Ultimate Guide to Shipping with FedEx

If you ship regularly, you’ve probably used FedEx. The shipping courier is widely recognized for its ultra-fast delivery services and highly efficient tracking system. Its reliability makes it a popular international shipping service for fast deliveries.

This post will teach you everything you need to know to start shipping with FedEx like a pro– including popular shipping methods, how to ship with FedEx, and how to navigate the FedEx One Rate vs standard rate debate. 

FedEx shipping services

FedEx offers a range of domestic, international, and freight shipping services. The best service for your package depends on its destination and ideal delivery date. 

Domestic shipping services

Here are all the ways FedEx can ship packages within the United States:

FedEx SameDay®

This shipment method is ideal for urgent shipments. It offers door-to-door delivery within hours and is available 365 days a year.

Weight and size limit: Packages can be up to 150 lbs. Prior approval is required for packages weighing over 70 lbs or if any one side of the package exceeds 48 in. 

FedEx First Overnight® 

The FedEx First Overnight® shipping service guarantees delivery first thing the next business-day morning by 8, 8:30, 9, or 9:30 AM for most areas and 10, 11, or 2 PM to extended areas. Saturday pickup and delivery are available for an additional fee.

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 119" long, 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx Priority Overnight®

Priority Overnight® guarantees next-business-day delivery by 10:30 AM to most areas, 4:30 pm or 5 pm to some rural areas. Some shipments to Alaska and Hawaii take 2 business days. Saturday pickup and delivery are available for an additional fee. 

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 119" long, 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx Standard Overnight® 

The Standard Overnight® service guarantees delivery the next business day by 3 pm for most areas, 4:30 pm for rural areas, and 8 pm for residences. Saturday pickup is available for an additional fee.

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 119" long, 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx 2Day® A.M.

The  2Day® A.M. service offers second-business-day delivery by 10:30 AM for businesses and 12:00 AM for residences. This service is available Monday-Friday and ships to all states except Hawaii. 

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 119" long, 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx 2Day®

FedEx 2Day® offers second-business-day delivery by 4:30 pm for most areas and 8 pm for residences. Certain shipments to Alaska and Hawaii will take 3 days. Saturday delivery is available in certain areas for an extra charge. 

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 119" long, 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx Express Saver®

Express Saver® is a third-business-day shipping service guaranteeing delivery by 4:30 pm to most areas and 8 pm to residences. 

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 119" long, 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx Ground®

This commercial ground delivery service offers affordable day-definite delivery to 100% of United States businesses within 1-5 business days (or 3-7 business days when shipping to or from Alaska and Hawaii).

The exact arrival date varies within the predicted range based on distance, but delivery is guaranteed by the end of the last business day. 

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 108" long, and 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

Further reading: Comparing FedEx Ground vs UPS Ground

FedEx Home Delivery®

This residential ground delivery service ships to 100% of United States residential addresses within 1-5 business days (or 3-7 business days when shipping to or from Alaska and Hawaii). This service includes delivery on Saturdays at no additional charge.

Because packages arrive between 5 and 8 pm, Home Delivery is a good option for recipients who aren't available to receive packages during daylight hours.

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 108" long, and 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx International Shipping Services

FedEx has an entire suite of ultra-fast international shipping services, all of which include customs-cleared services so you don’t have to worry about researching your destination’s shipping requirements.

Available international shipping services with FedEx include:

FedEx® International Next Flight

With FedEx’s most urgent international shipping method, you can send time-critical shipments halfway around the world in a matter of hours. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Packages can weigh up to 2,200 lbs without prior approval. 

This service includes fast pickup, a dedicated customer service team, proactive tracking and monitoring capabilities, and is backed by the FedEx Money-Back Guarantee. Hand-carry service, delivery signatures, and charter services can be added upon request. 

FedEx International First®

This service delivers packages in 1, 2, or 3 business days to 26 countries. It runs Monday through Friday for most locations, with Express Parcel Saturday Service available for select locations. 

Packages shipped to Canada arrive by 10 AM after 1 business day, and those shipped to Mexico arrive by 11 am after 2 business days.

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 108" long, and 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx International Priority® Express

FedEx International Priority® Express offers time-definite delivery in 1, 2, or 3 business days to 27 countries and territories. Packages arrive by 10:30 AM for most US and Canadian postal codes and by 12:00 PM everywhere else. 

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 108" long, and 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx International Priority®

The FedEx International Priority® service offers time-definite, end-of-business-day delivery in 1, 2, or 3 business days to over 220 countries and territories. Packages can reach most major Mexican and Canadian cities in 1 business day and major cities in Europe, Asia, and Brazil in 2 business days.

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 108" long, and 165" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx International Economy®

This cost-effective international shipping option offers time-definite delivery in 2-5 business days to over 215 countries and territories. For Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico, packages typically arrive in 2-3 business days. 

The service runs Monday-Friday, with Saturday delivery available in countries that consider Saturday a regular business day. 

Maximum weight/size: 150 lbs, 108" long, and 130" length plus girth (L+2W+2H).

FedEx International Ground®

FedEx International Ground® is a special service for businesses that frequently ship to Canada.

It covers 100% of Canadian business and residential addresses, guarantees time-definite delivery in 2-7 business days, and offers flexible brokerage options and clearance entry fee discounts. 

How to calculate your FedEx shipping rate

1. Find your shipping zone: Go to FedEx rate tools and enter your origin and destination zip code to find your shipping zone. 

2. Determine your chargeable weight: Measure the actual weight and the dimensional weight of your package. The greater of the two is the chargeable weight. 

3. Find your rate: Look at the appropriate rate table then choose your shipping service. A $5.15 residential surcharge per package will be added to FedEx Home Delivery shipments. 

4. Determine fees: Check for transportation-related fees.

FedEx One Rate vs Standard Rate

FedEx One Rate is the courier's flat rate pricing option, available for qualifying FedEx Express US Shipments in FedEx Express packaging.

The FedEx One Rate is an alternative to FedEx Standard List Rates, account-specific rates, or retail rates. Account-specific discounts don’t apply to the flat rate list. 

Further reading: How to Negotiate Better Shipping Rates with FedEx and UPS

For packages to qualify, envelopes can weigh no more than 10 lbs and FedEx Paks, boxes, and tubes cannot exceed 50 lbs. 

The full list of FedEx One rates and box sizes can be found on page 46 of the 2023 Service Guide.

Whether or not the FedEx One Rate is more affordable than the standard rate depends on your package destination, dimensions, and weight.

Let’s compare rates for Zone 2 FedEx Express Saver shipments (0-150 miles from origin to destination):

Envelope:

As long as your package is under 10 lbs and can fit in the FedEx 9-1/2" x 12-1/2" envelope, the flat rate is more affordable. 

Extra large box:

The flat rate is more affordable as long as your package weighs 17-50lbs. If your package is too large for a smaller flat rate box and weighs less than 17 pounds, go with the standard rate.

How to ship with FedEx

Start shipping with FedEx by following these simple steps:

1. Package your item

First, make sure your item is not on the list of prohibited items. Once you’ve made sure your package can be shipped, it’s time to choose the packaging. 

If you ship with FedEx Express, you can pick up free packaging supplies from your local FedEx location or order them from the FedEx website. 

You don’t have to use FedEx packaging unless you use the FedEx One Rate®. If you choose to reuse an old box (yay, sustainability!), be sure to hide old shipping information like addresses and barcodes. 

FedEx has a resource full of packing basics and guides for specialty items like alcohol, auto and mechanical parts, batteries, and the like.

2. Create a shipping label

Before creating your shipping label, you need to pick a shipping service. You can use the FedEx rating tool to find the most affordable option for your preferred shipping speed, package type, and destination, or you automatically populate the best shipping method by importing your order to Veeqo.

Once you’ve chosen your shipping service, input the necessary information like the sender’s name and address, the recipient’s name and address, contact information, and the package weight. If you choose to create your label in Veeqo’s shipping software, this information will populate from your order. 

Print your label and attach it to a flat side of the package, being careful not to obscure the barcode and other identifying information. 

3. Drop off or schedule a pick-up

FedEx offers package pickup for a fee (or on regular stops for free if you use FedEx Express). You can schedule a pickup online in your customer account or by calling 1.800.GoFedEx. 

If you’d rather not pay for package collection, simply drop your package off at a local FedEx location or drop box. 

Make sure you drop off your package before the cutoff at your local FedEx. The last scheduled pickup time for FedEx Express packages is typically 6 pm Monday-Friday and 3 pm on Saturday.

Ground packages are only collected Monday through Friday, with a typical cutoff of 5 pm. Contact your local FedEx location for an exact cutoff time.

4. Track your shipment

FedEx has one of the best package tracking services available. Users can sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager to receive tracking notifications, provide delivery instructions and requests, and more.

Businesses can use FedEx Insight to monitor all inbound and outbound shipments and third-party shipments billed to their account without needing a tracking number.

The service also provides automatic shipment status notifications. The free service is ideal for businesses managing supply chains. 

Shipping with FedEx through Veeqo

With so many speedy shipping services to choose from, FedEx rates can get confusing. Choose the wrong service or use the wrong box sizes, and you may end up paying twice as much.

Veeqo’s FedEx integration and order management capabilities solve that problem by pulling order data and automatically finding the most cost-effective service for your shipment.

And since using Veeqo grants you access to reduced Fedex shipping rates, you’ll be paying even less than if you’d spent the time manually comparing rates yourself.

Veeqo will also help you compare FedEx shipping rates with competing international carriers like USPS and UPS.

What are you waiting for? Start saving time and money shipping with FedEx by creating a free Veeqo account today.