The 7 Best Shipping Companies for Small Business of 2021

Best Overall: United States Postal Service

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Why We Chose It: We chose the United States Postal Service as the best overall shipping company for small businesses because ships goods both domestically and internationally, offers discounts and loyalty credits to small businesses, and delivers goods within 2–9 days on average. Also, the USPS has free application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow small businesses to easily add shipping tools to their websites.

Founded in 1775, the United States Postal Service (USPS) was selected as our choice for best overall shipping company for small businesses because it delivers mail both internationally as well as domestically, packages arrive within 2–9 days, and you can even get some deliveries on Sundays and holidays in major U.S. markets (with an added fee).

As is standard for small business shipping companies, the USPS shipping costs vary based on package size, delivery location, and delivery speed. For example, the retail rate for a Priority Mail small flat rate box shipped domestically with delivery in 1–3 business days is $8.30. Businesses can also receive discounted pricing and loyalty credits. For example, companies using the online Click-N-Ship service from the USPS can earn spending-based shipping credits. 

Starting in January 2021, businesses using the Click-N-Ship service from the USPS can earn the following loyalty credits: 

• Base Loyalty Program: $40 credit per $500 spent (automatic enrollment)
• Silver Tier: $50 credit per $500 spent (enrollment with a spend of $10,000 or more on Priority Mail as well as Priority Mail Express shipping labels the prior calendar year)
• Gold Tier: Commercial Base Pricing (enrollment with a spend of $20,000 or more on Priority Mail as well as Priority Mail Express shipping labels the prior calendar year)

It’s also easy for businesses to use free USPS APIs to integrate shipping tools into business websites, which is a plus.

Best for Small Packages: Sendle

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Why We Chose It: Sendle is the small business shipping company best for small packages because it guarantees it will beat the price charged by major carriers to ship domestic packages up to 20 pounds. Plus, shipping is 100% carbon neutral.

Sendle is an Australia-based small business shipping company that has been in business since 2014 and offers shipping throughout the United States. We selected it as our choice for best for small packages because it ships small packages (up to 20 pounds) domestically throughout the U.S. including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and it comes with a guarantee that it will beat its competitors’ prices for packages up to 20 pounds. 

The standard cost to ship a small package is $8.29 (a penny less than the retail price charged by the USPS for a similar package). Sendle also offers volume-based discounts, with the cost going down to $7.56 for businesses shipping at least 200 packages a month. Plus, there aren’t any contracts or subscription fees.

Although Sendle doesn’t offer an express shipping service, most packages are delivered within 1–3 business days. Sendle makes it easy for even low-volume e-commerce businesses to use its shipping, as it offers free integrations with Shopify, eBay, and Etsy. Plus, free integrations to Amazon and WooCommerce are in the works (as of December 2020). 

Additionally, Sendle achieved certification as a B Corporation, which signifies Sendle’s commitment to serving the good of the world. In fact, shipping with Sendle is 100% carbon neutral.

Best for Large Packages: UPS

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Why We Chose It: We chose UPS as the small business shipping company best for large packages because it offers competitive rates (large flat rate boxes start at $17.50), plus the company has a great reputation and has tools designed specifically for small businesses.

UPS is a shipping company founded in 1907 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that delivers packages worldwide. We chose UPS as the small business shipping company best for large packages because it provides excellent shipping resources in addition to charging competitive rates. UPS can help you figure out how to prepare your goods for shipment and even provides step-by-step instructions on palletizing your shipments. 

The retail cost of a large flat rate box shipped domestically with UPS starts at $17.50 (varies depending on shipping speed). You’ll pay a retail price of $21.10 for a similar large flat-rate box from the USPS. Small businesses can get discounted pricing from UPS, with shipping incentives ranging from 20% to 50%, depending on the desired shipping speed and the small business’s average weekly shipping volume. 

UPS has many tools to help you figure out the cost of your shipments and the delivery speed. Domestic ground delivery with UPS takes about 1–5 days, with many options providing deliveries in three days or less. Plus, UPS also offers next day and even same-day delivery, in some instances. 

While not all of the UPS APIs can be used on customer-facing websites, UPS has other services tailored for small businesses. These services include dashboards to give you insight into your shipments and tools built explicitly for e-commerce businesses. 

Best for International Shipping: DHL Express

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Why We Chose It: We chose DHL Express as the small business shipping company best for international shipping because of its expertise in this area and the fact that it has a wide variety of resources specifically designed to help small businesses engage in global trade.

DHL was founded in 1969 and is a subsidiary of the Deutsche Post DHL Group, a leading logistics company headquartered in Germany. The company’s small business shipping solutions are provided by the DHL Express division. The DHL Express headquarters are located in Plantation, Florida. We chose it as the best for international shipping because that is its area of expertise. 

The company has excellent resources for companies new to global business including a primer about international trade that contains the basics about customs, importing, and exporting. DHL also provides a detailed international shipping guide that includes instructions about the things you need to do to ensure you have an excellent international shipping experience.

Its service and rate guide provides detailed information about how much shipping costs with DHL. Costs vary widely based on your package’s size, whether it’s an import or export, the shipping speed, surcharges, and any optional services you choose. You’ll need to get a quote or use DHL’s rate guide to calculate your shipping costs. Pay attention to the details, including the terms of your shipping agreement, so you’re not hit with any surprises. 

DHL’s shipping speed varies depending on the shipping details and how much you’re willing to pay. However, if speed is what you need, DHL Express has several plans to make the delivery by the end of the soonest possible business day.   

Best for e-Commerce Business: ShipBob

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Why We Chose It: We chose ShipBob as the small business shipping company that’s best for e-commerce because it offers a full suite of e-commerce logistics services. It will also take care of warehousing and inventory management. Plus, small businesses may pay less for shipping than if they would on their own since ShipBob has negotiated bulk discount rates with the four major carriers.

ShipBob is a third-party logistics (3PL) company founded in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago. We chose it as our best for e-commerce because the company provides a full suite of e-commerce logistics and shipping solutions to small businesses including shipping, warehousing, and inventory management. 

One of the things that made ShipBob stand-out from the competition was that its transparent pricing includes not only the cost of shipping but also the total cost you’ll pay to fulfill your customer’s orders, store your goods, and manage your inventory. 

You’ll pay a one-time implementation fee to sign up (you need to get a quote), plus fees for ShipBob to receive your inventory (e.g., $25 per person-hour for the first two hours), warehouse your inventory (e.g., $5 per bin a month), and ship each order (discounted carrier rates, with free picking after the first five orders). Plus, shipping boxes are free. This makes ShipBob great for e-commerce businesses, particularly those needing logistical help.

Orders placed before noon will be shipped the same day, with two-day delivery available. ShipBob has negotiated discounted bulk rates from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL for domestic and international shipping that might be less than you could get on your own. Plus, ShipBob will give you a quote from all the major carriers for each order, making it easier to find the best shipping rate.    

The e-commerce software offered by ShipBob is free, with integrations to many key e-commerce applications. This includes integrations to e-commerce platforms and marketplaces like Walmart, eBay, Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, and more. One drawback is that there isn’t a direct integration to Amazon.

Best for Quick Shipping: FedEx

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Why We Chose It: We chose FedEx as the small business shipping company best for quick shipping since it makes standard home deliveries every day of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays. This means packages could be delivered up to two days faster than other carriers.

FedEx is a shipping company founded in 1973 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. We chose FedEx as best for quick shipping because not only does it ship both internationally and to all 50 U.S states, including home deliveries on Saturdays and Sundays, but domestic FedEx Ground delivery takes 1–5 days in the contiguous United States and 3–7 days for Alaska and Hawaii. With every day delivery, packages might be delivered up to two days quicker than with other carriers. 

In addition to offering quick shipping, FedEx has a great small business resource center. FedEx offers shipping discounts, plus discounts on printing, money management tools, and other perks. Plus, FedEx holds a small business grant contest each year, with 12 awards totaling $250,000 issued in 2020. 

Shipping costs vary depending on delivery speed, which FedEx clearly displays on its website. Although you’ll need to get a quote to figure out precisely what it’ll cost you to ship your goods, we found the cheapest rate to ship a small box was $12.05 with 3-day delivery. Although this cost is slightly higher than the retail rate of $8.30 you would pay with USPS, your packages could be delivered quicker since FedEx makes home deliveries on both Saturday and Sunday.

Other value-added services small businesses receive from FedEx are tools to help them set up and grow their online businesses, streamline the fulfillment and shipping process, and provide customer support. 

Best Affordable Option: EasyPost

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Why We Chose It: We chose EasyPost as the small business shipping company offering the best affordable option because it’s a platform that allows you to compare the shipping costs and speeds of more than 100 carriers. EasyPost’s API is free to use for up to 50,000 shipments per year, making it easy for small businesses to find the most affordable shipping option.

EasyPost is a shipping technology company founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco. It’s our choice for most affordable because, with the EasyPost API, you can compare rates and shipping speeds across dozens of carriers. EasyPost supports integrations with over 100 carriers, making it easier for small businesses to find the most affordable shipping solution. Plus, there’s no cost for businesses shipping 50,000 or fewer packages a year. 

Rather than directly ship goods, EasyPost offers APIs to help small businesses simplify, automate, and control their shipping processes. The APIs developed by EasyPost allows businesses to compare rates and ship goods across dozens of carriers using a single integration, track shipments in real-time, verify addresses, and protect packages with insurance. 

There is no cost to create an account with EasyPost, and the APIs can be set up and integrated as soon as a day. 

The base Developer package offered by EasyPost is free and allows you to check prices, review shipping speeds, create shipping labels, and track shipments for 50,000 packages a year. If you have a higher shipping volume, you’ll need to get a quote from EasyPost on its Enterprise package. However, the package volume included in the Developer package should be good for most small businesses.