The best part of an open market is that there are multiple competitors who are in a constant struggle to provide you with the best service they possibly can, in order to beat the competition. Shipping internationally has the same benefit. There are many companies that provide the service of international shipping. You may pick and choose as you wish, like the Lord/Lady you are.
There are some factors to take into consideration when making up your mind about which courier to entrust your shipments.
- Delivery Speed: Faster deliveries with an international carrier that will take care of overnight shipping or expedited air freight can be a God send in critical situations. Any international shipping company that gives great oceanic or LTL shipping will suffice for slow deliveries. However, it is to be understood that the fastest shipping companies come with additional and higher shipping rates.
- Shipping Restrictions:Shipping restrictions take several shapes and forms. You have to consider hazardous material handling. A lot of companies will not work with products containing materials, coming under the umbrella of “Dangerous Goods’ ”. Companies also impose weight and size limits for international shipping
- Weekend Delivery:
Occasionally your delivery dates will overlap with weekends. It may be the case that the courier company does not deliver on the weekends. You will have to wait one or two additional days. It’s helpful to know whether the carrier provides weekend deliveries or not.
- Insurance: Shipping internationally comes with risk, more so than domestic shipping. This makes insurance coverage fairly necessary. A lot of companies offer insurance coverage. If not, its best to take out you own policy.
- Tracking: The worst part of international shipping has to be the long wait, as compared to domestic deliveries. Such a long wait can be nightmarish and frustrating if you can’t see what’s happening to your package in transit. This is a good reason why package tracking capabilities are an important factor to consider when deciding the best international shipping company.
- Shipping Rates: All things aside, the bottom line is cheap rates. The lower the prices, with consistent good service of course, the better. You want to compare the different discounts and rates offered by international courier services, and maintain a balance with quality.
- Remote area delivery: With international shipping you will be sending packages to different countries and you might not be located near a big city. You need to make sure that the courier service you have chosen will deliver to remote areas.
- Customer Service: Customer support should not be ignored when choosing a company to handle your worldwide deliveries. If your carrier is unresponsive or is otherwise unhelpful it will be a cause of frustration for you.
10 Best International Shipping Companies
We have made a list of the best international shipping companies in our opinion. You can consider depending on your needs and location.
1. DHL is one of the most well known international shipping companies.
It is very well balanced between quick and economical international shipping services. It has a very extensive logistical network that gets shipments to various countries all over the world.
- They handle small parcel express delivery worldwide.
- When your shipments fall under dangerous goods that require special handling and documentation, DHL is a strong contender.
- Options like road & rail freight, as well as air & ocean international standard shipping.
- Expedited air shipping options.
- Remote area deliveries.
2. FedEx is considered the world’s biggest and top competitive international shipping company. This is most peoples’ go to courier service to ship frpm the US to another country.
- Delicate and fragile international shipments.
- Climate-controlled shipping services for temperature-sensitive and perishable products.
- Faster shipping times, such as overnight and two-day international delivery services at affordable prices.
- Priority and economy freight shipping options for LTL shipping.
- Pallet-level tracking that maintains visibility for each pallet in your shipment.
- Unlimited total shipment weight, except for skids above 2,200 lbs which require special approval.
- Customer service.
- Saturday deliveries.
3. DB Schenker is a great, world wide organization. Its headquarters are in Germany with over 2000 branches internationally. They affords land, air ocean freight and parcel delivery services, and are a high standard alternative for all your shipping requirements inside Europe or freight delivery internationally.
- Parcel services throughout Europe
- Less than load (LTL) shipping services across 720 branches throughout Europe
- Fastest international ground freight shipping with fixed delivery time options
- Worldwide shipping through ocean freight and air freight shipping
- Cheapest international shipping through economy air freight shipping
- Seamless international package tracking and fixed transit times
- Shipping solutions for perishable food beverage products.
4. R+ \L Carriers are great for either full truckload (FTL) and LTL shipping. R+L also provides air and ocean international shipping.
- High-value or high-risk shipments
- Shipments that need temperature control
- LTL shipments between the US and Mexico
- Fast international freight shipments through expedited shipping options such as R+L Business Critical Guaranteed AM, R+L Business Critical Weekend Express and R+L Business Critical Guaranteed Hourly Window.
5. UPS is not to be missed out on. This brand is a household name in the US for being an excellent domestic service. Apart from this,the international courier has an extensive logistical network in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, and is versatile enough to handle almost all types of shipping needs.
- Shipping of live animals.
- Dangerous goods shipping certified.
- Within five days delivery.
- Overnight and two-day delivery options for rush services at an additional cost
- Ocean and air freight shipments worldwide
- Expedited ground freight services for shipments from the US to Mexico
- Website tools to help you fill customs paperwork and schedule shipments
- Advanced tracking capabilities.
6. YRC Freight If you are looking to send relatively larger size shipments globally or internally within North America, YRC Freight is one of the top options to consider.YRC Freight is excellent for LTL shipping, but their freight services are limited to within North America.
- Two-day and overnight deliveries
- Temperature-controlled shipments
- Best international rates for freight shipments to Canada or Mexico from the US
- Expedited air freight options for on-time critical shipments
- No size or weight restrictions, making it good for large shipments.
7. Aramex is the leading shipping and logistics provider in the Middle East, which makes it a household name for international shipping to Dubai and other regional destinations. Yes, it is less known in the United States and some other countries.
- They have a strong and diversified network in the Africa and Southeast Asia regions, especially for the last mile.
- You can easily track your package on the Aramex tracking page on their official website.
- Their presence is majorly in coastal ports of the United States, with offices in Los Angeles and New York.
8. Blue Dart is a Chennai based company. This international courier company provides its services to over 220 countries across the world and has networks across 33,739 areas. It is famous for both domestic and international shipping services across Asia.
- Transporting electronic goods.
- Pharmaceuticals, gems and jewelry.
- Auto parts and apparel.
- Shipping in Asia.
9. USPS has more than 34,000 retail locations, and over 6,30,000 people as employees. USPS delivers almost 48% of the world’s mail. This courier service in America has one of the most extensive computer networks and provides impeccable customer service.
- Priority Mail Express
- Priority Mail
- First Class Mail service designed specifically for single envelopes and small packages.
- Retail Ground is a service for oversized packages.
- Media Mail.
10. Royal Mail is an international shipping company owned by the UK government. Founded in 1516, Royal Mail is regarded as one of the safest and most trusted international carriers as it offers excellent, transparent international courier services.
- Shipping in the UK
- Daily deliveries, aside from Sundays and Bank Holidays.
