Review: United States Postal Service

The United State Postal Service (a.k.a. USPS; The US Post Office) is a great value for a small business that is a low volume shipper. They offer a variety of free services and packaging material. In addition, they are located virtually everywhere in the country and have a great website that allows you to calculate postage and print it right on your PC printer. This is an ideal solution for a start-up business or a small volume shipper.

The United State Postal Service (a.k.a. USPS; "The US Post Office") is a complete shipping and delivery solution that is ideal for a small business. Located throughout the United States and delivering to almost every country in the world, the breadth and scope of products and services can't be beat. There are no minimum quantities and weights, and there are volume discounts when your business starts to grow.

USPS offers a wide range of special services that are not available through other carriers. These include: Registered Mail, Certified Mail, C.O.D. and delivery on Saturdays and Sundays. Although these will cost you extra, sometimes customer satisfaction outweighs the additional cost. The Post Office also offers private post office boxes that allow you to pick up your mail first thing in the morning or at any time throughout the day (some even have 24/7 access).

If you use special services like Express Mail and Priority Mail, the United States Postal Service will provide you with free envelopes and boxes. In fact, you can order them online at the USPS website and they will deliver them for free too. When your packages are ready to ship you can take them to the nearest Post Office or you can go online and print the postage yourself. At the end of the online process you can schedule a free package pick-up.