subject: What Are The Differences Between Smaller Courier Companies And Companies Like Fedex? [print this page] When you're in a city the size of Pittsburgh and you need to ship something somewhere, there are going to be two obvious choices that present themselves to you. There is going to be the option of using a giant international company like FedEx, or using your local Pittsburgh courier services instead. Which of these you select depends more on what your company requires than on either one of the companies being better than the other. They're not better or worse, just different.
To understand the differences between the two companies, you need to think about their areas of focus. Your local courier service is focused on providing excellent shipping in their service area, which might be the city, the metropolitan area, or maybe the state or a several state area. A courier like FedEx on the other hand, is focused on providing shipping to the entire world.
If you're only shipping within your local area, a smaller, local courier can often be the best option for you. They can often provide better rates on local shipping because they have less to maintain in their own business. They also can often provide you with faster delivery times due to their knowledge of the area. Finally, they will come to treat you as a valued customer in many cases, rather than simply one amongst million.
If you're shipping to the other side of the world though, there is a lot to be said about going with a company like FedEx right from the start. When you try and use a smaller courier to complete a shipping arrangement of that type, all that happens is that they end up subcontracting the delivery to the larger company instead. Never deal with two parties when you can deal with one is good advice in every area of business, and it certainly applies to shipping.
When you're deciding what type of courier to go with, you can base your decision quite easily off the scope of your own shipping operations. Some companies also like to have accounts with both types of companies. Then, when they need to make a small, local delivery, they can use the small, local courier service. When they need to ship something to Germany on short notice they can call up FedEx and be assured that the international courier can get the job done. Use the courier which is best suited to your own business, for they each have their strengths.
