You can drop off your packages at any FedEx location or partnering retail location for free. These retail locations include places like OfficeMax, Office Depot, and popular grocery stores. FedEx customers can track up to 30 order numbers at a time. Small businesses may want to sign up for the free FedEx Delivery Manager service, which includes more tracking capabilities, pickup managements, and delivery notifications.
With this service, you can also place temporary holds on packages, redirect deliveries, and allow customers to use their phone or computer to sign for eligible packages. Customers can also upgrade to premium services on their end.
This grants them access to schedule delivery times and change deliveries to another residential location or different day. FedEx needs to pack and ship the item for the pledge to apply. You can print a label yourself on a regular or thermal printer. All FedEx Office locations will also print labels. You can contact FedEx via email, phone, or at one of their locations. Phone support hours are 7 a.
Central time, Monday through Friday; 9 a. Saturdays; and unavailable on Sundays. Users also have the option to chat with a FedEx representative or access a frequently asked questions FAQs section and tutorials from the website. FedEx has a shipping calculator to determine how much it will cost to send a package to your destination.
UPS pricing is competitive for heavier packages and any time you need to ship internationally. If you need a package delivered as soon as possible, you can choose same-day delivery with UPS Express Critical.
There are also options for delivery confirmation and signature requirements. UPS offers on-demand pickup for ground, air, and international shipments. You can schedule package and freight shipments for future dates, add special instructions to the driver, and add SMS or email confirmation messages.
UPS offers free tracking via their website for up to 25 tracking numbers at a time. With this, you can monitor inbound and outbound packages, manage returns, and track claims from the online dashboard. You can also create a branded tracking page for your customers to track their orders. UPS also provides additional solutions for larger entities.
The Quantum View and Flex Global View allow more in-depth management and visibility of your supply chain, suppliers, and inventory. UPS also offers easy step-by-step instructions via its website if you want to install your own thermal printer for labels. You can get in touch with UPS via email or phone or by visiting one of their retail locations. You can also hop on to the UPS website to live chat with a virtual assistant or browse the frequently asked questions FAQs section and tutorials.
Preferred Customer account holders receive a dedicated support team and priority routing when contacting technical support. Phone: Business Hours. Los Angeles, CA Who offers the cheapest shipping? All shipping costs are determined by destination, type of address residential, commercial, PO Box, etc.
US Postal services are recommended for light weight packages weighing less than 2 lbs. US Post Office is the cheapest way to ship non-bulky items. I have a question for you relating to shipping, how do you currently process your orders and print out shipping labels? Then I use the Paypal multi-shipping tool to print out labels. Pretty much the only thing that I have to do is to weigh each package.
I believe Fedex also has a way to read in a specially formatted text file as well. You can have your shopping cart output this file which is then read in to the Fedex website.
Thanks for the reply Steve. Currently I have a custom cart that connects to PayPal for CC verification and then connects to Fedex for shipping and creating custom labels. If I can do it with one step through Paypal that would be so much better. That is correct. We are using Paypal Website Payments Pro. The postal service has always been very reliable for me.
I did ask the clerk at the counter why that was and she said they deliver the unprofitable points for ups and fedex. I then asked why express is 2 day to most points rather than overnight, like it used to be. She told me it was because Fedex transports their express for them.
I think the usps gets a bad rap probably because everyone deals with them every single day. Kinda like someone you spend too much time with, you get sick of em after awhile. I agree partially. Later I get a message that it was delivered eight hours ago. Anything and everything that fits in the box, if under 70lbs, ships for the rate associated with the size box needed.
I wished this option had been available when I ordered a set of silverware on ebay from a Uruguay seller, and it literally weighs a ton. Now these same South American sellers are offering cheaper shipping, presumably to attract buyers to the higher priced item. Some offer free shipping.
I wished him luck. Thanks for the analysis. A factor not mentioned is your location. Years ago, I did business from the Rockridge neighhborhood in Oakland California.
Our local facility was hideous to deal with. They never, under any circumstances, made good on claims. One of the things they did was begin to harrass employees when they got within five years of retirement. Our regular driver who was not the cause of our problems was one of these, and told us yes, it was true and was happening to him.
One of the tihings expected of him was to work faster than was safe. The problems were so regular and so devastating to our business that we closed up shop and moved across country.
Our neighhbors warned us about the UPS truck zipping down our hill working faster than is safe? That problem wqs solved in a unique way. About ording postage online. I recommend you run some boxes in, have them weighed at the Po and then go home and calculate postage and see which is higher.
Though on paper most of the time it looks like UPS or Fedex will have the advantage, the farther the package has to travel sort of exposes the problems with those carriers. USPS Priority would be ranked lower in terms of a 5 day window, on paper.
But, at longest, in the history of my ebay business, though might just be with my area USPS priority has taken 3 or less days. In fact, I tend to value predictability more.
Fedex and UPS tend to be on time. If they say 5 days, it will arrive in 5 days. Most of the packages that are supposed to be delivered with FedEx end up getting sent with USPS to me, and the ones that FedEx does deliver is simply dropped on my doorstep without so much as a knock, door bell ring, or a slip.
The mailman in my neighborhood has a good idea of who lives where, so I never have to worry about my packages getting delivered to the wrong address. Arguably, my data is not enough either.
The best part about FedEx is that they can track down exactly where your package is at all times. We usually just eat the cost and ship the customer another order. I sell books and records vinyl prominently, from Nashville, Tn. As I buy what I sell via shipping services as well, I see them coming and going. UPS is way ahead on delivering damaged packages. Believe me, I spent 3 weeks at the Fedx plant in Memphis filming the movie Castaway. My biggest problem by far is incoming shipping costs.
I end up purchasing a great deal of inventory through Goodwill. They are scattered throughout the country, and each store chooses its own option of shippers. In the goodwill. The Spokane Wa. When I ask local vendors and regular people for opinions of the USPS, they are usually quite satisfied. Shipping has become a highly politicized subject in the last few years because of the same old same old.
Those ads are not under my control and I have no bias towards any of the carriers. I agree that 4 lbs is the breakpoint for USPS. However, I am found that your analysis of shipping costs matches ours when shipping from coast to coast. However, it is not so simple when shipping to a closer site. Usually to ship to a state within miles is much cheaper with USPS. And to make matters more complicated, shipping by FedEx or UPS to a commercial address costs less than to a residential address. There is just no one size fits all when it comes to shipping if the package is over 13 ounces.
We offer flat rate shipping so that it leaves the final decision to us. Best rates available but except for. Worth looking at. You can use the 7x7x6. Hey wow thank you for your original write up it was very helpful and informative!!! Plus their boxes for mailing have gotten smaller. Sadly, they used to offer that priority industrial strength tape but now they no longer do….
But what do you recommend for larger very light items? I have an item I will need to ship in a few days…. Second is which shipping method is best for a 4 lb larger item…. I just did a comparison on shipping three boxes.
These are Home Depot boxes, one small, two medium. The weights were 9, 12, and 15 pounds. Post Office must be pretty low cost half the stuff I get from UPS and FedEx comes in the mail if they can charge me and afford to send it through the mail and still prophet that must say something. Good luck with your crusade tho! What is this, corporate deathwish?
You are right in noticing that USPS is doing everything it can to self-destruct. They charge you for expedited delivery unless you ask for First Class. Great article…I think you are pretty much spot on. I am a shipper using all 3 and I was contacted by this guy Bart at discountshipcosts. He got to me through a Chamber of Commerce list. My average package is between 3 and 8 lbs.
Seriously, you everyone should check it out. It costs nothing. By the way? My opinion of USPS is that within a few years they will be gone, at least on the package end. Jill—I was truly excited when I went to their website. Anxious, I called the toll number. I said, oh sorry, I was trying to reach discountshipcosts and hung up. Very unprofessional of them. Too good to be true. I do find it a pain to go the UPS depot.
Great comparison Steve! This is exactly what I was looking for. I find it humorous that the first few responses question how up-to-date this article is, and then they are reassured that it is timely, i. What year would that be? Could someone actually put a date somewhere?
Beyond that, however, I would like to thank everyone for contributing this important information and sharing it with others. Hey Andrea, I update this post whenever there are any major changes to the shipping rates. That being said, things have been relatively stable in terms of comparisons for quite a while now.
Do a little more research…. Thanks for this very useful article. One way to show the date near your name above the article is to add the following in your filename. Just place the time function within the PHP brackets:. Note that in the above article, I mention that flat rate boxes are the exception to the rule depending on how much junk you can fit in it.
For a 7 lb package, FedEx should be cheaper. FedEx has been our carrier of choice for heavier packages and in general, they are on par with UPS but obviously not in this case. So go FedEx! But keep in mind, if you run a store or any business that ships packages, you can usually negotiate better rates. Its nice article since this article contains a lot of useful information.
My wife quit her job is funny domain and this is a nice way of cheapest shipping. Here is another one company which provide cheap shipping too i. The program will remain in effect for currently enrolled customers until further notice.
Hey Glen, The specific discount program mentioned in the post ended, but FedEx always offers a savings program if you use their electronic services.
Look it up. FedEx Savings Program. Your information is so wrong. You really have no idea what you are talking about. It is pretty sad that people read this trash. If businesses want to know rates and what carrier to ship with they need to contact a Shipping Solutions Specialist for each carrier. If you did your research you would be more careful with your choice of words.
This article provides your reader with terrible information, incorrect information. I know you are trying to help others, but do your research. As it stands the out of the box pricing numbers are correct. In my experience, UPS tends to be more willing to negotiate than FedEx but that of course depends on how desperate they are to have your business and your shipping volumes. Second of all, all of this data is from my own experience and from data of many shop owners that I keep in contact with.
USPS is far less reliable and the other carriers. I have two cases where it shows up as delivered. They called me back 2 days later and said how coincidentally it was out for delivery that very day.
Another one says it was delivered at 8. Probably not…. So how on earth could you accurately calculate statistics with data that is 1 incomplete and 2 manipulated into inaccuracies to benefit the carrier? UPS has lost a few packages that were supposed to be delivered to me. USPS on the other hand has jacked with the data regarding 2 of my 50 or so shipments via 1st class. I have had your exact same experience. What is especially frustrating is express mail since they offer a money back guarantee.
But in reality, you get what you pay for. USPS is like half the price. Priority mail is often only 2 days. Did I mention the free priority boxes?
What the heck? The USPS is constantly complaining about how their prices have to keep going up because no one uses the service which is about to go defunct anyway and they wonder why?
USPS just put me out of the auction business! The most infuriating part of USPS is that their tracking is a complete fraud. I ship small oz pkgs via 1st class. One was delivered on Feb 28th, but showed up undelivered. The buyer told me on the 5th she had received it on the 28th.
Basically, if an item is lost they will: 1 not admit it. I can live with that. Best rates for me by a long shot is from FedEx SmartPost.
Fed Ex has partnered with the USPS — FedEx takes your package by truck and delivers it to the post office sorting center nearest your destination — skipping multiple USPS sorting centers zones that would process your package and increase your cost.
Shipping is also refunded in addition to the liability. You must also use your own boxes. The biggest savings are on shorter distances. This article is right on, my experience matches his to the letter, and this reflects having lived and shipped from 5 different metro areas over the past 20 years.
Employees of FedEx seem much happier and, in my opinion, it shows in their performance. Occasionally we are enticed by flat rate box pricing and, inevitably, get burned by a lost shipment.
We then kick ourselves and go back to FedEx, hat in hand…. Shipping prices keep going up and up. I agree USPS used to be cheeper and even faster in some situations. However, USPS reliability seems to be questionable.
Not that the other carriers never have problems though. Most people who bother to leave reviews are doing so because they've had a negative experience or to complain about tardy deliveries, unreliable tracking, damaged items, or packages that disappeared during shipping. Occasionally a consumer reports a pleasant experience, but it's more common to find a detailed account of a back-and-forth argument with customer service.
Based on interviews with just over 85, consumers taken in early January and late December , the ACSI rated the carriers on factors such as delivery speed, package condition, shipping options, and transaction ease. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission to support our work. Learn more. Cheapism may earn a commission if you buy through a link on our site.
Sign up for our newsletter. UPS vs. Scott Nyerges November 17, FedEx and UPS provide far more options for time-sensitive shipping, with guaranteed delivery as early as 8 a. UPS is consistently the less expensive of the two, although FedEx flat-rate options do offer some deals. Opting for flat-rate packaging, offered by all three carriers, can mean huge savings. Overnight Shipping Rates. UPS 5 lb. Must fit within fixed size ranges. Postal Service 5 lb. M-F by 12 p. Ground Shipping Rates. Overnight Shipping This is the costliest option, period.
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