Australia Post vs StarTrack vs CouriersPlease vs Allied Express

There is no single best courier for Australian e-commerce. Australia Post suits small and medium parcels to homes and collection points nationwide, StarTrack suits heavier cartons and business freight on the same group network, CouriersPlease is a franchise-based parcel network with a large collection-point partnership, and Allied Express is built for express and larger freight, including pallets. Most growing retailers end up using two or more, matched to parcel size, destination and urgency.

Why one carrier is rarely enough

Each carrier prices and performs differently by parcel size, weight and postcode. A satchel to a Melbourne suburb, a 30kg flat-pack to regional Queensland and a same-day courier job across Sydney are three different problems. Using the cheapest suitable service for each order, rather than one default, is one of the most reliable ways to control delivery cost. It also gives you a fallback when a network is congested during peak.

The trade-off is admin: more accounts, more label formats, more manifests and more tracking feeds to pass back to customers and marketplaces. That is the part worth automating.

Australia Post

Australia Post's strength is reach and consumer familiarity. It reported more than 1,510 Parcel Locker banks at over 1,355 locations, alongside its Post Office network, which gives shoppers many collection choices.

Limits: domestic parcels are capped at 22kg, 105cm in length and 0.25 cubic metres. Larger items need a different service.

Accounts: Australia Post positions MyPost Business for businesses sending fewer than about 170 parcels a month, and an eParcel Contract for businesses sending more than 2,000 parcels a year, with pricing based on volume.

Best for: satchels and small to medium parcels, residential delivery, regional reach, Parcel Locker and Post Office collection.

StarTrack

StarTrack is a business of Australia Post focused on business and heavier freight. It states it delivers to 12.6 million locations with more than 17,000 vehicles and over 1,000 daily national flights, and offers same-day, next-day, express road and specialist services.

Limits and surcharges: StarTrack publishes standard handling limits for its main services. Premium items above 105 x 60 x 60cm or 22kg, and Road Express items above 117 x 60 x 60cm or 20kg, attract a Manual Handling Surcharge of $15 (excluding GST). Separate oversize charges apply for items with a dead weight over 32kg or any dimension of 150cm or more, rising with size.

Best for: heavier cartons, multi-carton consignments, business-to-business deliveries and retailers who want one group relationship covering both parcels and freight.

CouriersPlease

CouriersPlease runs a national network built around local franchise partners and says it is part of FMH Group. Through a partnership with HUBBED, receivers can use more than 3,000 collection points.

Limits: its freight profile specifications list a preferred dead weight under 25kg per item and preferred length under 1 metre. Items between 1.05m and 1.8m attract an additional charge, and items over 1.8m are unacceptable. Like Australia Post, it calculates cubic weight at 250kg per cubic metre for domestic shipments.

Best for: standard e-commerce parcels in metro and major regional areas, especially where competitive parcel rates and alternative collection points matter.

Allied Express

Allied Express has operated since 1978 and runs a fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles, from inner-city bicycles to line-haul trucks. It handles everything from a small consignment across town to multiple pallets moving interstate. Its national distribution service offers overnight delivery between Brisbane and Sydney and between Sydney and Melbourne, arriving before 9:30am the next working day.

Best for: bulky and heavy items, pallets, same-day metro courier jobs and time-critical B2B freight. For more on large items, see our guide to shipping bulky items in Australia.

How to choose: a practical matrix

Use this as a starting point, then compare your own rate cards. Rates depend on your volume, contract terms and where your customers are, so the cheapest carrier for one retailer is not always cheapest for another.

Key figures

• Australia Post domestic parcels are limited to 22kg, 105cm length and 0.25 cubic metres (Australia Post, 2026).
• StarTrack delivers to 12.6 million locations with 17,000+ vehicles and 1,000+ daily flights (StarTrack, 2026).
• StarTrack charges a $15 (excl. GST) Manual Handling Surcharge on Premium items over 105 x 60 x 60cm or 22kg (Australia Post, 2026).
• CouriersPlease receivers can use 3,000+ HUBBED collection points (CouriersPlease, 2026).
• Allied Express runs 1,000+ vehicles and has operated since 1978 (Allied Express, 2026).

How eComChannels helps

AI auto shipping connects Australia Post, StarTrack, CouriersPlease and Allied Express in one workflow. Instead of logging in to separate carrier portals, orders flow from order management into shipping, where the carrier and service can be chosen from the parcel's weight, dimensions and destination according to the rules you set. Labels and manifests are generated automatically, tracking numbers are written back to each marketplace and your webstore, and delivery issues can be lodged as claims from the same place. You keep the benefit of several carriers, choosing the right service and price for each parcel, without the extra admin that usually comes with them.

See it with your own carrier accounts: book a demo or start a 30-day free trial.

FAQ

Is StarTrack the same as Australia Post?

StarTrack is a business of Australia Post, but it runs separate services aimed at business and heavier freight, with its own size limits, surcharges and product guides.

Which courier is cheapest for e-commerce in Australia?

It depends on your volume, parcel profile and destinations. Compare your negotiated rates by parcel size and postcode zone, and include surcharges and cubic weight, before setting a default carrier.

Can I use multiple carriers without extra admin?

Yes, if labels, manifests and tracking are automated. Shipping software that connects all your carrier accounts can generate the right label and send tracking to each sales channel automatically.