FedEx was an almost instant success when it first began operations as Federal Express, promising that they were the choice “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight”. At the time, overnight delivery wasn’t something that the USPS could offer reliably – and it certainly wasn’t something that they were willing guarantee. FedEx stepped into that opening been built a business empire, changing forever the way that packages (later every bit of mail) was handled in the United States. Their logistical systems are mimicked by almost every major player around the world today – including the federal government!
Over time, FedEx grew into more of a traditional shipping service and started offering options that weren’t necessarily tied to overnight delivery. Eventually they began to offer a bunch of different standard delivery options, too – and that’s how we ended up being able to choose between FedEx Home Delivery and traditional FedEx Ground. But how do we know which one is the right one for our needs? Is there any real difference between these two options? Which one should I spend my money on? Find out the answers to all of those questions (and then some) by reading our detailed breakdown below!
What is FedEx Home Delivery?
FedEx Home Delivery is basically an “offshoot” service of traditional FedEx Ground delivery services. Taking advantage of (almost) the exact same technological framework and logistical chain that operates FedEx Ground, there are a bunch of similarities between these two services. Most of the fulfillment for FedEx Home Delivery is handled by FedEx Ground, too.
There is one major difference between these two services, though – and that’s the fact that FedEx Home Delivery is only intended for use with residential addresses. You’re not going to find FedEx Home Delivery vehicles (or even delivery routes, for that matter) heading out into the commercial part of town. It’s going to stick with residential addresses. That’s what the service was built from the ground up for.
What is FedEx Ground Delivery?
FedEx Ground, on the other hand, is more of a “catchall” kind of shipping services – and inexpensive alternatives to options like USPS Priority Mail and UPS Ground. The kinds of customers that usually take advantage of this service are often sending higher volumes of packages, entitling them to even more significant discounts on already discounted ground shipping options. Individuals and organizations can send FedEx Ground packages to pretty much any address in the United States. There are even FedEx Ground routes in Alaska and Hawaii (though packages shipped via ground obviously need to initiate in those “not reachable by truck” states in the first place).
Pros and Cons of FedEx Home
The biggest advantage of using FedEx Home Delivery is that you can save a decent amount of money on smaller, lighter packages compared to FedEx Home when sending stuff through this particular method. Businesses that are sending a high volume of consumer packages that are small and light should consider taking advantage of FedEx Home Delivery, too. Obviously this kind of service would only really work for businesses that focus exclusively on “B2C” operations – business to consumer – as commercial addresses and nonresidential addresses in general cannot be fulfilled by FedEx Home Delivery.
Another of the big benefits that FedEx Home Delivery offers is the flexibility of the service itself. Home Delivery from FedEx is available Monday through Sunday, 1 PM through 9 PM (local time) every single week of the year. There’s a lot of opportunity to schedule your packages to be dropped off during those windows of time, guaranteeing someone’s sure to be home to receive your package rather than having it left out on the porch or the front step four hours and hours each day. You’ll literally have the chance to schedule (or at least request) specific delivery times with FedEx when you use this service. That’s not something you’re going to have a lot of opportunity to do when you are running FedEx Ground. Add in the fact that you get free Saturday delivery with all FedEx Home Delivery shipments and it really starts to become a bit of a no brainer here.
On the flip side of things, FedEx Home Delivery can be a little bit slow – especially when you are sending packages to more far-flung locales, rural addresses, and areas outside of “normal” FedEx delivery routes. On top of that, there’s no real opportunity for FedEx Home Deliveries to be dropped off during “normal business hours”. At least not before 1 PM (local time), anyway. If you need to get a package to someone in the morning, or on a Monday, you are going to be able to get the job done with Home Delivery. You’re going to have to go with Ground from FedEx instead (or another service altogether).
Pros and Cons of FedEx Ground
As far as FedEx Ground is concerned, there are some pretty significant advantages to using this service – especially if you need to send your stuff to nonresidential addresses sometimes. The fact that Home Delivery from FedEx cannot be sent to nonresidential addresses is obviously it’s biggest drawback, but it’s also the biggest advantage that FedEx Ground has to offer. You have an almost universal ability to send your packages pretty much anywhere when you use Ground from FedEx instead. On top of that, you’re going to be able to rely on FedEx getting their Ground packages out much earlier in the day than the FedEx Home Delivery packages. While Home Delivery packages aren’t going to start hitting doorsteps until 1 PM local time, FedEx Ground packages are starting to be delivered at 8 AM (local time) on a pretty consistent basis. Sometimes even earlier than that!
FedEx Ground also has a top shelf reputation for very fast delivery times. It’s not at all uncommon for Ground from FedEx to show up at a delivery address a day or two earlier than projected. It’s not at all uncommon for these packages to show up a couple of days faster than the same package sent via USPS or UPS, too. That’s all thanks in large part to the amazing logistical system that FedEx has built and pioneered.
On the flip side of things, if you’d like your packages to be delivered to any address on Saturday you are going to have to pony up a bit of extra money for the privilege. This isn’t free the way it is with Home Delivery. Secondly, you can make all the requests for specific delivery times you want with your local FedEx operation but there’s no guarantee they are going to be able to hook you up. Sometimes they might. Sometimes they might not (most times they might not, really). There’s no real way to guarantee a specific delivery window outside of how FedEx handles their Ground delivery logistics for that route. And while FedEx Ground does work in other countries (Canada and Mexico specifically), you might have to pay a decent amount of money just to get your packages through Customs. Then you have to think about delays, items potentially not making it through the Customs process, and a whole host of other issues.
How These Two FedEx Services Stack Up Against One Another
When you compare these two services together they are far more in common than they are dissimilar. It’s important to remember, after all, that FedEx Ground laid the (no pun intended) groundwork for FedEx Home Delivery to exist in the first place. FedEx Home Delivery leverages a lot of the infrastructure, a lot of the fulfillment process, and a lot of the actual manpower of the Ground division of FedEx to get their packages where they need to go. Still, if you need to have your packages delivered during a specific window of time (or don’t want to spend a lot of money on Saturday delivery) then FedEx Home Delivery is the way to go. So long as your intended recipient lives in a residential address, anyway. If, on the other hand, you don’t really mind when your package shows up on a doorstep during the day so long as it shows up on the estimated delivery date – or even earlier – then FedEx Ground is probably the way to go.
Which FedEx Service Should I Use?
Well, choosing between these two top-tier services really comes down to when and how (and where) you want your packages delivered. Let’s say, for example, that you have a small Christmas gift that you want to make sure arrives at your sister’s home – and you don’t want it to be left out on the front step and potentially stolen by anybody. In this specific situation you’d probably want to go with FedEx Home Delivery. Not just because the package is headed to a residential address (though that’s a big piece of the puzzle). But also because you have a lot more control over when your package actually arrives, especially outside of “normal business hours” when most people are home to receive a package in the first place.
If, on the other hand, you have a heavier package that you want to send to your brother for their birthday and they work from home, FedEx Ground might be better suited to your needs. You know that your brother is going to be at home (most likely) during the FedEx Ground delivery hours, so you don’t have to worry about the package being left outside unattended. You’re also going to be able to save a little bit more money sending a heavier item to a residential address. But what if you want to send a “congratulations” gift to your significant other and surprise them at work? Well, if you’re going to be sending anything to a nonresidential address via FedEx than FedEx Home Delivery services are out the window straightaway. You simply won’t be able to even select this as a delivery method if the address isn’t classified as residential.
When you get right down to it, it really all does come down to personal choice, personal preference, the estimated price to get your package where you want it to go, and the specifics of your shipping situation. There’s a lot more freedom and a lot more flexibility with using FedEx Ground. You usually get a bit of a price savings on heavier items as well, especially if you are sending them in higher volumes each month. If you want a lot more control over when your packages arrive, though, nothing beats using FedEx Home Delivery. You’ll be able to choose specific delivery windows during the day that are outside of normal working hours, Practically guaranteeing someone’s home to pick up your package when it arrives. Compare these two choices every time you have to send a package and you won’t have anything to worry about!
US Global Mail – The Perfect Modern Mailbox Alternative
For longer than 20 years, US Global Mail has been the undisputed “king of the ring” when it comes to virtual mailbox services. New account holders immediately receive a physical (permanent, too) mailing address that provides improve safety, security, and privacy protection with their Virtual Mailbox.
This address can be used to receive traditional mail as well as packages from all major delivery services – including FedEx, DHL, UPS and even the USPS. As if that wasn’t enough, every piece of mail and every package that arrives at your new Virtual Mailbox is instantly scanned and uploaded to your account dashboard. You’ll get a real time notification about every piece of mail that hits your mailbox when it hits your mailbox – as well as a graphic proof about what that piece of mail was.
You’re not going to find that kind of service from the post office! Combine all of this with other services and amenities like free check depositing, mail forwarding to any address on the planet at up to 80% off, and a whole host of other benefits and an account with US Global Mail becomes a no-brainer. For more information about this service, or to learn how to open up your own US Global Mail account today, visit their website now.
