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What does the "BEST" label mean?
What does the "BEST" label mean?

Pirate Ship tags some services with BEST—here's what it means.

Updated over a week ago

Shipping can be really confusing, with lots of variables you have to consider when deciding which service to buy, such as:

  • Which carrier is providing the service?

  • How quickly will the package be delivered?

  • How reliable are the delivery estimates?

  • Are there any additional features included with the service, like insurance?

  • What's the price? Are there any surcharges?

Whenever you get a Quick Rate Quote or Buy a Label, Pirate Ship will always provide you with a list of every service that's available for your shipment, but it will also "tag" certain services with labels that are meant to help you quickly understand your options: CHEAPEST, FASTEST, and BEST.

💵 Pirate Ship tags some shipments with CHEAPEST

The CHEAPEST tag is simply the most economical service to ship your package—it's got the lowest price. The cheapest service is a great way to go if you're trying to save the most money, but it's usually slower or more unreliable than other options, meaning it may not be delivered by the time you need it to be. In some cases, it means your package will literally be on the slow boat! The cheapest service may also not include certain features that other services have, like included insurance.

⚡️ Some shipments are labeled FASTEST

The FASTEST tag is applied to the service with both the quickest delivery speed estimate and the highest delivery reliability score. If you need to get a package delivered ASAP, this service is most likely to give you the fastest possible shipment time.

⭐️ So what's this BEST label mean?

For most shipments, there's a lot of services to choose from in between the cheapest option and the fastest option. If you're looking for the "just right" service in the middle, it can be hard to know which one to pick.

Pirate Ship helps out by simply labeling the service most likely to give you the BEST experience at the most reasonable cost.

There's a combination of factors that go into this, such as the delivery speed, reliability of the service, and any extra features that are included, like insurance. But because Pirate Ship was founded with the belief that every businesses deserves the cheapest shipping rates, the total price of the shipment is the biggest consideration here! That's why there are some cases where the price difference between the service with the BEST tag and an alternative service may only be a few cents.

You can always choose whether you prefer a certain carrier

Depending on all the variables of your shipment, sometimes you may see a USPS service marked as BEST, while other times you may see a UPS service instead.

If you prefer a certain carrier, you've got 3 options:

1. Simply click the "Switch to" button below the rate, which compares the other carrier's BEST option:

2. Open the Service dropdown menu and select the service you prefer:

3. Or choose the carrier you prefer from the Sort by menu, which will become your default carrier:

Any questions? Just hit the blue chat button on the bottom of your screen—we're always here to help 😉

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