Fulfillment

Fulfillment Shipping

Fulfillment Shipping

Fulfillment Shipping

Fulfillment Shipping

Fulfillment shipping is an extremely important part of your fulfillment strategy. It can be hard to decide the best method of shipping since there are so many considerations. Let’s look at FedEx, UPS and USPS to see who is going to be the best solution for you. In some cases, it may be more than one carrier depending on what you are sending.

Fulfillment Shipping Carrier Options:

FedEx – Has good tracking and Saturday delivery. They can be expensive and do not have free pick up. There are many options to choose from depending on the speed you need your package delivered. They also provide free packaging when you are using FedEx express services. Their prices are based on package weight, size, and shipping zone. Did you know that Saturday delivery is available at no extra charge when you ship via FedEx Home Delivery? They also offer freight services. When you sign up for a business account, they have discounts and a rewards program. Pay attention to surcharges, they have several that can add up quickly. FedEx is great at fast deliveries, if you need it there tomorrow, use FedEx.

USPS – If you ship small and light packages, USPS is for you. They are the cheapest, have free priority packaging supplies, deliver to mail boxes and PO boxes, they have free pick up and Saturday delivery. Their tracking is not as good as FedEx and UPS. They also have worse customer service when you need help. They do not have as many options for speed of delivery as the others. You can also ship to the military through USPS. Costs for shipping through the USPS vary dramatically, depending on shipping dimensions as well as a package’s origin and destination. You can get the best rates with USPS by signing up with a postage solution such as Stamps.com or another provider. This gives you access to the USPS’s discounted commercial rates. You can save up to 46% off retail rates. They also have Priority Mail Flat rate options where if it fits in the flat rate box is ships for a flat rate price. They provide the most economical shipping for packages under 2 pounds, and offer low rates for shipments under 13 ounces.

UPS – Has guaranteed express shipping, is affordable for heavy shipments and has great tracking. They do not have free pick up, can be expensive and Saturday delivery costs extra. There are many delivery options to choose from. They also offer freight services. Their prices are based on package weight, size, and shipping zone. If you ship a lot, UPS offers discount programs. Keep a look out for extra fees and surcharges. UPS is great for large or heavy packages.

As you can see there are pros and cons for each service. It is really going to be based on your needs and what you are shipping. You do not have to commit to using only one carrier. You may find that some things are best shipped with USPS while others UPS. If tracking is super important use UPS or FedEx. If you ship a lot of international packages you might want to consider using DHL. If free pick up and Saturday delivery are important you may want to choose USPS.

The good news is you have many fulfillment shipping options and can try out different methods to see what will work best for you. Sometimes even using a local courier service is best if most of your packages are going local. If you ship large volumes of the same item to multiple people you will want the option to batch import your list and make your shipping labels. FedEx and UPS have robust ways to do this. Are you ready to find the best solution? Need help? Contact us today! We are glad to help!