What is the Difference Between a Postal and Courier Service?

If you are a cross-border e-commerce business running e-commerce business, partnering with the right shipping service is critical to your success. With hundreds of parcel delivery services out there, it can be a little overwhelming to choose one from the other options. In this article, you'll learn the difference between postal service and courier service, and discover which option is right for you.

What is the Postal Service?

Simply put, the postal service is a transportation company, usually controlled by a national government, that is used by both private entities and the public to transport letters and parcels. The postal service has been around for a long time and is reliable most of the time, and can be more affordable depending on the time and the parcel being sent.

Examples of postal services include SingPost, Hong Kong Post, Australia Post and China Post.

What is a Courier Service?

Many times people think that using the postal service is the only way to send and receive parcels, documents/letters and other mail, but this is not the case. Like the postal service, courier services help to transport letters and parcels domestically or internationally. The courier service is managed by a private company and usually advertises itself as faster, safer and arguably higher quality deliveries.

The Difference Between a Postal and Courier Service

Difference Between Postal and Courier Service

After understanding what courier and postal services are, it is crucial to know the difference between them.

1. Price

In general, postal services are cheaper than courier services. Postal services are cheaper as they usually have longer delivery times and they may also have limited tracking options. There can even be issues like delays and lost items, which can affect the relationship between you and your customers.

Courier services are slightly more expensive due to their speed, reliability and quality of service. Courier services may also charge extra for special deliveries and are a safer option for delicate or urgent shipments.

2. Delivery Time

The postal service tends to only provide estimated delivery dates, which are much less reliable. Also, the postal service may not prioritize emergencies, and you can pay extra for faster mail.

However, one of the great features of courier services is the speed and efficiency with which they deliver goods. They usually offer more accurate delivery dates and times, and offer next-day or named delivery.

3. Real-time Tracking

Both express and postal services offer tracking services. For international shipping, however, tracking is done by different postal services, so it is difficult to know the specific location of a parcel, which can lead to lost parcels. If you choose a postal service, be aware that they provide only the most basic tracking for international shipments. The only way to get this additional functionality is if you specifically choose a mail service that provides tracking.

The Courier service provides you with real-time tracking so you can know exactly where the goods are. This allows you to worry less about shipping and focus on your core business tasks.

4. Scope of Service

The Postal Service has no obligation or commitment to transport dangerous goods or dangerous goods. In fact, it is illegal to send certain items by regular mail. Also, when using the postal service you will often see size, weight and item restrictions that may prevent you from getting your goods to their destination.

So, special shipments that the postal service can't or won't fulfill may rely on courier services, which help fill gaps in logistics. Courier services have fewer restrictions on what to deliver, allowing for a wider range of services.

5. Customized Service

The Postal Service is generally a government agency, and they tend to provide a universal approach to service, but not necessarily for businesses that depend on regular international shipments. So this reflects the importance of customized services.

Not only does the courier service offer extremely fast delivery when you ask for it, it is also extremely reliable for sensitive legal documents and medical specimens and supplies. What's more, the customer service of the courier service is great, and you'll have a more personal experience.

Which service should I use?

Both courier and postal services have their advantages. Everything depends on your business needs.

If you're sending small parcels or inexpensive items and are flexible about delivery dates and times, the post office may be a better option.

However, if you are sending important documents or expensive parcels, or if you require your items to arrive by a specific date and time, then you should use a courier service

The eTower's Role in Logistics Services

eTower can help you create and manage delivery routes to achieve optimal pricing for parcel delivery. eTower also has functions to meet other parcel delivery needs, and can also improve customer satisfaction by providing real-time tracking to ensure that parcels reach every customer safely.