What's the differences between online shipping methods?

the ordinary usps is the cheapest- I ship stuff all over and have never had anything go wrong. thery are all about the same as far as time, if you pay more (express) it’ll get there faster. Courier companies ( I think purolator is a courier) are way more. depends on how important time is to you.

“Express Saver” & Canada Post are both “post office”—Express is probably an express service, which means it should take 1–2 days after the package is turned over to them.

Purolater Express/Ground are courier companies, and yes, will be much more.

UPS Air (which could be 1, 2, or 3 days depending on the service) will be pricey

UPS Ground will be about twice as much as the Canada Post service, but will generally get there faster.

Xpresspost is a product of the Canada Post office, and is a 2-day service.

However, it will also depend on where the shipper is (e.g., UPS ground can vary anywhere from next day to 7 days depending on the distance between you & the shipper), and how long it takes the shipper to get the box to the carrier.

Anything that has Express, Air or Priority in the name will be faster than choices that include Ground, Media, or Surface in the name. Price will also vary depending on how far the package must travel, and whether the shipping method is one subsidized by the government or not.

Whenever possibly, I try to look for free shipping when I purchase items on line. I usually don’t care if they take a bit longer to arrive.

When I am shipping items people have bought from me, I use the USPS (United States Postal Service) because it is the least expensive and because they will pick everything up at the door. If I were sending something to Canada I would try to use USPS International Priority Flat Rate as it is quick, relatively inexpensive, and goes in a colorful, official red, white and blue box.

Ok wait. So per se I’m trying to buy a product from a seller who’s in the US. I live in Canada. Which would be the fastest method? And if I’m trying to buy from a seller who’s also in Canada? Which would be the fastest method? And in this case, does anyone know why they even bother offering UPS Air? =S Also. Does anyone know if UPS is faster, or Purolator is faster?

The fastest would always be something that says “Overnight” in it, but that will cost you an arm and a leg.

@Darwin See, that’s the thing, though. All they have are the options I listed above with a price beside it. There’s no detail or anything regarding the shipping speed and days it takes to ship…

You can assume that the more expensive methods will be faster. However, I suggest you contact the seller and ask them in their experience how long would it take to ship something from them to you. If you have a deadline, share it with them as they possibly would make a special effort to get things going quickly.

The fastest item I ever shipped was a book from the USA to France, by USPS International Priority Mail Flat Rate. It arrived in two days.

Yeah, I would assume that the more expensive methods would in fact be faster, but I was wondering by how much. Like, for example, I think the difference between UPS Air and UPS Ground like…$10–15 or something. And if there difference in shipping times is just one day, I wouldn’t mind waiting that mere one day to save that little bit of cash

Odds are, the difference between UPS Air and UPS Ground will be about a week. UPS Air is exactly what it says – the shipment gets put on an airplane to get to you. And with UPS Ground, the shipment goes in a truck much of the way. Consider how far the shipment point is from you and make an educated guess.