Discounted Shipping by USPS, FedEx and UPS

When it comes to international shipping from the United States, there are three most popular options: the United States Postal Service (USPS), FedEx, and United Parcel Service (UPS). They provide shipping services at different rates, and while there rates are, by and large, affordable, international shipping isn’t exactly cheap. Is there any way to get discounted shipping by the USPS, FedEx and UPS?

All of the three leading delivery companies in the United States have quite a long history of operation. For example, the USPS in its present form was established in 1971, but the country’s national postal service actually traces its roots to the late 18th century, when President George Washington signed the Post Service Act, establishing the Post Office Department. Today, the USPS has to compete against private package delivery services, but it is more than able to withstand competition due to affordable rates.

United Parcel Service (UPS), originally known as the American Messenger Company, was founded in 1907. It focused primarily on package delivery to retail stores. In 1922, it became one of the few companies in the USA to offer common carrier service, which placed it in direct competition with the USPS. Over the years, UPS has grown to become a multinational package delivery company and a provider of supply chain management solutions.

FedEx is the youngest of the thee delivery companies. It was founded as Federal Express in 1971 and commenced operations two years later. The company formally adopted the “FedEx” name in 1994. FedEx is known for its overnight courier service within the United States and time-definite international service. It has also implemented a unique feature that provides real-time updates on package location, helping to find lost packages.

Each of the carriers has its pros and cons. Some customers choose the USPS because it provides affordable universal service, others choose FedEx or UPS because they offer faster delivery. But whichever carrier you choose, you should be prepared that international shipping isn’t cheap, especially if you need your parcel delivered as fast as possible. Is there any way to get a shipping discount from these carriers?

Most delivery companies provide discounts based on shipping volumes. This works for large businesses, but small enterprises, as well as regular customers, usually don’t qualify for a discount. Luckily, some large enterprises that provide shipping related services, such as consolidation or shipping label generation, share discounts they receive from shipping carriers with their customers, providing discounted shipping in addition to their main service.

For example, PostageMaker enables its customers to generate shipping labels online. With our system, you can create USPS, FedEx and UPS labels for your parcels without having to make a trip to a delivery company location and stand in line there. PostageMaker helps save both time and money on international shipping.

Due to our partnership with the three major delivery service providers in the United States, we get a corporate discount and pass it on to our customers. As a result, our shipping rates are up to 25% lower than retail rates offered by the USPS, UPS and FedEx (the size of the discount depends on your preferred shipping carrier, type of service, parcel size and weight, destination country, and some other factors).

To get discounted shipping by the United States Postal Service, FedEx or UPS, you need to sign up for PostageMaker, add money to your personal account, and fill out a special form to create a shipping label. While filling out the form, you will be able to choose the carrier, and your shipping discount will be calculated automatically.