What is Postal Shipping?
Postal shipping is a shipping company that’s normally operated by national governments. Postal services can be used for the delivery of your parcels and important documents, but many businesses prefer to use them to send non-urgent, routine communications to business partners and customers.
Examples of postal services include United States Postal Service (USPS), Royal Mail, epacket, Australia Post.
The difference between Postal shipping and Express shipping
Postal shipping is cheaper than express shipping, but postal services do provide affordable shipping rates, you run the risk of getting what you pay for longer delivery times, infrequent tracking, and lack of customer service.
Postal service for each countries
United States Postal Service (USPS) (near me)
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent branch of the federal government responsible for providing Postal Service in the United States. The USPS handles the mailing of letters and packages, sorting and delivering mail, and selling postal products like stamps, mailing supplies, and commemoratives.
Shipping options
The USPS offers a range of services covering domestic mail, international mail, and more. Here’s a quick summary of the services available with the USPS:
The advantages of using USPS
※It’s The Cheapest Option For Small Packages
No extra fuel surcharges or extended delivery fees to worry about; USPS also offers free packaging
※Free Saturday delivery
There are no fees associated with receiving a package on Saturday.
※Delivers to remote areas
The USPS delivery system is complex and extensive.
Postal distribution center
The Postal Service’s transportation network consists of surface and air transportation to transport mail and equipment among 285 processing facilities and about 35,000 post offices, stations, and branches. In FY 2018, the Postal Service transported 146.4 billion mailpieces throughout the country at a cost of $8.5 billion, which includes in-house and contract transportation.
Royal Mail (near me)
Royal Mail plc is the primary postal service in the United Kingdom. It provides postal delivery services to all 64 million inhabitants of the British Isles. They have a rich history, is credited with being the first to develop and put into practice the postage stamp.
Shipping options
| Services | Weight | Worldwide delivery times |
| International Tracked & Signed | Max 2kg | Delivery aim From 5-7 days |
| International Tracked | Max 2kg | Delivery aim From 5-7 days |
| International Signed Tracking | Max 2kg | Delivery aim From 5-7 days |
| International Standard | Max 2kg | Delivery aim From 6-7 days |
| International Economy | Max 2kg | Delivery aim From 2 weeks |
The advantages of using Royal Mail
※Easy access to various domestic and international services
※Postage billed by Royal Mail at negotiated rates
※Automatic creation of end of day manifests
※Generation of return labels, including ShipStation’s Branded Returns Portal
※Ability to create and print labels on smartphones (iOS, Android app)
※Free domestic package return support
Postal distribution center
Royal Mail operates a network of 37 mail centers (as of 2019). Each mail center serves a large geographically defined area of the UK and together they form the backbone network of the mail distribution operation. Mail is collected and brought to one of the mail centers. Mail is exchanged between the mail centers and then forwarded to one of 1,356 delivery offices, from where the final delivery is made or a P739 card is left.
Australia Post (near me)
Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation, is a government business enterprise that provides postal services in Australia. As a Government Business Enterprise (GBE) that operates under the Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989 (APC Act), Australia Post is a completely self-funded business with both commercial and community service obligations.
Shipping options
| International Courier | 20kg parcels 500g letters | Urgent parcels, letters, and documents |
| International Express | 20kg parcels 500g letters and documents | Urgent parcels, letters, and documents |
| International Standard | 20kg parcels | Trackable, non-urgent parcels |
| International Economy | 2kg parcels 500g letters | Non-urgent letters and documents, and non-urgent, low-value parcels up to 2kg |
The advantages of using Australia Post
※Higher throughput
※Improved first-time delivery
※Reduced cost
※Predictability
Postal distribution center
With 4,330 post offices, Australia Post has the nation’s most extensive retail footprint – and 2,520 of these offices are in regional Australia.
The network includes 15,036 street posting boxes, 5,412 motorbikes, 4,691 delivery vans, trucks, cars, and utes, 1,235 electric delivery vehicles, 2,529 electric bikes, up to 17 airlines freighters chartered each day, 481 facilities, and 33,039 parcel lockers.
Over 2.8 billion items were processed in 2019/20, and deliver to 12.3 million delivery points across Australia. Australia Post delivers to 212 countries, territories, and regions.
Canada Post (near me)
Canada Post Corporation, trading as Canada Post, is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. It is a premium shipping method that let you get shipping rates from Canada Post’s latest Ratings API which handles both domestic and international parcels.
Shipping options
| Services | Projected arrival date (business days) | Delivery Time |
| Priority Worldwide | 10:30 a.m. next day | Delivery aim From 2-3 days |
| Xpresspost – International | / | Delivery aim From4-7 days |
| International Parcel – Air or Surface | / | Delivery aim From 12+days |
| Tracked Packet – International | / | Delivery aim From 6-10 days |
| Small Packet International | / | Delivery aim From 6-10 days |
Postal distribution center
Canada Post’s network, the largest in Canada, The network has 21 mail processing plants with sophisticated automated sorting machines and conveyors crossing acres of space. It has 477 delivery depots from which delivery agents fan out in waves to serve their communities. It has drivers and delivery agents behind the wheels of more than 13,000 corporate vehicles.
ePacket (near me)
ePacket delivery is one of the most popular shipping methods offered by merchants from China and Hong Kong. It was developed in 2011, to make eCommerce deliveries to the rest of the world much faster and more affordable. As of April 2020, 44 countries support ePacket deliveries.
The advantages of using ePacket
※Faster:
ePacket delivery gives you much faster delivery times.
※Cheaper:
ePacket has lower shipping rates so you can price your products more competitively.
※Door-to-door China ePacket tracking:
ePacket delivery provides customers the option of end-to-end tracking without additional costs.
※Free returns on any undeliverable items:
Another benefit to customers is the sense of security from knowing that any undeliverable item is returned, without any additional expense.
※Payment of postal customs:
Any customs, duties, and/or taxes must be paid by the recipient of the shipment.
Postal districbution center
As of April 2020, 44 countries support ePacket deliveries:
You can track you shipments in
USPS, Royal Mail, Australia Post, Canada Post, ePacket
Or
| Postal Shipping | Provide door to door service | Delivery Time(depends on different services) |
| USPS | yes | Delivery aim From 2-10 days |
| Royal Mail | yes | Delivery aim From 5-14 days |
| Australia Post | yes | Delivery aim From 2-14 days |
| Canada Post | yes | Delivery aim From 2-12 days |
| ePacket | yes | Delivery aim From 2 weeks |
Postal couriers usually offer poor services and reliability than express, except they also come at a lower cost. It would help if you considered the value of the products that you are selling and your customers’ expectations regarding delivery time.
When you choose postal shipping, they will deliver your package to the customs office in the foreign country’s destination. From there (assuming everything is in order) the local postal service will deliver the package. The local post office’s takeover will influence your ability to track the package and confirm its delivery to its final destination.
Happy shipping! If you have any questions about Postal shipping, feel free to let us know.
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