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StarTrack vs. Auspost: Tale of two shippers
StarTrack services walkthrough
Auspost vs. StarTrack: And the winner is…
If you’re ready to launch and sell a product in Australia, don’t forget to think through your shipping strategy.
Different shipping couriers offer various options based on you and your customers’ needs.
One common question that comes up when shipping throughout Australia is understanding the difference between Australia Post (Auspost) and StarTrack.
Which one is right for your ecommerce shipping needs? This article will provide some information to help you make the right decision.
StarTrack vs. Auspost: Tale of two shippers
Qantas and Australia Post bought StarTrack on 23 December 2003. In November 2012, Australia Post purchased a 50% stake in StarTrack from Qantas. It is now the sole shareholder in StarTrack.
While StarTrack retains its name and branding (as a standalone company within the group), it offers the same services as Australia Post. This adds capacity to Australia Post’s express and tracked parcel services.
These two courier companies, StarTrack and Auspost, are often compared against each other. But, they are now one and the same business.
Australia Post is owned and operated by the government. StarTrack was founded in 1974, as a company that offers various distribution services.
After being fully acquired by Australia Post in June 2014, the business was split into two arms:
- Australia Post: retail and communication services
- StarTrack: parcel and logistics operations
StarTrack services walkthrough
If you are looking for cost-effective parcel and logistics support, then StarTrack courier service adds a lot of value.
However, it has been struggling quite a bit with customer service and reliability, even after its acquisition by Australia Post.
In terms of reliability, cost, and speed, here is an overview of StarTrack’s reputation.
Reliable
StarTrack provides greater freight capacity on all Qantas-flown-routes, and reliable delivery of each consignment to your customers.
With StarTrack, you can gain priority access to Qantas Freights for domestic air deliveries. They also offer proof of delivery notifications via email or text.
Cost
The StarTrack Express solution offers affordable national B2B ecommerce distribution of parcels via ground.
Its other parcel delivery options are also competitively priced when you set up a StarTrack account. However, keep in mind that StarTrack recently increased its prices by 4.9%.
Speed
StarTrack has several fast delivery services which include:
- StarTrack Premium for business day delivery across Australia
- StarTrack Courier for 24/7 same-day metro delivery
- StarTrack Next Flight for 24/7 same-day interstate delivery
Reviews
StarTrack has been facing a lot of customer complaints about misplaced or delayed deliveries. And this has affected the overall brand image in recent years.
Auspost services walkthrough
Australia Post has a vast national delivery network for retail deliveries.
Thanks to the acquisition of StarTrack, the reach has only grown.
Here is an overview of Auspost’s services.
Costs
While the prices offered by Australia Post are competitive, they have recently increased their shipping rates.
However, they do offer discounts on bulk shipping, which is ideal for ecommerce businesses.
Some of the costs as outlined on the Auspost’s website are:
| Economy | Standard | Express | Courier | |
| International delivery | A$8.95 | A$14.80 | A$29.80 | A$89.80 |
| Standard | Express | |||
| Domestic delivery | A$9.70 | A$12.70 | ||
Speed
For sales and deliveries to individual customers (under 5kg), Australia Post offers one of the fastest delivery modes.
For domestic shipping, its standard delivery service ensures that your parcels reach in 2+ business days, while with express delivery should reach within the next day.
(Please note at the time of this article being published, Auspost’s express services are suspended. you can find more information here.)
For international services, the delivery times depend on the origin and final destination.
Reviews
Auspost lags behind competition for not implementing the latest delivery systems technology. Missed deliveries and late deliveries are common complaints.
While Australia Post is well regarded for being reliable, it still has a lot of work to do to meet the expectations of today’s customers.
Auspost vs. StarTrack: And the winner is…
StarTrack and AusPost together make for one of Australia’s most trusted freight and logistics providers.
StarTrack brings to AusPost a superior delivery network that enables the latter to ship parcels to more than 190 countries. Whereas Australia Post is a legacy business with considerable reach and reputation.
No matter what your shipping requirement is, AusPost and StarTrack (since they are part of the same business) should be able to offer solutions. This is why there is no need to consider one over the other.
Since it delivers on Saturdays also, you can rely on Australia Post to manage more urgent deliveries.
But, be mindful that because of its smaller international presence, it’s not ideal for cross-border shipments. It can best be used to serve businesses that deal in Australia-based orders (such as those in transit from Melbourne to Sydney or Perth or Brisbane ).
ShipBob’s winning courier network
ShipBob boasts a wide courier partner and fulfilment network. With ShipBob, your business can gain the best rates and solutions from the courier of your choice to deliver your customer orders (to, from, or within Australia).
We also offer Australia-based (and worldwide) merchants with solutions that support omnichannel fulfilment solutions.
ShipBob integrates with your online shops to enable reliable order and delivery management. Our fulfilment centres in Australia also help you store your inventory at locations closest to the shoppers, to reduce transit time and costs.
ShipBob’s intelligent fulfilment dashboard helps you easily track inventory and fulfilment activity in real time, so you can manage logistics without being involved in the day to day.
“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
Request a quote to learn more.
Auspost vs. StarTrack FAQs
Below are answers to the most common questions when comparing Australia Post and StarTrack.
Is Auspost faster than StarTrack?
Both Australia Post and StarTrack are one and the same entity. The former recently acquired complete stake in the latter business.
Who ships better internationally?
When it comes to the best international shipping experience, you should choose couriers such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL, which offer worldwide reach.
Is StarTrack owned by Australia Post?
Yes, StartTrack is owned by Australia Post.
How can ShipBob help with Australian fulfilment?
ShipBob is a 3PL provider that can manage your fulfilment needs within Australia with locations in Melbourne and Sydney. We have existing partnerships with a range of local and international couriers.
