Differences between courier and mail services
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What is the difference between courier and mail?
The main difference between courier and mail services is the ownership. Regular mail is delivered by government-managed postal services, while courier services are provided by private companies.
Both courier and postal services typically offer envelope and small parcel deliveries (usually up to 2 kg of weight).
For bigger parcels, postal services may not offer any solution or use their courier partner to provide the delivery service instead.
- Some of the main postal companies in Europe are, for example, La Poste, Deutsche Post, and Royal Mail.
- On the other hand, some of the most famous worldwide couriers are DHL, FedEx, and UPS.
COMPARISON
Courier vs mail: which service is better for me?
You should consider different factors when comparing courier and postal services to choose the best solution for your shipment. To help you with this task, we listed below the most important points you need to take into consideration, highlighting the ideal option between courier and mail service for each scenario.
Dimensions
- Sending envelopes and documents: postal services
- Sending small parcels: postal services are cheaper, couriers are faster
- Medium/big sized parcels: courier services
Shipping rates
- Postal services are usually cheaper for domestic and small shipments
- Courier services are usually more economical for international and bigger parcels
Volume of shipments
- Postage rates are lower than courier prices for occasional shipments
- Courier services are suggested for frequent shipments
Delivery time
- Postal services can offer fast deliveries of envelopes and small parcels on a domestic level
- Courier services usually offer faster deliveries than mail, with also express or overnight services
Payment and invoicing
- Post offices offer monthly billing solutions only for customers with special contracts
- The vast majority of couriers offer different billing options to their business customers, and even greater advantages for those with regular shipping needs
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SPEED OF DELIVERY
Differences between courier vs mail: which is faster?
Both couriers and mail services offer fast shipping solutions with similar transit times for domestic shipments. Priority Express services usually guarantee delivery on the next working day. Other standard solutions offer lower prices but longer delivery times.
Courier services normally have faster delivery times than postal services. For international shipments, couriers are faster than postal services since they will transport the shipment for the entire journey.
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PRICE
Comparing courier vs postal service: which is cheaper?
In general, regular post is cheaper than couriers for sending letters or even small packages of up to 2 kg. However, for sending slightly larger packages, couriers offer cheaper and faster solutions than post offices.
To find out which option is cheaper between mail and courier, you should ask for a quote to the national postal service and one (or more) couriers active in your country.
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PROS AND CONS
Differences between postal and courier services. Which is better?
Compare the differences between courier and mail services to help you decide which one is the best fit for your shipping needs:
| Feature | Courier | Postal service | Eurosender |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express solution | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Heavy parcels delivery | Depends on the company | X | ✓ |
| Door-to-door delivery | For some services | For some services | ✓ |
| Free address changes | X | X | ✓ |
| Instant online quotes | Depends on the company | Depends on the company | ✓ |
| Real-time tracking | ✓ | For some services | ✓ |
| Freight solutions | Depends on the company | X | ✓ |
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FINAL RECAP
Courier vs mail services: Comparison summary
To determine whether a courier or mail service would be better for your shipping needs, you should identify the types of services you require.
- Companies that ship internationally mostly prefer courier companies over mail. When compared to postal services, courier companies offer useful advantages such as real-time tracking systems, expedited worldwide deliveries, and global brand recognition in the logistics industry.
- On the other hand, businesses that send small packages and envelopes domestically usually prefer to collaborate with their local postal services. In this way, they can benefit from lower prices for express domestic shipments and other postal services that are more tailored to local needs. Additionally, post offices are more physically accessible because they have many branches nationwide.
But why choose one single company if you can use multiple providers based on the price/quality they offer for each route? At Eurosender, we work with a vast network of global couriers, and we make sure to match you with the best fit for each shipping request.
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