2024 Guide to Australian Shipping Services 

Navigating Australian shipping offerings and services can be overwhelming.

• Which shipping provide is best?
• How long will it take to fulfil each order based on the shipping method?
• How much will each service cost?

In this article, we discuss the benefits of each courier, what type of pricing to expect, how to package and ship yourself, and when it’s time to partner with a 3PL for your shipping needs.

Domestic shipping couriers in Australia 

There are many Australian shipping couriers to choose from. Each mail service in Australia has multiple options with different pricing, shipping timelines, and specializations. 

Overall, within Australia there are same-day delivery options for urgent orders. And for delivery within the same state you can expect delivery to happen in 1 to 2 business days. Meanwhile, for cross-country shipping, it can take up to 11 days.

Some of the top options for domestic Australia shipping provides include:

• Australia Post (Auspost)
• Fastway
• Aramex
• OmniParcel
• Toll
• Sendle
• ParcelPoint

Australia Post (Auspost)

This service provider has a very strong reach across Australia, including rural and remote areas.

Depending on how fast and which pincode in Australia you want to send your finished goods to and from, you will find the costs of different Auspost services vary.

Here is an overview of what to expect for shipping rates for packages up to 5 kg.

Parcel Size	Your own packaging	Parcel Post	Express Post
Small	Up to 500g	AUD 9.70	AUD 12.70
Medium	500g to 1kg	AUD 13.25	AUD 16.75
Large	1kg to 3kg	AUD 16.65	AUD 20.65
Extra Large	3kg to 5kg	AUD 20.05	AUD 27.05

*Rates as shared on the provider’s official website in May 2023.

For the different shipping methods, here is what to expect in terms of shipping times and costs. These costs are associated with a 1 kg parcel, 22 cm x 16 cm x 7.7 cm, as of May 2023.

Shipping Method	Shipping Times	Cost
Courier Post (within Sydney)	Same day	AUD 34.95
Express Post (within Sydney)	1 day	AUD 15.30
Parcel Post (within Sydney)	2 days	AUD 10.85
Express Post (Melbourne to Adelaide)	1 day	AUD 20.80

Parcel Point 

ParcelPoint is a service that makes package pickups and returns easier for your customers.

There are 1400 Parcel Point pick up and return locations around Australia. Online customers can select the closest parcel point address for delivery. And then, once it arrives, they may pick it up at any time. Parcel Point also offers doorstep delivery service within Australia.

This mail service provider does not freely share its rates or delivery time frames. You will need to speak with their customer care agent to understand their offerings better.

Sendle 

Sendle has several domestic service options to fit your needs. 

Sendle Standard is perfect for individual senders and has no minimum limit for shipping quantities, while Sendle Premium has a minimum 20 parcels/month requirement and is ideal for small businesses.

Meanwhile, Sendle Pro has a minimum 200 parcels/month requirement, which makes it ideal for well-established businesses.

Depending on the distance that needs to be traversed, it can take up to 10 days for order delivery within Australia. 

Below is an overview of the different services and costs, so you can easily compare. The rates are based on shipments from Sydney, as of May 2023.

	Sendle Standard		Sendle Premium		Sendle Pro
Parcel size	Same city	National	Same city	National	Same city	National
Satchel 500g and A4	AUD 7.44	AUD 9.13	AUD 6.38	AUD 8.07	AUD 5.28	AUD 6.98
Handbag 1kg and 4L (20cm x 16cm x 7.5cm)	AUD 10.23	AUD 11.87	AUD 9.18	AUD 10.81	AUD 6.58	AUD 7.66
Shoebox 3kg and 12L	AUD 11.12	AUD 13.33	AUD 10.06	AUD 12.17	AUD 7.11	AUD 8.52
Briefcase 5kg and 20L	AUD 11.23	AUD 14.75	AUD 10.06	AUD 13.69	AUD 7.26	AUD 10.71
Carry-on 10kg and 40L	AUD 11.49	AUD 21.84	AUD 10.06	AUD 20.78	AUD 7.26	AUD 16.56
Duffle 20kg and 80L	AUD 12.86	AUD 32.88	AUD 10.06	AUD 31.83	AUD 7.26	AUD 28.09
Check-in 25kg and 100L	AUD 14.86	AUD 37.88	AUD 12.06	AUD 36.83	AUD 7.26	AUD 32.64

There is also Sendle Express that guarantees two-day delivery and same-day pickup for shipments booked before 12pm within Australia. The rates of this service start at AU$ 9.44.

Aramex

Formerly Fastway, Aramex is ideal for shipping smaller sized consumer goods (FMCG). They have pioneered Australia’s largest crowdsourced delivery model, Blu Couriers, and Parcel Connect that allows you to send and collect parcels via our network of agents.

Aramex also offers Drop Box facilities. This allows you to deliver parcels by 10:30am the following business day, if you drop your parcel before the collection time (usually between 4:00 pm and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday).

The delivery timeframes from Melbourne range from 0 to 5 days. Deliveries happen only during business hours from Monday to Friday only. Below is an overview of rates based on parcel size. The rates are calculated based on sending from Sydney to Melbourne, as of May 2023

Parcel size	Rates*
Up to 500g	AUD 7.92
Up to 1kg	AUD 9.23
Up to 3kg	AUD 11.40
Up to 5kg	AUD 13.06
Up to 10kg	AUD 17.38
Up to 15kg	AUD 21.54
Up to 20kg	AUD 25.70
Up to 25kg	AUD 29.86
Up to 30kg	AUD 42.92
Up to 35kg	AUD 47.08
Up to 40kg	AUD 51.24

CouriersPlease

CouriersPlease is a subsidiary of Singapore Post. 

Its domestic priority service ensures 1 to 2 days delivery time for coast to coast shipping, whereas domestic saver is the more economical package that takes up to 6 days to deliver.

Here are rates for domestic shipping in Australia via CouriersPlease. All prices reflect rates as of May 2023

Parcel size	Multi Box STD	Multi Box Pronto
500g	AUD 23.93	AUD 25.53
1kg	AUD 23.93	AUD 25.53
3kg	AUD 23.93	AUD 25.53
5kg	AUD 23.93	AUD 25.53
10kg	AUD 26.54	AUD 28.16
20kg	AUD 31.78	AUD 33.41
25kg	AUD 34.41	AUD 36.03

Toll

Toll Group is an Australian-based subsidiary of Japan Post Holdings. It offers satchel (up to 5kg), pallet (up to 500kg), and parcel (up to 30kg) delivery. It also has same day, priority and standard delivery options.

Here are the rates and transit times when shipping parcels or satchels with Toll within Australia.

All prices (in the two tables above) are inclusive of GST for shipping from Sydney to Melbourne, using a Toll satchel with the drop off option. This information was sourced in May 2023 from Toll’s official website.

Package weight (satchel)	Pricing	Transit time
Up to 1kg	AUD 22.86	1 to 2 business days
3kg	AUD 26.62	1 to 2 business days
5kg	AUD 40.08	1 to 2 business days

Parcel weight	Priority delivery	Transit time	Standard delivery	Transit time
20kg, 22 cm x 16 cm x 7.7 cm (1 piece)	AUD 94.90	1 to 2 business days	AUD 21.10	1 to 12 business days
30kg, 22 cm x 16 cm x 7.7 cm (10 pieces)	AUD 946.35	1 to 2 business days	AUD 125.37	1 to 12 business days

International shipping options

Do you wish to grow your customer-base outside of Australia? Choose from the many international shipping options from Australia offered by companies such as Australia Post, FedEx, and DHL. 

Australia Post

Auspost is Australia’s delivery partner of choice that ships to 220+ countries. If you spend over AUD 50 over 4 weeks on shipping, you’ll save using its Parcel Sending service. And if you send 10+ international parcels a week choose its International Contract services.

They have Economy, Standard, Express and Courier shipping services. Here is an overview of their international rates.

Parcel delivery rates (Economy Air)
	Over 250g up to 500g	Over 500g up to 1kg
New Zealand	AUD 4.90	AUD 21.05
Asia Pacific	AUD 20.50	AUD 31.50
US & Canada	AUD 22.90	AUD 34.80
UK & Europe	AUD 28.00	AUD 46.70
Rest of World	AUD 34.50	AUD 58.60
Parcel delivery rates (Standard)
	Over 250g up to 500g	Over 500g up to 1kg
New Zealand	AUD 17.90	AUD 24.05
Asia Pacific	AUD 23.50	AUD 34.50
US & Canada	AUD 25.90	AUD 37.80
UK & Europe	AUD 31.00	AUD 43.50
Rest of World	AUD 37.50	AUD 53.50
Parcel delivery rates (Express)
	Over 250g up to 500g	Over 500g up to 1kg
New Zealand	AUD 32.90	AUD 39.05
Asia Pacific	AUD 38.50	AUD 49.50
US & Canada	AUD 40.90	AUD 52.80
UK & Europe	AUD 46.00	AUD 58.50
Rest of World	AUD 52.50	AUD 68.50
Parcel delivery rates (Courier)
	Over 250g up to 500g	Over 500g up to 1kg
New Zealand	AUD 92.90	AUD 99.05
Asia Pacific	AUD 98.50	AUD 109.50
US & Canada	AUD 100.90	AUD 112.80
UK & Europe	AUD 106.00	AUD 118.50
Rest of World	AUD 112.50	AUD 128.50

Economy Sea is available only for parcels above 2kg and not applicable to New Zealand and Asia Pacific. Shipping costs range from AUD 51.40 to AUD 258.50.

Note: All rates in the table above were sourced from the courier company’s website.

FedEx

FedEx delivers to 220 countries across the globe. The provider is well trusted worldover and also offers tracking services for their international couriers. 

Here are the service options available from FedEx for international shipments:

Weight	Fastest	Best price
Package < 68kg	FedEx International First for early-day, door-to-door, and customs cleared international delivery.FedEx International Priority for delivery by end of day, in 1 to 3 business days.FedEx International Connect Plus for value-for-money e-commerce shipping service.	FedEx International Economy for cheaper door-to-door shipping of heavier and less time-sensitive goods, with customs clearance support.
Freight > 68kg	FedEx International Priority Freight, for shipping heavier goods in 1-3 business days.	FedEx International Economy Freight for heavy shipment.

Weight of parcel	Service	Rate	Delivered by
20 kg (22 x 16 x 8 cm)	FedEx International First	AUD 1178.52	8:00 AM in 2 days
	FedEx International Priority Express	AUD 611.34	10:30 AM in 2 days
	FedEx International Priority	AUD 584.15	4:30PM in 2 days
	FedEx International Economy	AUD 515.28	4:30 PM in 6 days
1 kg (22 x 16 x 8 cm)	FedEx International First	AUD 29.58	8:00 AM in 2 days
	FedEx International Priority Express	AUD 147.68	10:30 AM in 2 days
	FedEx International Priority	AUD 140.88	4:30PM in 2 days
	FedEx International Economy	AUD 137.82	4:30 PM in 6 days
5 kg	FedEx International First	AUD 672.42	8:00 AM in 2 days
	FedEx International Priority Express	AUD 343.55	10:30 AM in 2 days
	FedEx International Priority	AUD 372.56	4:30PM in 2 days
	FedEx International Economy	AUD 321.43	4:30 PM in 6 days

* Rates are from Sydney, Australia to New York, USA, as outlined on their website.

DHL

One of the top courier services with a global footprint, DHL lets you ship to 220+ countries.

International shipping services offered include DHL Express Worldwide, DHL Express 12:00 and DHL Express 9:00 (10:30 to the USA).

Parcel weight	Cost range
0.5 kg	AUD 71.67 to AUD 217.54
1 kg	AUD 122.28 to AUD 306.92
5 kg	AUD 246.62 to AUD 694.48
10 kg	AUD 310.52 to AUD 935.18
18 kg	AUD 373.24 to AUD 1,132.14
70 kg	AUD 1,177.40 to AUD 3,973.20

For DHL Express 12:00, add AUD 12.50 to the DHL Express Worldwide prices and for DHL Express 9:00, add AUD 45.00 to the DHL Express Worldwide prices.

What are the cheapest domestic and international shipping options in Australia?

Factors like size, weight, contents value, insurance all contribute to domestic and international shipping costs. Here is an overview of the cheapest shipping services:

Overall cheapest shipping provider

For local and international shipping, one of the more affordable providers in Australia is Australia Post.

Cheapest option based on weight 

In terms of the weight-based category, Australia Post’s satchel offering is very cost-effective for parcels less than a kilogram. In the one to five kilogram category too Australia Post emerges the winner for affordability.

For international shipping of heavy items (goods more than 20 kg), Interparcel is the most affordable, but it was also the slowest in terms of transit time. And for 5 kg and under 1 kg packages, Australia Post was the most affordable.

Cheapest shipping method, based on speed and time

Local same-day delivery is cheapest with StarTrack, for transfers within and outside the state. While UberConnect is cheapest for parcel delivery within the same city. 

With Next-Day Delivery too StarTrack is the most affordable option. Specifically for intra-state delivery, consider CourierPlease for next-day and two-day delivery. And for two to three days local delivery, Australian Post is the most cost-effective option. 

Cheapest shipping method, based on distance

Within or from Australia, even for across the world or coast to coast deliveries, Australia Posts’ services end up being cheaper. They also offer more affordable rural deliveries. That said, these services tend to be a lot slower, as compared to private players.

Here is an example of location-based delivery, if you were to ship 1 kg package of 22 x 16 x 8 cm, from Melbourne to Sydney via different shipping services:

Courier	Shipping service	Delivery timeline	Cost
Australia Post	Express Post	Up to 6 business days	AUD 12.70
	Parcel Post	Up to 6 business days	AUD 9.70
Parcel Point	Drop off	5 business days	AUD 9.17
Sendle	Sendle Standard	2 to 5 business days	AUD 11.87
Couriers Please	1kg domestic parcel	2 Business Days	AUD 10.22
	Road Express	2 Business Days	AUD 29.60
Toll	Priority	1 to 2 business days	AUD 22.86
Aramex	Cash rates not available on website	Cash rates not available on website	Cash rates not available on website

Here is an example of location-based delivery, if you were to ship a 1 kg package of 22 x 16 x 8 cm, from Melbourne to the USA via different shipping services:

Courier	Shipping service	Delivery timeline	Cost
Australia Post	Courier	2 to 4 business days	AUD 112.80
	Standard	6 to 10 business days	AUD 37.80
	Express	3 to 7 business days	AUD 52.80
FedEx	FedEx International First	4 business days	AUD 291.58
DHL	Parcel delivery	5 business days	AUD 267.80
UPS	UPS Worldwide Express Plus	2 business days	AUD 223.84
	UPS Worldwide Expedited	6 business days	AUD 98.23

ShipBob’s 3PL services can help Australian businesses ship around the world

No matter where your customers are located, it helps to use third-party logistics solution, such as ShipBob, for support with shipping and fulfilment operations.

ShipBob customers can strategically distribute their inventory between both the Sydney and Melbourne fulfilment centres, and automatically fulfil customer orders from the location nearest to the order’s destination to achieve fast and cost-effective domestic delivery, as well as international shipping. 

Enjoy peace of mind knowing that we are here to support your business with end-to-end supply chain management.

“As an Australian business, we’re excited to gain access to ShipBob’s fulfilment solutions in our home country. With physical distance, time zones, and regulatory differences always playing a factor when expanding internationally, finding a trusted 3PL years ago was definitely not easy.

However, with ShipBob’s easy-to-use, functional, and reliable software, as well as their knowledgeable, responsive team, ShipBob has done a stellar job of supporting our growth in North America, our largest market. We’re keen for and confident that they will bring the same expertise to Australia.”

Zula Badral, Head of Operations at Karst.

We choose the right shipping provider for your needs

If you do not have the bandwidth to research and pick the right shipping couriers, we can help. ShipBob partners with Australian Post and other leading national and international shipping couriers.

We also negotiate bulk shipping rates and pass the savings on to you and your customers.

Integrates seamlessly with your store

Shipping apps like ours connect seamlessly (via APIs) with your online store, hosted on marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon or Shopify. The moment an order is placed, we identify the fulfilment centre closest to the customer and ensure that the order fulfilment is completed from there.

The platform even allows you to streamline and automate many aspects of order fulfilment and inventory management. And it even offers notifications on delivery or pickup of the goods.

Powered by best-in-class technology, ShipBob helps Australian retailers optimise their shipping strategy and enjoy state-of-the-art inventory management.

Australia shipping services FAQs

Below are answers to the most common questions about shipping services in Australia.