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It is always difficult to give a blanket answer to a question like this because there is a great deal more variance in courier charges than many people may realize. First of all, there are two separate areas of pricing within the price structure of any given PA delivery service. First they are going to have their basic rate, which they will calculate based on the type of service that you contract them for, and all the details of your particular shipment. Next, there is the fee and surcharge portion of your bill, which can be quite significant. There are no rules that dictate what rates companies should charge for these things, which is why if you want to know how much something is going to cost to ship, your best option is to contact the company directly with a description of your request and get an accurate price quote. If that doesn't work though, there are some things that you can think about to get you ready for knowing which kinds of shipments are going to cost more.

The basic rules is that the longer you give a courier company to deliver your package, the cheaper it is going to cost to ship with them. Usually, the options will start at something like next day service. The reason this is going to be cheaper is that it allows them to get as many packages together as possible into a single vehicle to make deliveries to certain parts of the city, as doing so will make the most of both the drivers time and of the use of their company vehicle, maximizing their overall profit even though they are charging less per package.

The cost of what you can expect to pay for a courier shipment will rise with three elements of your delivery: How fast you want your item delivered, how heavy or large your package is, and where you want it delivered to. The faster you want it delivered, the more they are going to have to structure a vehicles route around your delivery making it less profitable for them. The larger or heavier your item the space in a truck is going to have to be dedicated to it, and the further it has to travel the more time and gas they have to expend on that single shipment. Surcharges for things such as holiday delivery can also increase your overall cost.

Paul McDuffy is a consultant for PA freight service and New Jersey trucking company businesses as well as national courier service companies.