Understanding the difference: Courier vs. Post

 With more than 400 significant couriers operating around the world, understanding which ones to use for your eCommerce business or personal needs can be overwhelming. However, if you become aware of the different types of couriers that are available and the services that they offer, it will be much easier to determine which shipping services best suit your needs.

In the courier industry, there is a need for flexibility and variety when it comes to courier services, and that is why a service provider would have to offer more than one form of service. With so many private courier services entering the eCommerce market starting in Southeast Asia or offering express courier services to Asia and national service providers, online merchants are being spoiled for choice.

Selecting the right service can also give you an edge over the competition by enjoying efficient delivery speeds for your customers while keeping shipping costs down.

But what separates Courier service providers from postal service providers?

What is a courier service, and why should you use it?

A courier service is a business, usually, a private company that facilitates the shipping of packages and sensitive documents. Courier companies may either specialize in a specific form of shipping within those destinations (for example, local shipping on the same day or national shipping) or provide a variety of shipping services with destinations around the world.

Courier Service Types include:

Time-sensitive shipping: There are delivery services aimed at distributing goods worldwide within fixed timescales (such as 1-3 business days) and within specific hours of the day (such as 8-10 AM).Examples of courier companies with these goals are DHL Shipping and FedEx USA Courier services.

Regional shipping: Some courier services focus on delivering parcels and important papers within the boundaries of a major urban town on a speedy, same-day basis. Breakaway Courier in New York City is one such example.

Global shipping: Courier services can also be found with overseas networks to help you transport your goods to foreign destinations. They can also provide services such as regular monitoring or tax and duty processing at an extra cost to ensure that your shipment is delivered safely and can pass through customs without any problems. In this example, China EMS, DTDC, and Aramex are the couriers that fit.

Because these are privately controlled, courier services have the benefit of being faster than postal services. Courier companies with end-to-end strategies benefit from the implementation of international logistics infrastructures to provide more reliable delivery.

What is a postal service, and why should you use it?

A postal service is a delivery company that is operated normally by national governments. Postal services can be used to distribute the parcels and essential documents, but many organizations tend to use them to send regular, non-urgent messages to business partners and clients.

U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Hong Kong Post, SingPost, Australia Post, and China Post are some examples of postal services.

Sending parcels via postal service providers by regular mail would not have extensive tracking of the packages. They also typically reach customers at a slower pace, and to arrive at the address, you will be given an estimated delivery date rather than a hard deadline for the parcel. 

In the sense of international shipping, the postal service monitors only the package within the country before it crosses the borders of the country. National postal service for the country of origin will send it off to the national postal service for the country of destination.

How does a courier service differ from a postal service?

The key distinctions between postal and courier services can be broken down into the following parts:

Pricing

If it comes to cost, the postal service providers have a significant advantage over courier service providers. National postal services offer each other heavily discounted rates on foreign mail, thanks to the Universal Postal Union Treaty, and they include all ASEAN member states. That makes postal service a cheaper choice for overseas shipping.

Like the old saying, “you get what you pay for,” you may run into difficulties like lost packages and a slow delivery schedule, which will drive away customers and affect your brand.

By comparison, courier services have a premium price for end-to-end functionality by international shipping. They may have surcharges in unusual cases that require you to be prepared to cover the costs. The distribution to rural areas, for example, would cost more because of their inaccessibility.

Delivery Time

Packages sent through postal services are given only an approximate period when your customer may expect to receive the package. This implies that time-sensitive packages may not be able to arrive on time for their special day at the doorstep of your customer, putting a damper on the consumer’s mood and thus impacting your brand identity.

On the other hand, courier services can give customers the option to specify the timing they would like to receive the package. You can instead, as a seller, check with the service to make sure everyone has already signed and received the order.

Tracking

Another aspect of courier services is their ability to provide real-time monitoring and how they vary from postal services. This is not to suggest that postal companies do not offer tracking apps, but they appear to be more basic, such as the shipment location and the day it will arrive.

However, courier companies offer you real-time monitoring, so you know exactly where your packages are. What makes courier services more interesting is that you can also ask for updates by contacting the courier company you are dealing with. A dedicated customer support department handles all of your deliveries proactively. You will now think less about shipments and then concentrate on key business activities.

With dedicated customer support staff on the other end of the line, you’re far more likely to get accurate notifications on your shipments.

It is crucial that you still have excellent visibility when shipping goods internationally to know where the products you are sending are at. The best way to do so is by international monitoring, but this again varies between postal and courier services.

When you choose a postal service, it’s important to note that they only provide the most basic monitoring when posting internationally (such as departure and arrival). The only way you can get this added functionality is by selecting a mail service that explicitly provides monitoring.

The courier services, on the other hand, also provide international monitoring. Of course, some are better than others depending on the service you select, but you can be sure you’re using some or the other international tracking method.

Customer Service

It goes without saying that the service quality of private couriers, particularly end-to-end ones, will be better than postal services.   An in-house customer service staff will be more aware of what is happening on the ground. In contrast, consumer postal service teams may be outsourced and would not have on-the-ground details to respond to individual customer inquiries.

Network Growth

Network coverage may also help or hurt the standard of service. In some instances, even if private courier services don’t have an established local network, postal services can deliver efficiently in hard to reach rural areas.

And when it comes to dealing with cross-border delivery, courier companies have an advantage over postal services. Private couriers may have their fleets or advantageous connections with air freight companies to cover international shipping from one country to another, making it cheaper than postal services that rely on national carriers to carry packages to countries of destination.

Lost / Damaged Goods cases

Ordinary postal services typically do not offer reimbursement for items that have been lost or damaged. For paid add-ons, however, missing or damaged packages have a claimable sum that is capped. Therefore, if you ship an expensive piece of equipment like a smartphone, the add-ons may not be worth it. In the case of SingPost, their claims for SpeedPost priority are up to $150.

At every step of the way, end-to-end courier services are kept responsible for the delivery. They typically have a claims department to manage cases that range from missing or defective goods to late delivery. Such firms allow merchants to provide a few documents to facilitate the claims process, such as a proof of payment, photographic documentation from your customers, and shipping materials such as the waybill.

Fewer limits on the size

What sets apart courier services from standard postal services is that when it comes to the delivery of items, they have less weight and size constraints.

It’s normal to see the size, weight, and product constraints when using a postal service that can stop you from actually delivering items to their destination. It is something that substantially tips the balance in favor of courier services as opposed to postal alternatives because you can quickly ship items with fewer constraints.

Efficient packaging

Although the packaging may seem like a minor problem, when it comes to courier services, there is still a significant difference between packaging and what makes them different from postal services. The type of service you select, you must ensure that your products are packaged correctly and that they meet the necessary requirements.

It is in the interest of both you and the courier to ensure that your items are properly packed. This ensures that the shipments arrive safely at the destination.

In comparison, they may provide incomparable advice through a delivery service through their customer support teams who are on hand to provide expert advice. It can include providing them with helpful information to ensure the shipments are delivered safely and securely.

Couriers such as DHL USA or FedEx USA can arrange, on request, for your goods to be professionally packed before departure, making sure that any fragile goods arrive in perfect condition at their destination.

Standard postal service will also refuse to dispatch any of your goods that appear to be unpacked inappropriately. That’s where a successful delivery company can make a vital difference because they can offer a beneficial add-on company that others can not.

Taxes and Duties 

When shipping goods overseas, problems will occur concerning duties and taxes, and whether or not these apply to your package. When delivering items by postal services, the recipient is likely to be charged for any duties or taxes and payments that must be made before a shipment is handed over to the recipient that may prove disruptive.

They prefer to sell something called ‘deliver duty paid (DDP),’ depending on the courier service you want. This makes the delivery process much smoother. This sees the shipper telling a courier service that they will pay the duties so that the receiver will not need to, which will be able to minimize delays when waiting for the recipient’s payment at the destination.

By comparison, postal services will still charge your recipients any duties and taxes that may be due, no matter what.

Speed and Effectiveness

We’re not suggesting, to preface this argument, that postal services are sluggish and by any means inefficient. It’s also a safe idea when you consider the quantities of parcels and letters they manage and how they process all of the mail.

Nevertheless, the speed and reliability of which they typically distribute shipments are a significant feature of the courier services. So, if your business revolves around shipping globally and time is limited, then the more practical option may be a courier service.

A distinction between the two services, for example, is that courier companies prefer to offer next day specialist delivery. Not only that, but courier companies may also provide more precise delivery times the next day and are typically much more accurate than postal alternatives that do not offer a premium international delivery service.

You may typically note that, as opposed to a fixed period, postal services tend to approximate delivery by a specified date. While that’s appropriate, and there’s nothing wrong with it, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to work for your company. However, the courier services will have an approximate time slot, which is much more convenient in most situations.

For certain situations, couriers might also be able to offer same-day delivery service to a time-critical business.

When shipping a package, choose a service that best suits your needs and gets the job done!