How Postal Shipping Rates Vary

Before an individual decides to go and send a parcel, he needs to be armed with basic information about how the postal office works. Knowledge of different services offered at the post office is essential for a start. Different services will have different prices and this requires an understanding of how rates are charged for services that are offered. Some parcels cannot be sent by ordinary mail due to their nature. The parcels may either be too heavy or too bulky and can only be sent by parcel shipping. This behooves the sender to understand how the postal shipping rates vary.

The first overnight services are quite expensive when compared to other shipping services. This kind of service guarantees delivery of the goods the following morning. While it may look as a very fast option, the postal shipping rates for this service are very high because it requires unscheduled courier pick up service that is also charged. Furthermore, irregularly shaped items that cannot fit well into the containers are also surcharged. The rates even get much higher for items that are perishable or containing hazardous materials. This service is therefore very expensive.

Delivery services for second day delivery to major cities in Europe also prove to be quite expensive. The case even gets worse when dealing with international express who charge for their services with special emphasis on weight and the destination of the package. Their postal shipping rates increase with weight of the package. This is quite expensive and almost applies the same postal shipping rates as the first overnight services.

A postal shipping service that brings a big variation in terms of fees charged is the third day delivery service. The postal shipping rates for this service is much cheaper compared to the first two mentioned earlier. Using this service can save a little money or can allow an individual to send two parcels of a similar kind to the same destination.

Furthermore, there are some delivery services that are more concerned about security of the package and not speed. This kind of delivery service is quite cheap compared to the rest. Though they may take up to one whole week to reach their destination, the parcel is normally safe. The postal shipping rates are fair as compared to the previous ones. This may be attributed to the fact that there is no sense of urgency in this type of postal delivery. Safety of the parcel is of essence.

Different delivery services will have varying postal shipping rates basing on what they charge. Some will place great emphasis on the urgency or speed of the parcel, while others will base on the weight of the parcel. Some will base their fees on security that is required when handling a parcel while others will charge their fees basing on the distance to be covered. Some delivery companies will combine the different factors in arriving at the postal shipping rates. The different factors will therefore bring in the variations in terms of the fees charged to deliver the parcels.