Best Shipping Companies for Small Businesses

The USPS has been in the shipping business for a very long time. It's been around since 1775, and it's unlikely to disappear any time soon.

The USPS' shipping costs vary based on package size, delivery location, and delivery speed. For example, the retail rate for a Priority Mail small flat-rate box shipped domestically with delivery in one to three business days starts at $9.35. Businesses can also receive discounted pricing and loyalty credits. For example, companies using the online Click-N-Ship service from the USPS can earn spending-based shipping credits.

The USPS has free application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow small businesses to easily add shipping tools to their websites. You can even get some deliveries on Sundays and holidays in major U.S. markets for an additional fee.

Sendle ships small packages throughout the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can also ship internationally from the U.S. with Sendle to over 180 countries. The standard cost to ship a small package domestically starts at $3.95. There aren’t any contracts or subscription fees.

Although Sendle doesn’t offer an express shipping service, packages are usually delivered within one to five days with Sendle Preferred. Sendle makes it easy for even low volume e-commerce businesses to use its shipping, as it offers free integrations with Shopify, eBay, WooCommerce, and Etsy.

The retail cost of a large flat-rate box shipped domestically with UPS starts at $21.05 (price will vary depending on shipping speed). You’ll pay a retail price of $22.80 for a similar large flat-rate box from the USPS at the post office or online. Small businesses can get discounts of up to 50% for having a UPS account.

While not all of the UPS APIs can be used on customer-facing websites, UPS has other services tailored for small businesses. These services include dashboards to give you insight into your shipments' status and tools built explicitly for e-commerce businesses. 

DHL Express' service and rate guide provides detailed information about how much shipping costs when using its service. Costs vary widely based on your package’s size, whether it’s an import or export, the shipping speed, surcharges, and any optional services you choose. You’ll need to get a quote or use DHL’s rate guide to calculate your shipping costs. Pay attention to the details, including the terms of your shipping agreement, so you’re not hit with any surprises. 

DHL Express' shipping speed varies depending on the shipping details and how much you’re willing to pay. However, if speed is what you need, DHL Express has several plans to make delivery by the end of the next possible business day.

ShipBob is great for e-commerce businesses, particularly those needing logistical help. After obtaining a quote from ShipBob, you’ll pay a one-time implementation fee to sign up. You'll also pay fees for ShipBob to receive your inventory (e.g., $25 per person per hour for the first two hours), warehouse your inventory (e.g., $5 per bin a month), and ship each order (discounted carrier rates, with free packing after the first five orders). Shipping boxes are free.

With available two days shipping, orders placed before noon are shipped the same day. Orders made after noon will ship the next day. ShipBob has negotiated discounted bulk rates from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL for domestic and international shipping that might be less than you could get on your own. Moreover, ShipBob will give you a quote from all the major carriers for each order, making it easier to obtain the best shipping rate.

FedEx ships internationally and to all 50 U.S states, including home deliveries on Saturdays and Sundays. Domestic FedEx Ground delivery takes 1 to 5 days in the contiguous United States and 3 to 7 days to Alaska and Hawaii.

Shipping costs vary depending on delivery speed, which FedEx clearly displays on its website. You’ll need to get a quote to figure out precisely what it will cost you to ship your goods. When comparing quotes we generally found FedEx to be more expensive than the USPS. However, your packages could be delivered faster since FedEx makes home deliveries on Sunday.

Creating an account with EasyPost is free and its APIs can be set up and integrated in a day. You will, however, need to build an integration to access the API.

The base Developer package offered by EasyPost is free and allows you to check prices, review shipping speeds, create shipping labels, and track shipments for 120,000 packages a year. If you have a higher shipping volume, you’ll need to get a quote from EasyPost on its Enterprise package. However, the package volume included in the Developer package should be sufficient for most small businesses.