International Shipping Rates Compared

International Shipping Rates

Here at The Delivery Group, we know that international shipping can be a headache, with dozens of providers competing for your attention. In this guide we’ll take a look at your options, both in terms of shipping for an individual parcel, and in terms of more comprehensive solutions for a business. We’ll look at the rates for sending both light and heavy parcels to America, China, and Australia, and we’ll also cover the differences between flat rate and standard rate shipping.

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Flat Rate Shipping VS Standard Rate Shipping

There are two main types of shipping, flat rate and standard rate. A flat rate offers unified prices and delivery times. You will be able to pay for a package under a specific weight, for instance 1kg, sent to a specific country, in a specific timeframe, at a set price. Standard rate shipping will vary in price every time, based on weight, size, and distance. This is the traditional method, though we will be looking at both throughout this guide. Some of the benefits of flat rate shipping are the fixed prices and delivery times, which offer clear guides to you and save you time.

Standard shipping can allow for more urgent delivery, including via air freight, and can offer cheaper delivery on a case by case basis. Box Shipping is a type of flat rate shipping, giving you a specific dimension and weight to fit your parcel within. Slower shipping is via traditional sea freight, which can be a far lengthier process.

Parcelforce

Parcelforce offers worldwide shipping on parcels, giving standard rate quotes through their website. Parcels can either be collected from you, or dropped at a Post Office or Parcelforce depot for a discounted rate. Parcelforce offers next working day delivery across Europe, the USA, and Canada, with two or more working day delivery across the rest of the world. In this chart we show some of their international shipping rates, to countries like the USA and China. These prices are subject to vary, but are accurate at the time of writing.

Package Size and Weight	Country and Delivery Window	Cost
20/20/20 1kg	USA Express (1+ Day)	£70.25
20/20/20 1kg	USA Priority (3+ Day)	£43.50
20/20/20 1kg	China Express (1+ Day)	£86.80
20/20/20 1kg	China Priority (3+ Day)	£35.75
20/20/20 1kg	Australia Express (1+ Day)	£86.80
20/20/20 1kg	Australia Priority (3+ Day)	£54.10
50/50/50 10kg	USA Express (1+ Day)	£240.15
50/50/50 10kg	China Express (1+ Day)	£330.30
50/50/50 10kg	Australia Express (1+ Day)	£330.30

FedEx

FedEx offers 24 hour international shipping to most countries with their FedEx International Next Flight service, and also offers more affordable two to five day delivery options. Again, this is standard shipping, with bespoke prices based on size and weight. These prices and delivery times were accurate at the time of writing.

Package Size and Weight	Country and Delivery Window	Cost
20/20/20 1kg	USA International Priority (1 Day)	£105.72
20/20/20 1kg	USA International Economy (5 Working Days)	£98.52
20/20/20 1kg	China International Priority (4 Working Days)	£125.73
20/20/20 1kg	China International Economy (5 Working Days)	£110.23
20/20/20 1kg	Australia International Priority (5 Working Days)	£134.88
50/50/50 10kg	USA International Priority (1 Day)	£484.57
50/50/50 10kg	China International Priority (4 Working Days)	£470.54
50/50/50 10kg	Australia International Priority (5 Working Days)	£652.56

DHL

DHL offers shipping to Europe in one working day, and to the rest of the world in one to three days at their express level. At their standard level they deliver to Europe in two to three working days, and the rest of the world in two to six days. Again, we requested quotes on standard weights and sizes of packaging across the world, with prices that were accurate as of writing. These are largely the best prices we saw for international shipping.

Package Size and Weight	Country and Delivery Window	Cost
20/20/20 1kg	USA Express (1 Day)	£46.05
20/20/20 1kg	USA Standard (3 Days)	£34.04
20/20/20 1kg	China Express (2 Days)	£58.78
20/20/20 1kg	China Standard (4 Days)	£42.33
20/20/20 1kg	Australia Express (3 Days)	£58.78
20/20/20 1kg	Australia Standard (5 Days)	£42.33
50/50/50 10kg	USA Express (1 Day)	£144.99
50/50/50 10kg	China Express (2 Days)	£233.55
50/50/50 10kg	Australia Express (3 Days)	£233.55

Hermes

Hermes offer international shipping through their international brand, offering courier collections, and secure tracking. Hermes does not offer speedy international delivery options, and does not offer delivery on larger weights. These prices were accurate as of writing.

Package Size and Weight	Country and Delivery Window	Cost
20/20/20 1kg	USA (9-15 Working Days)	£39.76
20/20/20 1kg	China (9-15 Working Days)	£28.27
20/20/20 1kg	Australia (8-13 Working Days)	£35.63

Other Options for Comparing International Shipping Rates

When looking to send a single parcel or package, it can also be worth using a price comparison website like parcel2go.com or parcelmonkey.co.uk. These websites will trawl the prices of parcel providers looking for cheap rates, and will also buy up discounted delivery slots to sell to consumers at a reduced price. If you are happy to shop around you may well find a cheaper rate. There are no precise international shipping rate calculators, but these price comparison websites will give you a ballpark figure for the cost of your international shipping.

International Shipping for Your Business

For a larger business, having a unified provider for international shipping can save you both time and money. Even for a small business, manually sending every parcel via standard rate shipping or flat rate shipping is likely to cost more than having a dedicated shipping service. Expectations for customers are higher than ever, with demands for quick postage, courier services, and even free returns. Meeting those demands can be tricky without a comprehensive delivery system in place.

a delivery driver fulfiling eCommerce orders in his van

Who are The Delivery Group?

The Delivery Group operates an international network of ecommerce and specialist mail services, from our eight national locations. We are the UK’s fastest growing specialist mail distribution company, and we are keen to keep growing, investing in companies such as ETrak, and end to end solution for shipping parcels. We prioritise great relationships with businesses and excellent service.

What Does The Delivery Group Offer?

The Delivery Group offers a tailored, flexible postage solution for your business. We have invested heavily into automated sortation, route optimisation, and bespoke tracking solutions. We offer unparalleled customer service, with each of our clients receiving a dedicated account manager. If you are running a business that is shipping internationally, having a dedicated mail provider offers clear advantages. Working with The Delivery Group will streamline the delivery process for you and save you money, allowing you to focus on growing your business.

Would Your Business Benefit from Joining The Delivery Group?

If you are a large company, an emerging SME, or an online ecommerce retailer, we will be able to tailor a bespoke cost effective postage solution for you. We offer a suite of international shipping options, tracked throughout our network, with options for proof of delivery and signed delivery. Our ecommerce businesses benefit from simple, clear invoicing, high-speed tracking, and unrivalled support even at peak hours.

To talk to one of our team about how The Delivery Group could help your business, contact us now.