USPS vs DHL: A Comparison

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

USPS vs DHL

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

Today we will be analyzing USPS and DHL’s National US services, National UK services, European, and international services.

DHL is headquartered in Germany and has a large presence in the global shipping market.

USPS is based in the US and plays a large role in the global shipping market.

USPS vs DHL: National US Shipments 

Below is a table that compares USPS and DHL’s domestic services within the US.

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.

USPS offers three different major services for domestic shipping. 

Priority Mail Express: This option guarantees overnight shipping and delivery throughout the United States, and it doesn’t require any weighing or calculation for a package up to 70 pounds. It also includes USPS tracking standard and built in insurance of $100.

As a result, this is the priciest of the US options. 

Priority Mail: Priority Mail ships and delivers to any location domestically within 1-3 business days and has similar features to Priority Mail express barring this delivery date. However, it only has an included insurance of $50.

USPS Retail Ground (formerly Standard Post): This is the most standard option and delivers between 2 and 8 operating business days to any location in the United States. There is no included insurance, but the option is available should you wish to pay more.

USPS vs DHL: National UK Services 

Below is a table that show’s DHL’s domestic services within the UK.

USPS does not offer specific UK Services, but their International options cover the region. We will go over them more in the International section.

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. 

USPS vs DHL: Europe

The following table displays DHL’s Europe specific services.

USPS does not offer Europe specific services. It just groups deliveries as International. Thus, we will cover them in the following section.

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.

USPS vs DHL: International 

The table below outlines the different international services DHL and USPS have to offer.

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.

USPS International options include:

Global Express Guaranteed: This option offers shipping and delivery to almost anywhere across the globe in 1-3 business days. The maximum weight for these shipments is 70 pounds and includes USPS tracking and insurance protection up to $100.

Priority Mail Express International: The Priority Mail Express International service delivers within 3-5 business days anywhere in the world and again offers USPS tracking and insurance up to $100 for non-negotiable document reconstruction and up to $200 for merchandise loss, damage, or missing contents.

Priority Mail International: This is the standard option and there is no weighing or calculating needed. Priority Mail International will deliver in 6-10 business days. With Flat Rate Boxes or Envelopes, you pay one rate depending on the destination country. The service, like the others, offers standard USPS tracking and the option for protection up to $100 insurance for non-negotiable document reconstruction and up to $200 insurance for merchandise for loss or damage.

USPS vs DHL: Additional Services for E-commerce 

Both companies have well-structured services that include 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 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.

USPS offers several different services and tools through their website that are useful, especially for businesses.

Click-N-Ship® Business Pro™: Click-N-Ship Business Pro is designed to allow commercial package mailers to generate and print labels with Intelligent Mail package barcodes, electronically create and submit shipping manifests through our Electronic Verification System, generate electronic postage statements and pay through electronic payment processes.

Click-N-Ship Business Pro features simplified on-boarding and registration through the Business Customer Gateway that can be completed in as little as 15 minutes. Once the free software is downloaded and account setup is completed, customers will be ready to start shipping.

USPS Tracking: is standard for all shipments. It is a way for you to make sure that your most important packages make it to their final destinations. The US Postal Service can tell you the date, time and zip code where your item was delivered, giving you peace of mind.

Advanced Return Services: Returns are inevitable, so this makes it easy for customers to return a package to you. Create customer loyalty, increase sales, and control costs by giving your customers quick, convenient, and flexible ways to return items through USPS®.

Ways to Provide Return Labels

• Include one in the original shipment box
• Use the cloud platform
• Integrate the returns tool on your website
• Let customers print their own
• Request one through Print and Deliver Label Service

USPS vs DHL: 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 carrier is not an easy task.

The one 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 USPS and DHL, 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 metric of transparent judgment we have; the reviews of customers who use USPS and DHL 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 customers.

USPS vs DHL: 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 compares the prices of different vendors and allows you to set shipping rules, saving you time and money.