I have a business where I ship a number of packages every week. Forget UPS — don’t even bother — they are not competitive. Why? All Union.
I ship mostly Priority Mail, though depending on weight, some items are cheaper to ship via FedEx Ground, particularly if they are going to a business, where FedEx Ground gives a huge discount.
I print all labels online, for both Priority Mail and FedEx (you get a discount by having an account with FedEx and printing the labels at home). For USPS, I leave a note on the mailbox and the mailman comes to my door to pick up the Priority Mail pkg. For FedEx Ground, I drop the package at any Kinkos/FedEx store. You can have Priority Mail boxes of all sizes shipped to your door free.
Did you know that most USPS Priority Mail packages are moved city to city under contract by FedEx? Now you know why the service is so fast and efficient.
Nothing is ever free. Someone pays for them.