The question is: which is simpler, which is most economical: USPS, FedEx, UPS or DHL for holiday shipping? What's your opinion?

Peter Catizone, a civil engineer in Katonah says his family ships quite a few presents for the holidays and they always use the post office because it's convenient, has better service than the FedEx centers and thinks the prices are comparable. For his business though, he uses FedEx to send plans and specs.

Dagmar Bleasdale, a Katonah blogger, says USPS all the way. She even uses them to send things to her family in Germany. For her, it's just simpler and more economical. She happens to blog on frugal family living.

Glenn Ascher, owner of Katonah Shipping and Business Center is gearing up for the holiday crush. He recommends DHL for international shipping because of their dependability. Regarding domestic shipping, he says it varies as to whether the US Postal Service or FedEx are going to be more economical depending on where you are shipping, size and shape and weight of package. I asked him for a for-instance comparison. United Parcel Service is not in the comparisons because the store is an independent store, and as such UPS shut them out of service. But that's another story.

About Town: What if I have a 5# fruit cake I want to send to a relative in Miami?
Glenn: The price would be nearly equal between USPS and FedEx ground. But if shipping to Sacramento, CA, FedEx will be cheaper.
About Town: Can I bring my cake to you just as-is, unpackaged?
Glenn: Of course! We've been packing unusual items in Katonah for 15 years. I used to own the Mailboxes Etc store.