Choose the right shipping carrier with Pitney Bowes

Shipping is all about the package. Different carriers deliver different advantages, and selecting the right carrier boils down to your shipping priorities. For example: where is your package going? How fast does it need to get there? What’s the size and weight of your package?

These are just a few of the variables that you want to account for. We suggest building a checklist of what’s most important for you and your packages, and then determining how different carriers measure up to your needs.

Let’s take a closer look:

Perhaps you should ask “What is the best shipping carrier for me?” By applying the factors listed above (i.e., Price, Discount options, Speed of delivery, Tracking visibility, Delivery options (home, locker, carrier store, Return options (drop box, home, carrier store), Shipping insurance, Geographic reach, etc.), you’ll likely arrive at the carrier (or carriers) that are best suited for your specific business needs.

Reliability is essential to shipping. Some objective measures include on-time delivery and customer service. One business management publication, The Balance SMB, recently evaluated shipping carriers to determine “The Best Shipping Companies for Small Business of 2022.” Factors included reputation, cost, speed, and customer service. Among Pitney Bowes partner carriers, USPS was named “Best Overall;” UPS was cited as “Best for Large Packages,” and FedEx took “Best for Quick Shipping.” Of course, your own experience is important. Which carrier has previously come through for you? You might just want to stick with what works for you. Employing a multi-carrier shipping strategy helps you find the right delivery options for all of your sending requirements.

One option is to negotiate rates by leveraging your shipping volumes with multiple shipping carriers to find the best deal available. But there is an easier way. By signing up for a multi-carrier shipping software solution, such as PitneyShip® or PitneyShip® Pro, you get immediate access to pre-negotiated discounts with no monthly minimum volume requirements, and you can compare rates between carriers on one central portal.

Global carriers take different steps to get packages across international borders and to their destination. The USPS, for example, is part of the collaborative Universal Postal Union. When the package arrives in another country, it’s handed off to that country’s postal service for delivery.

UPS and FedEx, on the other hand, operate their own international logistics networks to make deliveries in other countries. The in-house approach helps carriers move packages faster and track deliveries more closely, but also can be more expensive.

Multicarrier shipping enables businesses to easily select the best carrier for every shipment, whether best means fastest, cheapest or a combination of the two, rather than being locked into a single provider. This means lower shipping costs through real-time rate shopping, greater flexibility to pivot when a carrier experiences delays or service disruptions (especially during peak season), and a simplified process with one solution for labels, tracking, and reporting across all carriers. Ultimately, a multicarrier strategy helps businesses reduce risk, control costs, and scale their shipping operations as they grow.

Yes, you can. With Pitney Bowes shipping software, you can bring your own carrier contract rates or access our discounted rates with carriers such as USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

Yes, insurance is included up to $100 when shipping with USPS through Pitney Bowes software. This applies to Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express. UPS and FedEx have a declared value coverage up to $100 standard, but you must prove that UPS and FedEx were at fault.