USPS vs FedEx: 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 FedEx

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

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

Both are based in the US and play an massive role in the global shipping market.

USPS vs FedEx: National US Shipments 

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

USPS	FedEx
Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Service	Delivery Time	Cost
Priority Mail Express	Overnight Guarantee		FedEx First Overnight	Next business day by 8:00am
Priority Mail	1-3 Business Days		FedEx First Priority Overnight	Next business day by 10:00am
USPS Retail Ground	2-8 Business Days		FedEx Standard Overnight	Next business day by 3:00pm
FedEx 2Day	Second business day between 4:30 pm and 7:00 pm
FedEx Express Saver	Third business day delivery by 4:30 pm
FedEx Ground	By end of 1-5 business days
FedEx 1Day Freight	Next business day by 10:30am
FedEx 2Day Freight	Second business day by 12:00 pm
FedEx 3Day Freight	Third business day by 3:00 pm

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.

FedEx’s US domestic services can separated into four categories.

Next day delivery, second day delivery, third day delivery and economy delivery.

FedEx First Overnight guarantees delivery the next business day by 8:00 am Monday through Friday.

FedEx First Priority Overnight guarantees delivery the next business day by 10:00 am Monday through Saturday.

FedEx Standard Overnight guarantees delivery the next business day by 3:00 pm Monday through Friday.

FedEx 2Day guarantees delivery in two business days between 4:30 pm and 7:00 pm Monday through Saturday.

FedEx Express Saver guarantees delivery in three business days by 4:30 pm.

FedEx 1Day Freight guarantees delivery the next business day by 10:30 pm Monday through Friday.

FedEx 2Day Freight guarantees delivery in two business-days by 12:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FedEx 3Day Freight guarantees delivery in three business-days by 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FedEx Ground guarantees delivery in 1-5 business-days by the end of the day Monday – Friday.

USPS vs FedEx: National UK Services 

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

USPS	FedEx
Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Service	Delivery Time	Cost
FedEx Next Day	By end of next business day
FedEx Next Day by Noon	By 12:00 pm next business day
FedEx Next Day by 10:00pm	By 10:00 am next business day
FedEx Next Day by 9:00pm	By 9:00 am next business day
FedEx Economy	By end of the day in 1-3 business days

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

FedEx offers a range of times for their next business day delivery services. They also offer an economic option.

The next day delivery options are by 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, or by the end of the day Monday through Friday.

FedEx Economy offers delivery by the end of 1-3 business days Monday through Friday.

USPS vs FedEx: Europe

The following table displays FedEx’s Europe specific services.

USPS	FedEx
Service	Time of Delivery	Cost	Service	Time of Delivery	Cost
Europe First	The morning after the withdrawal
Europe Economy	By end of day in 2-5 business days
International Priority	By end of day in 1-2 business days
International Economy	By end of day in 4 business days

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

FedEX for Europe with the Europe First service ensures a rapid delivery the morning after the collection of the goods. The timeliness of the service does result in a increased price.

Europe Economy, on the other hand, represents the basic shipping service on European territory with delivery within 2-5 working days. These delivery times are more cost-effective.

USPS vs FedEx: International 

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

USPS	FedEx
Service	Delivery Time	Cost	Service	Delivery Time	Cost
Global Express Guarenteed	1-3 Business Days		International Priority	By end of 1-2 business days
Priority Mail Express International	3-5 Business Days		International Economy	By end of 4 business days
Priority Mail International	6-10 Business Days		Ground	By end of day in Canada and US
Same Day	By end of business day in the US
Europe First	By 12:00 pm the next business day from withdrawal
Europe Economy	By end of 2-5 business days

The FedEx Same Day service,thanks to the widespread distribution network in the US, allows the company to complete shipments on the same day the goods are picked up.

The Ground service is an economic service designed for shipments throughout North America.

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 FedEx: Additional Services for E-commerce 

FedEX is very attentive to the industrial sector and offers a wide range of support services to improve customer loyalty and satisfaction.

FedEx Office offers other services to businesses including: printing, digital printing, computer rental and internet access.

FedEx has a deposit service at authorized outlets, called Pick up and Drop-off.

Through this service, FedEx customers can receive and send packages from selected stores, manage withdrawals and purchase supplies to be received at the designated point of sale.

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 FedEx: 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 USPS and FedEx, 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 FedEx 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 customers.

USPS vs FedEx: 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.

The best way to manage this important decision is to choose a software that automatically compares the prices of different vendors and / or allows you to set shipping rules, saving you time and money.