Courier services provide several services for the delivery of parcels, documents, and pallets. As there are a wide range of products involved and each customer has different needs, courier companies offer several types of courier services. When planning to trust courier services to ship your goods, it is always a good idea to choose the service that meets your expectations. There are several services to choose from, and your choice should be based on several factors:

• Urgency – If you need your package to be delivered as soon as possible;
• Price – The quicker the delivery service, the more expensive it gets;
• Size and weight of your parcel – The bigger the parcel is, the more space it takes from the courier company’s trucks. Thus, the bigger and heavier the shipments are, the more you pay;
• The delivery distance – Usually, the closer you are to the delivery address or country, the less you will pay;
• The type of products being sent – Some goods require special transport conditions, i.e. food or certain products need a temperature-controlled environment;
• The fragility of your products – If you are planning on sending fragile items, such as wine bottles or electronic products, you might want to choose the service that ensures that your package gets to its destination safely;
• The value of goods being sent – If you are shipping high-value products, you might want them to be delivered as soon as possible using a dedicated vehicle.

After having all these details into consideration, you can start looking for a courier service to deliver your parcel. Below is a list of the most common services provided by courier companies, as well as their pros and cons.

Types of Courier Services – Choosing the service that best suits your requirements

Standard Courier service

Standard services are the most common types of courier services. These compile delivery services for regular-sized shipments. This service is suitable for small and medium parcels, usually not exceeding 50kg. The price varies depending on the size and weight of the shipment. These are sometimes the cheapest option. However, the limitations in size and weight might be a problem for some. If your package exceeds these dimensions, you will be charged extra or you would have to explore freight services instead.

International courier service

Delivery services from one country to another. Here, the prices will vary depending on the chosen route, ensuring that the best transport method is used for that route. International courier services are very useful for people living abroad, enabling them to ship their belongings back home. However, shipping internationally always comes with some restrictions: Some countries have specific legislation for what can or cannot be sent. This requires further research, in order not to break any local laws. Additionally, not all couriers ship to every country.

Same day courier service

Same day courier service is reserved for urgent deliveries. It might come in handy for important shipments, such as documents. As the name indicates, it is the quickest service of them all, but also the most expensive one from the types of courier services. 

Pallet shipping service

Courier companies can also ship goods placed on pallets. These types of courier services are quite common among business users. In this case, the pickup and delivery time are planned and defined between the sender and the courier company. However, as the load is bigger than a normal standard shipping service, it is also more expensive. Besides, wooden pallets tend to accumulate bacteria if ever exposed to moist or humidity, which could be a big downside for some products.

Overnight service

Service for those who would like their shipments to be delivered on the following morning/day. The name indicated that the goods are transported to their delivery address overnight. It is great for last minute requests. However, these services are not always available for all the routes, since the bigger the distance between two countries, the longer it takes to get there.