FedEx vs. USPS: Which is better for eCommerce?

FedEx and USPS are two prominent shipping carriers that offer hassle-free shipping for eCommerce store owners. Finding the one that works best for you is indeed a task. To find out the best from FedEx vs. USPS, you need to find out all about their distinct features and understand them in depth.

FedEx and USPS have their own distinctive features and origin. FedEx is known for its quick deliveries and excellent tracking features available. It is a multinational shipping carrier company, serving thousands of eCommerce stores and individuals to deliver the posts and packages with no delay. Whereas USPS is more managed by the government and is the primary postal service of the US. It is primarily used to ship small to big packages both domestically and internationally.

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FedEx vs. USPS: Which is Best for Your eCommerce Business?

What kind of shipping you choose completely depends on what kind of business you run.

If you are looking for options to ship quickly, then FedEx is the best alternative. It has a superior tracking system and offers overnight delivery. FedEx allows shipping of items with maximum weight limits of 150 lbs. FedEx is ideal for shipping out larger packages to both international and domestic locations quickly and securely.

USPS is a cost-effective option for shipping smaller packages, which are of about 2 lbs or less. It is found to be more or less economical. The maximum weight limit allowed is 70 lbs. USPS is found to be the most affordable option for domestic and international shipping.

Beyond these basic differences, these shipping services have their own unique disadvantages and advantages. Let’s take a look at their basic features to get a better understanding.

FedEx Shipping Services

FedEx shipping services are known for their fast and reliable services, especially their overnight services. Here are some of the popular FedEx shipping options:

Ground Delivery: Business ground delivery offers delivery within 1-7 business days.
Home Delivery: Residential delivery by ground shipping offers delivery within 1-7 business days.
FedEx Same-Day: Same-day door-to-door delivery option offering delivery within hours, depending on availability. Operates 7 days a week, 365 days a year throughout the U.S.
FedEx 2-Day: Delivers within 2 business days to most areas of the U.S.
FedEx Express Saver: Delivery happens within 3 business days to most of the United States.
FedEx First Overnight: This is the most expeditious shipping option available. Delivers within the next business day at 8 a.m., 8:30 a.m., or 9 a.m. local time in most parts of the US.

USPS Shipping Services

USPS is ideal for shipping small packages most affordable as compared to FedEx. Here are some of the USPS services:

Priority Mail: Offers a flat rate on boxes weighing less than 70 lbs, and delivers within 1-3 business days.
First Class Mail: Designed for shipping small packages that weigh under 13 lbs and also envelopes. Offers one to three business day shipping.
Retail Ground: Economical shipping option for oversized packages that aren’t time-sensitive in terms of delivery.
Priority Mail Express: This is the USPS’ fastest delivery option, with overnight delivery seven days a week.
Media Mail: Special service for shipping media and education video and audio files. They enforce a 70 lbs weight limit for shipping. It delivers within two to eight business days of shipping.

Advantages and Disadvantages of FedEx

FedEx, like any other shipping option, has its distinct advantages and disadvantages. Here is a quick list of them.

Advantages:

Offers more insurance coverage for shipments.
Allows discounts of 6 to 20 percent.
Ship Manager tool is available for package tracking and management
In-person service is also available.
Allows shipping packages weighing up to 150 lbs.
Weekend deliveries are also possible.

Disadvantages:

Has fewer pickup and drop-off locations compared to USPS
Charges pickup fees for one-time shipment.
Pickups are largely service-based.
Restricted assortment of free packaging services, especially for express services.
Higher shipping rates.

Advantages and Disadvantages of USPS

USPS also has its share of advantages and disadvantages, let’s take a look at them.

Advantages:

Access to many locations across the US.
Offers free one-time or repeat pickups for businesses that run large volume shipping.
Offers an extensive selection of free Express Mail and Priority Mail packaging for businesses to choose from, to save money on the cost of shipping supply.
They also offered free package tracking for all services.
Improved insurance coverage for Express and Priority Mail shipments.
All-in-one pickup option for different mail services
Easy-to-print postage and shipping labels at home itself.
In-person service is also available.
Delivers to mailboxes and P.O. boxes.
Offers last-mile delivery option for other shipping carriers.

Disadvantages:

Less efficient tracking and responsive customer service compared to FedEx service.
Can only ship items that weigh 70 lbs or lesser.
More expensive if you’re sending out large quantities of packages individually.

Which is Faster: FedEx or USPS

When it comes to speed, FedEx is popular for its quick delivery options like overnight delivery, same-day delivery, etc. with an excellent tracking service. But again, USPS Priority Mail offers faster delivery than the FedEx Home delivery option. When compared, USPS Priority delivers packages in 1.79 days on average compared to 2.21 days for FedEx to ship parcels, particularly on a Monday using the regular shipping services.

So when you consider shipping to other regions apart from the US then, FedEx is ideal as they offer instant shipping solutions. Whereas, when it comes to domestic and affordable shipping USPS is ideal.

FedEx Ground vs. USPS Priority

Confused about which to choose from FedEx Ground and USPS Priority? No need to worry. Let’s get a brief idea about both these shipping options.

Shipping with FedEx Ground

FedEx Ground is a low-cost shipping service offering delivery to businesses at a fast pace to various locations. When you opt for FedEx Ground, shipments typically travel by truck on road. Here are some features of using FedEx Ground.

Shipping/Transit Time: Delivery within the US locations takes 1-5 business days. Shipping to and from Alaska and Hawaii requires a minimum of 3-7 business days.
Weight Limit: Can ship packages weighing up to 150 pounds.
Delivery Area: FedEx Ground offers delivery throughout all 50 states to all US business addresses.

Shipping with USPS Priority

USPS Priority Mail service that offers fast delivery time and free package pickup at your home or office. Here are some features of using USPS Priority for shipping.

Shipping/Transit Time: Delivery within the US takes 1-3 business days.
Weight Limit: Packages up to 70 pounds can be shipped.
Delivery Area: USPS Priority Mail allows you to ship to all 50 states.

FedEx Vs. USPS: which is cheaper?

If you are considering shipping packages weighing less than 2lbs then USPS is cheaper than FedEx. When you are shipping anything that is weighing more than 2 lbs, then FedEx is better. However, if your item can fit into the flat-rate boxes that have small, medium, or large sizes, then USPS is cheaper than FedEx.

Here is an estimated price for shipping a 2-pound package from New York to Los Angeles.

Courier	Service	Delivery Time Frame	Starting Cost
USPS	Priority Mail 2-Day	2 business days	$15.20
USPS	Priority Mail 2-Day Small Flat Rate Box	2 business days	$8.45
USPS	Priority Mail Express 1-Day	1 business day	$53.20
FedEx	FedEx Ground	1-5 business days	$14.39
FedEx	FedEx Express Saver	3 business days	$34.86
FedEx	FedEx 2-Day	2 business days	$43.28

As you can see, USPS offers the cheapest shipping options for shipping.

FedEx Vs. USPS: An Overall Comparison

Here is a table that gives you a complete idea about the features of both these shipping carriers, to help you choose the one that fits your needs.

Features	FedEx	USPS
Pricing	Competitive on larger parcels	Best overall value
Service Options	Ground through same-day shipping option.	Ground through express
Pickup Options	For a fee	Free
Drop-off Options	FedEx locations and retail centers	USPS locations and retail centers
Free Tracking	Available	Available
Up to $100 Free Insurance	Available	Available
Commercial Discounts	Available	Available
Label Printing Options	Available	Available
Customer Support Via Phone, Email, and In-person	Available	Available

FedEx vs. USPS: Choose the Best Shipping Carrier

Overall if you see, both these services FedEx and USPS have several features that make them ideal for your business. Both have several advantages and disadvantages, but again what you choose depends on your business scenario.

If you want to include the FedEx shipping options on your WooCommerce store, then you can make use of ELEX EasyPost (FedEx, UPS, Canada Post & USPS) Shipping & Label Printing Plugin for WooCommerce. The plugin helps you include the FedEx services into your WooCommerce store and also offers error-free tracking as well as label printing options right from your store. You can also avail of USPS shipping services from the same plugin. You can obtain the following shipping services on the checkout page from FedEx:

Apart from the ELEX EasyPost shipping plugin, you can obtain the USPS services on your WooCommerce store using these plugins as mentioned below:

Both these plugins are ideal for fetching the USPS shipping options on your WooCommerce store.

Don’t forget to check out these excellent shipping plugins that will incorporate shipping services on your WooCommerce store and ease your domestic and international shipping.

Further Reading:

Sreepriya

Content Writer Writing on Various ELEX WooCommerce Plugins.

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