Printer Friendly Page

The Princeton University Purchasing Department, in partnership with both the Firestone Library Shipping and Receiving Department and the OIT Academic Services Department, has developed an Overnight Shipping Rate Calculator that can be used to identify the most economical method to ship overnight packages within the United States. The online calculator compares the University contract rates with all three major overnight delivery services (i.e., DHL, FedEx and UPS) and also takes into consideration the various surcharges and discounts that may also apply (i.e., fuel surcharges and letter pack discounts, etc.).

The online calculator is based on a comparative analysis and cost study that was performed on the three delivery service contract vendors used on the Princeton University Campus: DHL, FedEx, and United Parcel Service (UPS). The purpose of this study was to directly compare both the discounted University rates and the service received to identify the best value and carrier for each type of delivery service and to develop recommendations for the campus community. 

Originally prepared in 2004, and updated in 2006, we have once again updated this cost study by comparing all the carriers as closely as we could, yet noting that there may be differences that make it very difficult to look at the carriers the same way due to the different services they individually offer. One major difference for example is the fact that DHL does not offer three-day air service.

There were two very important factors for revisiting the domestic express delivery service options available on campus:

1. The Purchasing Department renegotiated the FedEx contract, which has savings of up to 40% in comparison to the University's old FedEx contract.
   
2. Effective January 31, 2009, DHL will no longer provide domestic shipping service; instead they will concentrate on international service.
   

In general, the study found that that FedEx was the most economical overall carrier for Express Overnight Delivery and UPS was the most economical carrier for Ground Delivery when combining both Domestic and International Services. For the purposes of this study, we looked at the domestic service for Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight, Second Day and Three-Day Service when the vendor had such service.

Account Representatives:

• DHL - Karen Bandin (800) 228-3552 ext. 18028 karen.bandin@dhl.com
• FedEx - Terry McNamara (609) 203-6003 tmmcnamara@fedex.com
• UPS - Scott Ungemah (201) 330-7426 ext. 3477 sungemah@ups.com

Additional Reference Information :

• Overnight Shipping Rate Calculator
• 2008 Princeton University Shipping Case Study (PDF Version)
• 2007 UPS Rate Analysis published in Parcel (PDF Version)
• 2006 Princeton University Shipping Case Study (PDF Version)
• 2006 Morgan Stanley Shipper Survey Results (PDF Version)
• 2006 PA Consulting Group U.S. Domestic Delivery Performance Study (Summary / Full Study)
• 2004 Princeton University Shipping Information Session Overview (PowerPoint)
• 2004 Princeton University Shipping Case Study (PDF Version)
• Shipping Frequently Asked Questions