Thought they were all the same, didn't you? It's important to know the differences among carriers and shipping options as this knowledge has the potential to grant you extraordinary peace of mind.

Fortunately, some differences really are simple, and handoff vs. express and ground services is one of the easiest.

Handoff service literally is what it means, and DHL eCommerce and FedEx SmartPost are the best examples: They come to our warehouse, pick up the shipment, transport it to their distribution center, and deliver the package to the destination city. Upon arrival, DHL (or FedEx Smart Post) will "hand off" the package to the local postal service. In the States, that’s USPS, but local postal delivery varies by country.

Express and Ground services are different. If you choose FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, or DHL Express Worldwide, they’ll take your package the whole way from our warehouse to your customer’s doorstep.

So now you can kick back and relax because all you need to know is whether your package is going via handoff or via express or ground, and you’ll always know where your stuff is and just who has it!