subject: The Difference Between Small Couriers And Companies Like Fedex [print this page] When a company starts looking into buying courier service for their company for the first time, the first option that they're going to have to make is whether or not to use the multinational shipping giants like Fed-Ex. Why? Well, it might be better for them to instead go with a small local courier company to fulfill their shipping needs. What most of these companies don't know though is exactly what separates a small Portland courier service from a company like FedEx. When you have to make a decision about what kinds of courier service to use, the first thing that you need to do is assess your own needs for shipping.
One of the best things to do before you start looking at courier companies is to first decide what you need in terms of your shipping needs. Do you have to ship every day, or only every week. Do you have to ship large items or small items? Do you ship only during normal business hours, or do you have to ship every hour of the day? Finally, do you have to only ship within your city, state, country, or do you service the entire world?
These questions are important because each of them ascribes to one of the things that separate the large courier companies from the small ones that are out there. If you're shipping every day, a smaller courier that is only getting established might have trouble trying to fit you into their schedule, especially if they have a small fleet. On the other hand, they might be able to offer you a cheap rate if you only need to ship weekly and can schedule your pickups around their existing schedule. The size of items able to be shipped by a courier will depend on the size of their fleet.
Smaller couriers tend to specialize, while a large company deals in all areas of shipping. If you ship during odd hours of the day, using a smaller courier company that specialized in 24 hour delivery might bring you much better rates. Finally, the location of most of your shipping orders must be considered. The smaller an area you ship to, the more you have to gain by using a local courier, such as better rates within the area, and more knowledgeable drivers. If you have to ship all over the world it can be more advantageous to use a shipping company that has that global network.
