Alternatives to Shipping via UPS
Thankfully, there are several ways to get a package delivered without using United Parcel Service. If there wasn’t, we’d all be doomed to receive smashed and leaking packages for the rest of our lives. This page is all about giving you those alternatives and some information about them. You can also read more about UPS Alternatives and vote for your personal favorite in our forums.
Federal Express - FedEx used to just provide overnight and air services. Then they bought Roadway Package System in 2000 and launched its FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery services. FedEx also has partnerships with the United States Postal Service for carriage of ground and express packages.
DHL - Also once an overnight only company, DHL has since become the little company that could and has given FedEx and UPS both a run for their money. DHL purchased its rival Airborne Express in 2003. Prior to the acquisition, Airborne was the third largest private express delivery company in the United States.
USPS - The United States Post Office still remains a viable option for getting small parcels from point “A” to point “B”. USPS is the only carrier to offer a flat rate box, where anything you can fit inside a designated box can go for one price, no matter how much it weighs. If you ship small, heavy items, this might be the way to go from a cost standpoint.
Forward Air - Commercial customers looking for a freight alternative might want to have a look at Forward Air. Forward Air is an LTL air expedited trucking company that moves items between terminals for a very small cost compared to UPS Freight. However, Forward Air does not provide door to door service - whoever you are sending to will need to go pick the item up at the terminal. In 2003, I sent a 4U Rackmountable Uninterruptible Power Supply System weighing about 300 lbs to Dallas, TX from Columbus, OH for about $65 including insurance.
LoneStar Overnight - If you and the recipient are within their service area (Texas, Oklahoma,
West Louisiana and parts of Louisiana, New Mexico and Mexico and can be easily verified on their website), LSO is one of the very best values for the money. Ground packages go anywhere in the system overnight. A 40# package going from Norman, OK 73071 to Houston, TX 77029 will cost you $13.30 by the end of the next business day. There is a residential service fee of $1.45. If you have alot of business in this region, you might want to check them out.
uShip - uShip is a person to person marketplace that allows service providers (people who move things for a fee) to bid on shipments listed by users. The marketplace operates in a manner quite similar to an reverse auction (wherein the lowest bid wins) except that the customer chooses who to award the contract to based on whatever criteria he sets, instead of just who bids the lowest.
Craig’s List - Those on a budget looking to have items shipped might want to consider posting a listing here. Note that you need to be careful with Craig’s List, you are dealing with the general public and unlike uShip, there is no feedback and no accountability for the users. But it is possible to send things very cheap here. To use Craig’s List effectively, you need to be a good judge of character so that when you meet the person you can tell what the likelihood is that they are trying to scam you. You honestly might have a better chance sending it via UPS than here if you are not blessed with this skill.
Know of a service we should be featuring here? Hit “Contact” at the top of any page on this site and send your suggestion to us. We’ll review it right away for possible inclusion.