, with both economic and more pricey options. 

International Tracked aims to complete the delivery by the end of 5-7 business days. This service also provides end to end tracking of the parcel, giving you peace of mind from start to finish.

International Signed aims to hand you the parcel by the end of 5-7 business days as well. The difference with this service is it requires a signature upon the arrival of the package. This is perfect for sensitive parcels that are too important to be left out sitting on the porch.

International Tracked and Signed brings the best of both worlds to the table. Offering end to end tracking on top of the required signature upon arrival. With the same delivery time of 5-7 days this option is very popular and is the most expensive of Royal Mail’s European/international options.

International Standard is the first of the two economic European options. With a goal of delivery in 5-7 business days and no required signature or tracking system, it is a happy middle ground between cost effective and expensive additional services.

International Economy is the most bare bones European service Royal Mail offers. Completion of the package is expected between 6-12 weeks with none of the frills of the other services.

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.

DPD vs Royal Mail: Additional Services for E-commerce

Royal Mail offers a very unique Articles for the Blind option. This additional service will specially ship books, printed materials, letters, relief maps, audio and electronic media, equipment such as magnifiers and mobility aids up to 7 kg all made to aid visually impaired people. They come delivered at a First Class International rate and are very reasonably priced for a service that can spare no expense.

HM Forces Mail offers special discounted prices for delivering mail to The British Forces Post Office. With guaranteed Special Delivery, First Class Signed For, and Royal Mail 1st Class it is the perfect option for staying connected with the men and women serving their country. They deserve the best mails services and this additional service provides that to them.

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

DPD vs Royal Mail: 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 carriers.

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

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

In this article we have introduced the main services of both DPD and Royal Mail, 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 DPD and Royal Mail daily to ship domestically and around the globe.

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

DPD vs Royal Mail: Who do we choose to ship?

At this point you understand how difficult it is to determine which carrier 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 carriers.

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 carriers, 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.