BY
Judith Enger
IN
Shipping costs - the big provider comparison
The right choice of shipping service provider
In 2021, more than 4.5 billion courier, express and parcel shipments were sent - an increase of more than 11.2% compared to the previous year, as the study by the Bundesverband Paket & Express Logistik (BIEK) shows. It is not easy for companies and private individuals to keep track of the shipping service providers and make a choice among them. For example, sending a parcel or package within Germany or internationally can involve different costs depending on the service provider.
Prices are usually based on the weight or size of the parcel, but also on the destination of the shipment if it is international. Business customers with high shipping volumes also pay significantly less for a parcel than a small private company or individual. We have summarised here which shipping service provider is the cheapest for you and what else you should look out for when choosing.
Different types of shipping: parcel, small package, book and merchandise consignment, letter post.
Before you take a closer look at the shipping service providers, you should first clarify which category your delivery falls into and how this is defined. There are different specifications for the maximum size, the maximum weight and the prices:
Briefsendungen
Letter mail (as maxi letter boxes) may weigh up to 1 kg. Further differentiation is made according to the format: Postcards, standard and compact letters may only have a rectangular format, square cards and letters are Large letters or Maxi letter. Extra postage will be charged for oversized or special formats. If the letter is sent by registered mail, there is an additional liability benefit for items with a maximum value of € 500, for cash up to a maximum of € 100. For coloured envelopes, white labels are best for the recipient's address so that it is easily legible.
Book and merchandise shipments
Items weighing up to 1 kg and up to 5 cm high may be sent as book and merchandise shipments. Heavier items may only be sent as small parcels or parcels within and outside Germany. These deliveries can simply be franked with a letter or internet stamp. Apart from an invoice, no written communication may be enclosed. The word "BüWa" must be written above the address. Please note that book and merchandise shipments may be opened by Deutsche Post for inspection purposes.
Small parcels
Items weighing up to 2 kg are considered parcels and may contain written messages - i.e. cover letters, invoices or greeting cards. There is no tracking option for this type of shipment. DHL does not offer any liability for small parcels, but Hermes is liable up to €50.
Parcels
Written notices may also be enclosed with parcels. Tracking is included, including a liability that varies depending on the service provider. DHL is liable up to € 500, Hermes up to € 500, DPD up to € 520, UPS up to € 510 and GLS up to € 750.
Comparison of service providers
The best-known and most important shipping companies today are Deutsche Post, DHL, Hermes, DPD, GLS and UPS. These will be compared with each other in the following section. For the time being, this is a comparison of the maximum dimensions and weight of the different shipping methods as well as the standard delivery times and prices of the companies. We have summarised these for you in a table for better clarity (as of 2023):
| Deutsche Post | DHL | Hermes | DPD | GLS | UPS | |
| Maximum dimensions and weight of a letter | DE: up to 35.3 × 25 x 5 cm, up to 1 kg or 2 kg for an additional fee. International: L + W + H up to 90 cm, no side longer than 60 cm, up to 1 kg or up to 2 kg for an additional fee | handled by Deutsche Post | ||||
| Maximum dimensions and weight goods post | Up to 35.3 x 25 x 5 cm, up to 1 kg | handled by Deutsche Post | ||||
| Maximum dimensions and weight parcels | handled by DHL | DE: bis 60 × 30 × 15 cm, up to 2 kg International: L + W + H up to 90 cm, no side longer than 60 cm, up to 31.5 kg | Longest and shortest side combined up to 37 cm, up to 25 kg | |||
| Maximum dimensions and weight packages | handled by DHL | 120 x 60 x 60 cm, up to 31.5 kg | Longest and shortest side combined up to 200 cm, up to 31.5 kg | Up to 175 cm with a maximum girth of 300 cm, up to 31.5 kg | Up to 200 x 80 x 60 cm with a maximum girth of 300 cm, up to 40 kg | Up to 274 cm in length with a maximum girth of 400 cm, up to 70 kg |
| Prices (standard shipping) | DE: from 0,70 € bis 7,60 € International: from 0,95 € bis 7,00 € | DE: from 3,99 € up to 16,49 € DE + insured: ab 6,00 € International: from 5,99 € up to 131,99 € | from 3,70 € up to 33,95 € | DE: from 3,29 € up to 59,00 € International: from 9,90 € up to 74,20 € | DE: from 3,29 € up to 20,00 € International: from 9,70 € up to 40,00 € | DE: ffrom 5,25 € up to 18,33 € Europa: from 7,14 € up to 20,23 € GB: from 11,40 € up to 33,00 € International: from 36,00 € up to 180,00 € |
| Delivery time | DE: 1 working day International: Varies by country, mostly 3 to 14 working days | DE: 1 bis 2 working day International: Express Easy: 2 to 3 days DHL Same Day: 1 day | DE: 1 bis 2 working day International: 4 to 7 working days | DE: 1 to 2 days Europa: 1 to 4 days International: 2 to 6 days | DE: less than 24 hours Europa: 1 to 2 days International: 3 to 4 days GLS Same Day: On the day of shipment between 17:30 and 22:00 | DE: 0 to 2 days International: 1 to 5 days |
It should be noted that franking's are usually cheaper online than on site. Accordingly, prices may vary. It is also important to note that many companies charge a surcharge for deliveries to islands, places in the mountains and very sparsely populated, difficult-to-access or remote regions. This is because the usual logistics chain is interrupted here, as the truck with the load cannot reach the destination. The reloading causes delays for the service provider as well as additional costs, which are charged with the surcharge.
Not to be neglected: the service of the companies
In addition to the costs for shipping, the additional services of the shipping service providers are also interesting for the own company. These should be taken into account in the selection process.
DHL - Red on Yellow
DHL was founded in 1969 by the Americans Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn. The name is composed of the initials of the founders. In 2002, the company was taken over by Deutsche Post. It has a large transport network with branches and Packstations in almost all countries with a total of over 23,500 parcel shops throughout Germany alone (as of 2022).
Deliveries are collected from your premises for an additional charge of € 3 and the recipient is delivered at home. If the recipient cannot be found, a second delivery can be requested or the delivery can be collected from the nearest branch. Deliveries to packing stations are also possible. In addition, services such as cash on delivery collection for € 6.90 or insurance up to € 25,000, bulky goods shipping, age verification and delivery on the desired day can be booked.
Special rates with lower shipping costs are available for business customers. You benefit from 200 shipments or more per year. DHL also offers parcels- flat-folded, yellow boxes made of single-layer corrugated cardboard including adhesive film labels for secure sealing. There are five different sizes. These cost between €1.59 and €2.69.
DPD - Red and black on white
The shipping service provider DPD, part of the international DPD Group based in Aschaffenburg, has also established itself on the market and is one of the top 5 shipping service providers. The company was founded in 1976 by a merger of 18 leading German forwarding companies. In 2001 DPD became part of the French postal company La Poste. In 2017 the subcontractors DPD Zeitfracht and DPD GeoPost (Deutschland) GmbH merged to form DPD Deutschland GmbH. DPD currently transports around 350 million parcels a year, a third of them to private recipients. Across Europe, the company has more than 70,000 Pickup Parcel Shops (as of 2023).
The MyDPD Business Kunden service guarantees DPD's business customers full control over returns management, which can be easily integrated into their own IT.
Hermes - Blue on White
As a corporate customer of Hermes, you can get discounts on shipping costs for shipments of 300 or more items per year. Customers of the ProfiPaketService are given preferential treatment and 95% of deliveries are delivered the following day. A delivery is made with up to four delivery attempts. From 75,000 shipments per year, the service provider offers customised customer solutions.
Deliveries are made via Hermes' own transport network with around 16,500 parcel shops (as of 2022) in Germany. Worldwide, up to 140 countries have been supplied since Hermes was founded in 1972. You can post shipments directly in the shops or have them collected. If the recipient cannot be found, the delivery will be dropped off at the parcel shop.
Parcels are insured up to a value of 500 €. In addition, Hermes offers bulky goods shipping, shipment tracking, luggage shipping and delivery on request. As with DHL, Hermes offers cardboard boxes for purchase, but only in three sizes. The costs range from €1.40 to €3.00. The sender can create the parcel label online and does not have to print it out.
GLS - Blue with yellow on white
General Logistics System B. V., GLS for short, is a company from the Netherlands that was founded in 1999. It is a holding company of the British group Royal Mail and combines their continental European and North American logistics. GLS primarily ships internationally and, for example, prepares an electronic export declaration for the respective deliveries.
Although the company has its own transport network, it also works with various subcontractors and delivers to 41 countries in Europe alone. Here, too, the parcel label can be created online. Unlike the companies presented so far, GLS only delivers parcels on Mondays to Fridays with one delivery attempt. Afterwards, the delivery can be picked up at one of the parcel shops. The GLS Same Day service offers the delivery of parcels on the same day as the parcel was sent, within a certain time window. This offer is mainly available in cities and conurbations.
UPS - Gold on Brown
In 1907, the American Messenger Company was founded, which was renamed UnitedParcelService, UPS, in 1919. Today, the service still has its business focus in the U.S. In direct comparison with the other providers, UPS is relatively expensive with an average delivery time of 1 to 2 working days. The prices depend specifically on the weight and size of the respective package.
The clear advantage of UPS is the permissible weight limit. This is 70 kg - in comparison: with DHL, Hermes and DPD the upper limit is 31.7 kg, with GLS 40 kg. For shipments within the EU via the UPS Expedited service, the maximum weight is even 100 kg. Shipping is possible worldwide to up to 220 countries and parcels as well as returns are picked up by the respective driver himself, as there are only a few shops available. Via the UPS My Choice option, customers of entrepreneurs have the possibility to track where the package is located and can reroute or plan the delivery. Delivery is only made on Mondays to Fridays but can also be made on Saturdays if desired. However, there is one more difference to the other entrepreneurs: Neighbourhood deliveries are only carried out with a power of attorney from the customer.
Our tip: What should be considered when choosing
Shipping costs
If you want to choose the cheapest shipping service provider, two factors play an important role: On the one hand, you usually save money with online franking in relation to parcel post from the shop. Secondly, the weight and size of the delivery each play a role in the shipping companies. Savings can be made here through an optimal ratio of contents and packaging. For example, customised boxes are an option for companies, which save unnecessary packaging material and thus costs.
Destination and shipment volume
In addition to the cheapest price for shipments, the destination of the parcel should be considered. If DHL, DPD and Hermes are cheaper for national shipments, international shipments are better with GLS and UPS. In addition, it must be taken into account whether it is a single shipment or regular shipments. Depending on the annual number of parcels sent, DHL and Hermes, for example, offer discounts for business customers. However, the minimum quantity that must be sent under contract should not be undercut, otherwise penalties may be incurred.
Liability and additional costs
Likewise, when shipping valuable materials, the liability of the respective provider plays an important role and should be weighed against other services. Any additional costs for returns or customs, incorrect labelling, excess weight or oversize should also be taken into account. The distance from one's own location to the nearest parcel centre should also be taken into consideration, because the closer the centre, the later the cut-off time - the time at which an order must have left the warehouse in order to meet the pre-specified delivery time.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the selection of a suitable company is influenced by many other individual factors besides the comparison of shipping costs. In simple summary, however, it can be said:
- Small, heavy parcels with a low value (up to €50) are cheapest with Hermes.
- Insured shipping with a standard liability is offered by DHL Paket up to €500, Hermes parcels up to €50, Hermes Paket up to €500, DPD up to €520, UPS up to €510, GLS up to €750.
- Large, lightweight parcels are best sent via DHL.
- DPD offers the best choice for express shipping.
- Small, heavy parcels with a value over €50 can be sent inexpensively with GLS.
- UPS is the only company that also transports parcels weighing up to 70 kg, or 100 kg with an extra charge.
Ultimately, your choice of a shipping company depends on your own needs. Do you want to send a package as cost-effectively as possible, or is reliable tracking more important to you? Now that you're familiar with the services of the shipping providers, you can decide for yourself which company is the right fit for you.
