Whether you’re shipping domestically or internationally, the United States Postal Service offers some of the most affordable shipping solutions for e-commerce sellers. Two of these shipping programs are priority mail and priority mail express. These services are similar in essence but have a few different advantages.
Let’s look at priority mail and priority mail express shipping to determine which one’s right for you.
The unique selling point of USPS is that it’s extremely economical. However, it’s not as reliable as some of the other shipping services out there. This can be an obstacle for business owners who need to ship their products with certainty. This is mostly a problem with Priority Mail.
Priority mail express, on the other hand, is faster and more dependable. If you’re shipping a product that needs to be delivered sooner than later, then priority mail express is the way to go. It’s rather expensive, but it pays off in its services.
Priority Mail
Priority mail is the standard shipping service provided by USPS. It’s a domestic air service that delivers your shipment within one to three days. Priority mail offers a wide range of packaging prices that start from just $7. While it’s certainly cheaper than priority mail express, it does not guarantee anything.
When there’s no delivery guarantee, it means that your shipment may not reach the recipient within three days. There’s no provision for delayed packages; all you can do is wait for your customers to receive the mail. Priority mail is not a reliable option, but it’s great if you want to save up on shipping costs.
Priority Mail Express
Priority mail express is an excellent option for those merchants who want their packages to be delivered as soon as possible. It’s the fastest shipping solution provided by USPS, and it delivers your products within one to two days. You can opt for overnight delivery on weekends and holidays for a small charge.
Priority mail express is different from priority mail because it guarantees delivery and provides certain lead times. You can track your shipment, and if it doesn’t get delivered within the stipulated time, then you can apply for a refund.
This service by USPS is more expensive than priority mail. Remember that packaging options are limited when you’re sending shipments through priority mail express. It costs up to $22 for small boxes and envelopes. Priority mail express is best used when you want your shipment to reach an address within 1-2 days without fail.
Differences Between Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express
Insurance and Pricing
Both priority mail and priority mail express offer insurance coverage up to $100 for domestic shipments and $200 for international shipments. If you want to make sure that the product shipments are insured, you can add an option for securing an insurance package on the checkout page. This will give your customers a sense of security.
As mentioned above, Priority mail express is more expensive than priority mail. Please note that if you’re using mail express to send a shipment to a nearby area, the cost will be relatively less than in areas that are far. However, with priority mail, you can avail of fixed rates regardless of where you’re shipping.
Let’s say you’re shipping a package to Alaska. If it’s a small package, then the cost of shipping with priority mail express would be approximately $73. To local areas, it would be $27.15. If you’re shipping the same package with priority mail, local deliveries will cost $8. In case of farther areas, priority mail would cost up to $27.
Tracking and Overnight Delivery
Both priority mail and priority mail express offer a free package tracking feature. You can use this feature to track the time, delivery date, signatures, etc. If you miss an attempted delivery, you will get an update.
Priority mail express offers the option for overnight delivery for an added fee. Unfortunately, overnight delivery is not available with priority mail.
In a nutshell, priority mail express is more reliable than priority mail. This is because it offers guaranteed delivery within 2 days. Furthermore, if your package isn’t delivered on time, you can apply for a refund. If you want to ensure that your shipment gets delivered within a certain amount of time, then it would be better to stick with priority mail express.
