United States Postal Service

Where to Go: Drop packages lighter than one pound into one of those ubiquitous blue mailboxes, or leave them in your mailbox for your carrier to pick up; take heavier items to your local post office.

How Long It’ll Take: For domestic shipping, Priority Mail takes two to three days. Or try Express Mail (guaranteed overnight delivery), Parcel Post (ground delivery in two to nine days), or a range of international shipping options.

What It Costs: Priority Mail is just about the best deal in the business, starting at $4.60 for a flat-rate envelope and $8.95 for a flat-rate box. For other types of packages and services, rates are determined by size, weight, and distance. Boxes, envelopes, labels, and other supplies for Priority and Express Mail are available for free; snag them at your local post office or order them online or by calling 800-610-8734.

Extras Worth Knowing: USPS recommends sealing boxes with two-inch-wide brown or clear packaging tape. Masking or cellophane tape, twine, and cords are not allowed. For complete mailing regulations, to calculate postage, or to purchase postage online, visit www.usps.com. For general information, call 800-275-8777.

UPS

Where to Go: Send packages at UPS retail locations, leave them in a UPS drop box, or arrange to have one of those nice guys or gals in brown pick them up at your door.

How Long It’ll Take: UPS Express Critical is the fastest domestic service the company offers — for same-day delivery, your package will be on the next available flight. A more economical option is Ground Delivery, which takes one to five business days. International shipping services typically take one to five business days, too.

What It Costs: Factors such as the size of the package, the service, and how far the package has to travel determine the rates. Get a quote for your package at www.ups.com. For UPS account holders, Air and Worldwide Express packaging supplies are available for free.

Extras Worth Knowing: At the website, you can obtain complete shipping regulations and packaging guidelines (including a nifty chart that tells you if your corrugated-cardboard box is strong enough), schedule a pickup, and find the retail location nearest you. Call 800-742-5877 for domestic-package service information.

FedEx

Where to Go: Take the package to a FedEx Service Center, place it in a FedEx drop box, or schedule a pickup.

How Long It’ll Take: For domestic delivery, select FedEx SameDay for super-urgent stuff; or choose between a range of overnight and 2- or 3-day Express delivery options. You can also opt for FedEx Home Delivery, which typically takes one to five days. International delivery options are also available.

What It Costs: Rates and delivery times depend on the size of the package, the service, and the points of origin and destination. You can calculate how much it’ll cost to ship your package at www.fedex.com, in addition to ordering supplies (if you’re using FedEx Express, they’re free).

Things Worth Knowing: For packages more than 100 pounds, use yellow-and-black safety tape (available at service centers or online). FedEx guidelines recommend that you place shipping labels on the package’s largest surface — but not over a seam or tape. To schedule a pickup and more, visit www.fedex.com or call 800-463-3339.

DHL

Where to Go: Schedule a pickup or leave your package at a DHL drop-off facility, a service center, or in a DHL drop box.

How Long It’ll Take: Same Day service is available, along with a range of next-day and second-day options for domestic and international delivery. DHL Ground Delivery takes one to six days.

What It Costs: Delivery rates depend on the size of the package, the trip distance, and whether it was a scheduled pickup. You can check your rates at www.dhl-usa.com. Air Express packaging supplies are free and can be ordered online as well.

Things Worth Knowing: You can visit the website to get a delivery time frame, schedule a pickup, find a drop-off location, and more. You’ll find handy tools, including an air-travel-distance calculator, which will give you the distance between two cities in miles or kilometers. For general information, call 800-225-5345.