How To Choose The Right Shipping Courier for You

There is no one shipping provider who is better than all the others. While some excel at taking care of larger and heavier packages, others could be more ideal for getting your package to its destination faster. At the end of the day, every provider can get your parcel to where you want it to go provided you pay the postage fee. However, choosing the right services that is most suited to your requirements and specific circumstances is important whether it’s a personal package you’re sending back to your family or a commercial package to your client. This can ensure your package is handled properly with a reliable courier service and you won’t be paying any unnecessary additional charges.

With so many different shipping providers to choose from like UPS, DHL, and Fastway, it can sometimes be a headache as they all provide similar services and it’s often time-consuming to research into all the different couriers. In this case, to help you out a little, below are a few tips to help you identify the right provider for your package.

Courier and Postal Service

Before even looking at different courier services, there are two main types of services that you should know about - postal services which are operated by the government in a particular country, and couriers which are operated at a global scale as their network is big enough to get your package around the world from one end to the other. A great example of a postal service is the Australian Post and a courier example would be Sendle.

Postal services tend to be more affordable. However, couriers have recently stepped up their game and now have competitive pricing and even better service. Using a postal service means you will have to pay a visit at the post office and wait in a line until you get served, but Sendle, for instance, offers a free guaranteed pickup service and it’s much cheaper than parcel post.

If you’re looking for speed and reliability, postal services might not be what you’re after but courier services. They usually take less time delivering your package and some even offer express service. With most couriers nowadays, you’ll also be able to track your delivery in real time so you’ll know exactly when it will arrive and this has been made easy thanks to the use of advanced technology. Some couriers even provide contact information of the person who's handling your package so you can contact them directly. However, as good as this sounds, you will want to check the price just in case they have any additional surcharges.

Goods & Items

Another good thing to take into account is the item you are delivering. If it contains something that’s expensive, or even fragile, you might want to consider using a courier instead, as they are usually better handlers and also get your package to the destination much faster. Try reading reviews from users who have previously used that particular courier and learn about their experiences.

If however what you’re delivering isn’t costly or fragile at all, it wouldn’t make sense for you to use a courier service where the postal costs would cost more than the item itself. So make sure you do a background research on your courier choices and choose one that will make sense.

Location & Fees

There’s no point looking up a courier which does not ship to the places you want it to deliver to. Check out the set of rules and guidelines the couriers have on their website to ensure you meet their standards and the country’s regulations which will help ensure your package is in a good condition for delivery e.g. Sendle will not dispatch any parcels that are wrapped in transparent packaging overseas according to their international parcels guidelines. This applies for both interstate couriers and international postages.

To illiterate, there is no one shipping provider who is better than all the other options. However, we are starting to see that postal services are no longer the best option and there are a lot of couriers out there that offer great services at a competitive price, some even cheaper than postal service. Learn about the different couriers available to you and check what other customers are saying about them before deciding to go with one to make sure its the optimal solution for you.