UPS vs USPS 2023 – A detailed Comparison

Here we are taking a look at UPS vs USPS services to understand which is better. Let us see which of these services offer better prices and services.

Introduction

UPS and USPS are internationally acclaimed services that are prominent in their shipping services in both domestic and international shipping. They both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but they are equally popular. Most of the services offered by UPS and USPS are affordable [ Compare the Shipping Cost & Estimated Delivery Date from Leading Shipping Carriers ] and are widely chosen by customers to ship their products across locations.

Which courier is best for your eCommerce store?

Ultimately when you make choices for your shipping, you need to ensure that your choices suit the customers’ needs. Most importantly, budget is the major factor that needs to be considered when you are choosing your shipping carrier. You need to work around the factors that might reduce your shipping costs and also ensure that the packages are delivered safely to the customers.

Now let us compare some of the major differences that will help you decide which one among these UPS Vs USPS is an ideal choice.

What is the difference between UPS and USPS?

Generally, if you look for the basic differences, USPS is majorly into shipping smaller to medium packages in a cost-effective manner, whereas UPS is into shipping large items globally.

USPS is the United States Postal Service is an independent agency that is explicitly authorized to provide postal services across US locations. UPS  offers freight shipping to various locations worldwide.

When you want to ship any item weighing less than 2 pounds, you might find USPS is cheaper than UPS. But when you are shipping anything less than 2 pounds or just close to 2 pounds, you might get better rates with UPS. USPS is better off with shipping items weighing less than 13oz.

Both the carriers are improvising their solutions to serve their customers in a better way. USPS offers delivery to remote locations at any time of the day, which is also being used by UPS and even FedEx in their services to serve their last-mile customers. Whenever you are choosing the services, you can choose them with respect to the dimensions and the weight of the package, which will again help you determine the cost-effective ones.

UPS Ground Vs USPS Priority

UPS Ground and USPS Priority are two popular services offered by UPS and USPS respectively. Let’s take a quick look at both the services :

• Both services offer better tracking options. When it comes to shipping, UPS has being prominent in shipment tracking methods from first which makes, UPS Ground a popular choice among the eCommerce store owners.
• UPS ground takes 1 to 5 days to deliver usually, whereas USPS is found to be faster at delivery.
• When you consider shipping rates, UPS Ground is of higher cost, as compared to USPS Priority, especially when you consider shipping less than 2lbs or less than that. In the case of USPS Priority, it also offers flat rate boxes that allow shipping of multiple items.

UPS Vs USPS Shipping Costs

UPS is more often costlier when it comes to shipping cost especially when it comes to shipping smaller items which weighs less than 2lbs. And UPS is much more preferred when it comes to shipping large items internationally. For example, to ship around 5 lbs of the item, via USPS the estimated cost and the estimated delivery date will be  the following :

Whereas when you shipping the same items via UPS, the cost and the estimated delivery time will be :

If you want to display the estimated delivery date and the cost of the packages on your cart and checkout pages, you can make use of the ELEX EasyPost shipping plugin, which will help you compare the prices of both the shipping carrier in one go.

UPS Services

UPS offers plenty of services that are economical and the best ones to ship the products. Here are some of the popular services to look for:

UPS Ground: Basic and the most economical option in UPS. Though good for economical delivery options, not good for time-sensitive options. The delivery time ranges from 1 to 5 days.

UPS Express Critical: This the fastest option to ship and the services is 24/7 available. To facilitate quick shipping, the estimated delivery option is determined by checking on all possible shipping methods to determine the best out of all. The only drawback is that the shipping is quite an expensive one.

UPS Next Day Air: This will let you deliver the package the very next business day. You have early and saver options to choose from, wherein early lets you get your delivery by afternoon and the saver option will deliver by 4 pm local time.

UPS 2nd Day and UPS 3rd Day Select: This option lets you get your shipment within the 2nd or the 3rd business day as per the choices made. It is suitable when there is no urgency in terms of the package. 

Pros and Cons of UPS

Like any other shipping carriers, UPS also has its own share of advantages and disadvantages.Lets take a quick look at them :

Pros of UPS 

• Reliable and excellent tracking options.
• Quick and safe delivery options.
• Next day and same-day delivery options available.
• Affordable packaging option when you have packages weighing more than 2lbs.
• Voluminous discounts when you are shipping with UPS regularly.
• Guaranteed shipping
• Saturday delivery is possible

Cons of UPS

• Shipping costs are higher especially when you want to ship goods that weigh less than 2lbs.
• No free pickup is available.
• Weekend delivery with extra charge.

USPS Services

USPS is one among the preferred services for delivery all along the year. Here are some of the popular services offered by them.

Priority Mail Express: The service is available seven days a week. It is the fastest option available for deliveries.

Priority Mail: This offers a flat rate for any package below 70lbs and delivers within 1 to 3 business days.

Retail Ground: This delivery option is mainly for heavier items, which are not time sensitive and is very much economical.

First-class Mail: This is particularly designed for small packages weighing less than 13lbs and for single envelopes. Mostly the delivery happens within 1-3 business days.

Media Mail: This is recommended for sending media related to education, which weighs within 70lbs.The delivery is likely between 2-8 business days.

Pros and Cons of USPS

USPS is a preferred choice when it comes to shipping, because of the expanse it covers while delivering packages. Like UPS, it also has a few pros and cons to consider when it comes to making choices between UPS and USPS.

USPS Pros

• Ideal for packages weighing under 13lbs.
• Holds the reputation of delivering on time under stringent conditions.
• Cost-effective option with flat-rate boxes.
• There are many free packaging options available for sending packages.
• Also uses the delivery options like Postboxes and others, which are not available with other shipping services.

USPS Cons 

Not the best tracking options, as compared to UPS.

To Wrap Up,

If we consider UPS Vs USPS, both offer splendid services in terms of shipping. In order to make the choice, you need to consider the pros and cons and then make your choice by considering various factors which are explained above. You have to carefully consider every aspect before you make a choice for your eCommerce store. 

In order to integrate UPS and USPS on your WooCommerce store, you can easily make use of the ELEX EasyPost (FedEx, UPS, Canada Post & USPS) Shipping & Label Printing Plugin for WooCommerce, which can easily provide you with both the shipping carriers in the single window, which will help your customers choose as per their need.  Here are some of the features that make EasyPost shipping plugin an ideal option for your WooCommerce store.

• Access domestic & international real-time rates from FedEx, UPS, Canada Post and USPS.
• Print shipping labels and track shipments from the order page.
• Generate Order Summary/Manifest for all the shipping carriers.
• Pack items into custom boxes using efficient packing algorithms.
• Configure USPS Flat Rate boxes easily for the store.
• Offer discounts or add a markup on shipping rates, with specific Price adjustments.
• Enable Insurance on your shipments.
• Specify a Commercial or Residential address type for shipping rates.
• Set fall back rate for EasyPost shipping methods.
• Generate bulk shipment and much more.