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When you search online in 2025, you’ll see that the cheapest shipping rates often come from the United States Postal Service (USPS). However, it's important to note that this usually relates to domestic shipping within the U.S. or sending parcels north across the border to Canada.
If you need to ship internationally to other countries that are a little further away, you’ll want to explore more options and balance both speed and cost—while ensuring your package arrives safely at its destination.
Easyship’s free shipping calculator can help you instantly compare rates from top international carriers, making it easier to find and decide on the cheapest way to ship worldwide.
In this helpful guide, you’ll learn how to pick the cheapest international shipping company and discover a trade secret on how to access the best available discounted rates.
If you’re wondering, “How much is international shipping in 2025?” here’s an easy snapshot.
We compared USPS international shipping rates to leading express couriers like FedEx, UPS and DHL Express to give you a complete view of the market. Let's run through a simple comparison of the major global shipping companies, including smaller regional shipping services that can offer some of the biggest savings.
To better understand how shipping costs are calculated and to ensure a fair comparison, it's important to also consider important variables like:
To illustrate the true cost of international shipping with a practical example, we used the following package details and customs forms with the Easyship rate calculator to find discounted shipping rates. Delivering an immediate summary of the best international shipping rates in real time.
Need to ship from the United States to London, Manchester, or Liverpool in the UK? Add an extra 68 million potential English customers to your U.S. eCommerce store by shipping to the United Kingdom.
International shipping costs from the US (or any country) depend largely on the delivery destination and the weight of the package. We'll compare example shipping rates for shipping a 2 lb box from the US to countries across the world.
So you can see which courier is the cheapest, fastest and best value, we'll start by comparing Easyship rates from New York, US to London, UK.
Takeaway: FedEx® International Connect Plus stands out as the cheapest and best value alternative when shipping from the United States to the United Kingdom. If you want the fastest next business day delivery, FedEx International Priority® wins—but at a higher price.
Looking to ship north into Canada from the United States? Grow your customer base and deliver your products to customers in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, or Quebec with Easyship. How big's the sales opportunity? Glad you asked, how's an extra 39 million potential Canadian customers sound?
You can find an overview of shipping rates for the delivery of a 2 lb package from New York, US to Toronto, Canada.
Takeaway: Flat Export is the cheapest option when shipping north from the United States to Canada, while UPS® Standard offers great value (about $18) with excellent tracking and moderate speed. If you need next-day shipping, UPS Worldwide Express delivers in a single business day.
Ready to expand your eCommerce brand to Europe? We've got you covered. Take a closer look at the top European markets for USA sellers.
Due to strong migration throughout much of the last century, the Italian-American community continues to be one of the largest groups in the U.S., accounting for 5.4% of the total US population. Extend your customer base to Italy and ship directly to top cities like Rome, Milan, Naples, and Palermo, there's more than 58 million reasons to start today.
Take a closer look at the international rates for shipping a 2 lb package from New York, US to Rome, Italy.
Takeaway: FedEx® International Connect Plus is again the cheapest way to ship and best value shipping service from New York, US to Rome, Italy, offering the cheapest international rates for a small box, while UPS Worldwide Saver® is the quickest (2 days) for around $40.76.
As the fourth largest economy in the world and the largest economic power in Europe, Germany represents a large and affluent export market for U.S. eCommerce businesses looking to expand. Start shipping to more than 83 million German consumers across Berlin, Munich, Hamberg, and Frankfurt with a click.
Takeaway: FedEx® International Connect Plus tops the chart for both cost and speed, winning the award for the fastest and best value shipping option. If you want the absolute fastest delivery alternative, FedEx International Priority® can deliver in 1–2 days with excellent tracking.
Researching ways to expand your eCommerce presence to high-value European markets like France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands? Look no further than Easyship's all-in-one international shipping software to deliver the cheapest shipping rates to 220+ global destinations. Get a free shipping quote in 3 minutes.
Generally, the further you're shipping packages, the greater the cost. Which is why it's so important to compare international shipping rates to Asia and the Pacific. Maximiuze your store's profitability with Easyship's discounted shipping rates.
India's rapid economic growth, large population and expanding middle class of more than 583 million people represent a significant opportunity for eCommerce brands seeking for global growth in 2025. This vast and increasingly affluent consumer base have experienced rising incomes and a larger appetite for international goods driven by a thriving economy. Ship to Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi today.
Below are the example rates for shipping a 2 lb package for shipping a package from New York, US to New Delhi, India.
Takeaway: For shipping to New Delhi, Flat Export is the cheapest option, while FedEx® International Connect Plus is the fastest and best value with 5 business days delivery.
Despite its distance from North America, Australia shares close economic, cultural, and political ties with the United States. Importantly for global brands, it is also one of the richest countries by per capita in the world, with a high discretionary income and standard of living. Start shipping to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth and access a growing population of 27 million Australians.
Below are the rates for shipping a 2lb package for shipping a package from New York, US to Sydney, Australia.
Takeaway: At just $16.40 Australia Post Global - ePacket is the cheapest option for shipping to Australia for a 2lb package. While FedEx® International Connect Plus is the best value and UPS Worldwide Saver® is the fastest with excellent tracking and delivery within 3 working days.
In exciting news for U.S. business, the Philippines' eCommerce market has experienced explosive growth—up by 400% in just 5 years with the second-fastest growth rate in the world. Easily reach high population centres like Manila, Davao, Calooca and Quezon City and tap into growth.
Below are the example rates for shipping a 2 lb package for shipping a package from New York, US to Manila, Philippines.
Takeaway: Again, Flat Export is the cheapest shipping option when shipping from the US to the Philippines. While FedEx® International Connect Plus is the best value and UPS Worldwide Saver® is the fastest at similar rates to the above example, Australia.
As you can imagine, we can't include a detailed breakdown on the cheapest way to ship internationally for every country in Asia or the world. This article would be thousands of words long! Create a free account with Easyship and instantly compare shipping rates. Our global shipping tool automatically compares 550+ courier services to find market-leading rates to every destination.
Priority Mail International – Flat Rate service is one of the cheapest ways to mail a package internationally. For example, sending a small box to Hong Kong from Connecticut can be priced at $36.45 with a maximum weight of 4 lbs.
Compare this example rate to express couriers like FedEx or UPS, as seen in the chart below. With express couriers, the same shipment costs $113 and up!
The caveat here is that using a small box to ship goods may not work all the time. According to the experienced folks at My Wife Quit Her Job, a small USPS box with dimensions of 8 11/16" x 5 7/16" x 1 3/4" can't hold much more than 2 lbs. So you're likely running two pounds over the weight limit! It's more realistic to expect to use the medium flat rate box to ship most items.
Priority Mail International – Flat Rate is the cheapest international shipping option, especially if you don’t have a business account with express couriers.
Let's start from the assumption that we need to ship anything over 2 lbs. in a medium box. Now the question is: is the cheapest option from USPS a Flat Rate Box or Priority Mail International?
For a medium Flat Rate box, the maximum weight is 20 lbs. and the dimensions are 14" x 12" x 3 1/2". The price is $77.50.
After studying the pricing charts, I found the breakeven point for using the Priority Mail International medium box, in this case, is 8 lbs. So, if the weight of the package is between 8-20 pounds, the Medium Flat Rate Box is still the cheapest international shipping option from USPS.
Now let’s compare example USPS rates for our medium box with express couriers, seen below.
Rates for medium 8lb. package from Connecticut to Hong Kong
At $77.50 and $82.15, both USPS options are far cheaper than UPS and FedEx.
But… using USPS means you get what you pay for.
When you consider USPS’ not-so-stellar record of delivery times (they do not guarantee), paired with spotty tracking service, you may want to explore other ways to get the cheapest shipping overseas. This is especially true if you're running a business with customers who expect timely deliveries.
Alternatively, shipping with Easyship saves you high-volume discounts for all domestic and international shipments. We'll compare the rates from major couriers to our highly-discounted rates.
Biz rates for a 8-pound package from Connecticut to Hong Kong
*Rates are calculated from the Easyship Shipping Rate Calculator
Remember how express couriers are expensive if you don't have a business account with special negotiated rates? Easyship offers the cheapest international rates with discounts up to 91% off. We’ll calculate the example rates for shipping to the destination countries above, so you can see the cheapest rates we offer.
Our Shipping Rates Calculator makes the international shipping process seamless for calculating rates. As seen below, all you need to do is fill out your package information, and you’re on your way to frictionless shipping.
Typically, it's Flat Export or USPS because they offer international shipping rates far cheaper than UPS or DHL.
If you want to learn more about international options and get your shipping label AWB, we suggest you start here. Or jump right into the free shipping rate calculator to find your cheapest rates on international shipping.
To learn more about each courier service used in the comparisons, check out the following links:
Also, if you're interested in more affordable international shipping rates, consider checking out our hybrid solutions. One of these is Flat Export Rate which is a great budget option for international shipments, and only has two zones, one for Canada, one for the rest of the world which really allows merchants to simplify their shipping estimations.
Easyship is the leading international shipping and logistics company, operating with a vast network of over 250 couriers spanning the globe. Our extensive reach empowers us to negotiate exceptional shipping discounts with top-tier couriers, resulting in remarkable savings of up to 91% on your shipping expenses.
At Easyship, we're dedicated to simplifying international shipping, helping you grow your online store and create a delivery experience customers love. Find exclusive discounts and create a delivery experience customers love with these market leading tools:
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