FedEx, UPS, and USPS — What’s the Cheapest Way to Ship Packages?

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Do you ever find yourself paying way more for shipping than you should? If you run a small business, or just frequently ship packages, there’s a good chance you want to make sure you’re saving money on shipping prices.

Whether you use UPS, USPS, or FedEx, there are ways to save money each time you ship packages. Read on to learn about the cheapest ways to ship your packages.

Media Mail

Media mail is the absolute cheapest way to send packages and can be used if your mail consists of any sort of media (books, CDs, DVDs, etc).

In fact, the same two-pound box used for the examples above would cost just $3.33 if it was shipped using media mail. While it may take a little bit longer to be delivered, this is the way to go if you’re not in any rush.

FedEx Shipping

As to be expected, there are varying factors that come into play when figuring out how much shipping is going to cost at FedEx.

If you’re curious to see how much your package is going to cost, FedEx does have a shipping estimator on their website. It’ll give you a rough estimate as to how much you’ll probably end up spending on shipping.

There are three different options for overnight delivery — first overnight, priority overnight, and standard overnight. They also have two-day shipping and three-day shipping, which is of course cheaper.

According to WellKeptWallet, Here’s how much shipping would roughly cost if you were sending a two-pound box:

  • First overnight: $108.46
  • Priority: $77.22
  • Standard: $72.44
  • Two-day AM: $37.68
  • Two-day: $32.89
  • Three-day: $24.18

UPS Shipping

UPS also has a shipping estimator on their website. They also have three Next-Day options, as well as one Second Day option. Here’s how much shipping would roughly cost if you were sending that same two-pound box:

  • Next-Day AM: $108.74
  • Next-Day: $78.50
  • Next-Day Saver: $73.58
  • Second Day: $35.83

UPS doesn’t have a three-day shipping option or a ground mail option anymore. As you can tell, it’s a bit cheaper to ship a package using UPS over FedEx, especially if you want the package there in two days. 

United States Postal Service Shipping

Last but not least is the United States Postal Service, which is a lot cheaper than FedEx and UPS.

Here’s a shipping break down using the same two-pound box:

  • Priority Mail 1-Day: $46.20
  • Priority 1-Day AM: $51.20
  • Priority 2-Day Large Box: $21.10
  • Priority 2-Day Medium Box: $15.05
  • Priority 2-Day Small Box: $8.30
  • Ground Shipping: $11.60

If you have a choice between shipping options, definitely go with the USPS.