What is the Difference Between a Postal and Courier Service?

You might automatically turn to the Post Office when you need to ship an item, but is that always your best option? Couriers offer premium shipping services that may be of greater advantage to you, your business and your clients. In this article, you’ll learn the difference between a postal and courier service and discover which option is right for you.

What is a courier service?

A courier service is managed by a privately owned company that facilitates the shipping of parcels and documents either domestically or internationally. Many couriers offer a collection service, or you can drop your parcel off to the courier at a nearby location.

What is a postal service?

A postal service also facilitates the shipping of parcels and documents either domestically or internationally, but the main difference is that a postal service is owned and operated by a nation’s government.

What are the differences between postal and courier services?

The key differences between postal and courier services are:

• Price – Postal services tend to be cheaper than courier services, but this is because you are receiving a more basic service. With a postal service, you only pay for shipping costs. With a courier, you pay for a more specialised service.
• Delivery time – Courier services rely on speed and efficiency to ship items. They’ll typically provide more accurate delivery dates and times and offer a next-day or specified delivery service. Postal services tend to only provide estimates for delivery dates and are far less reliable.
• Reliability – When using a courier service, you can usually be confident that your package will arrive on time. Due to being owned by the government and having a far greater volume of packages to ship, postal services tend to be less reliable and are notorious for losing packages or delaying shipment.
• Scale – Courier services are more suitable for large-scale businesses. While it may be more convenient dropping a few packages off at the postal service, courier services are better equipped to handle multi-package shipping. Courier services are more flexible and can tailor a service to your needs.

Which service should I use?

While you can often send your items through either service, there are advantages to using a specific service depending on what you are sending.

If you are sending a small amount of inexpensive items and are flexible on the delivery date and time, then the Post Office may be the better option.

However, if you are sending important documents or expensive packages, or you require your items to arrive at a specific date and time, then you should use the distribution services of a courier. In addition, courier services generally provide a higher level of customer service.

Reactive Logistics is dedicated to providing you with nationwide courier services to suit your needs. With over 28 years of experience and over 2500 vehicles at our disposal throughout the UK and abroad, you can feel confident in receiving a reliable service. We provide a range of business courier services, including a same-day courier service and an office relocation service. No matter what you need delivered, we’ll ensure it arrives on time, every time.

Contact our team today to find out how we can help you.