One of the most common problems new online entrepreneurs and small business owners have is choosing a carrier service for their business.
Here’s the thing, the truth is that top shipping companies in Canada offer great services. But each shipping company has its pros and cons. Some offer great discounts for high-volume businesses, others guarantee short transit times when shipping locally, while some provide reliable services for businesses that ship overseas.
Each carrier can help your business, albeit in a different way. Let’s take a look at the best shipping companies in Canada and see what each can do for your business.
Canada Post is the largest shipping company in Canada. They offer domestic and international shipping services at competitive prices.
However, Canada Post doesn’t offer comprehensive tracking information for their international shipments, which might be a drawback for online retailers. The shipping company sends a delivery confirmation when international shipments reach their destinations, but don’t offer a lot of tracking information when the package is in transit.
Canada Post is a great choice for businesses that focus on the domestic market. They offer excellent coverage, reliability, efficiency, and shipping rates for national shipments.
UPS is currently the largest package delivery company in the world. With more than 220 nations and territories served, UPS delivers about 5.5 billion packages per year.
However, their track record in Canada is just average. Although they've been steadily improving their overall performance, UPS typically gets average, middle-of-the-road reviews. Usually because their services are often associated with unsatisfactory customer service.
That being said, UPS provides low shipping rates for national or US shipping. They also provide fast deliveries within Canada or to the United States.
FedEx is a shipping company founded in the US that’s internationally renowned for its overnight shipping services. The company was also one of the first to implement package tracking and real-time delivery updates, and it continues to deliver accurate information about your shipment at all times.
FedEx is a great option for businesses that rely on international shipping. The company provides swift, reliable, and efficient deliveries, albeit at slightly more expensive costs. However, for many small businesses, FedEx’s services are well worth the extra costs.
Purolator has one of the most extensive national delivery networks in Canada. They offer same-day and next-day delivery services that are second to none, guaranteeing that your package will reach its destination by a certain day and time.
Purolator also offers international shipping, but it relies on UPS to deliver the package from the Canadian border to its destination. However, this process works seamlessly and it doesn’t affect the end client in any way.
Thanks to its extensive national network and efficient deliveries, Purolator is a great choice for businesses that focus on domestic shipping.
DHL Express is an international shipping company that was founded in the United States. Even though the company doesn’t have an extensive network in Canada or the US, its international network is considered one of the best in the world.
DHL Express offers highly competitive international shipping rates and provides swift, reliable international deliveries.
This shipping company can be a great option for businesses that ship internationally, especially for those that regularly ship to Asia, Africa, or Europe.
Canpar is a national shipping company with over 62 hubs in Canada. The company specializes in ground deliveries, but they also provide international shipping services.
This shipping company offers expedited service from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver to the continental US, guaranteeing that the shipment will reach its destination on time.
Canpar can be a good option for Canadian businesses that frequently ship across the border to the US.
