What is Courier?
A courier, or express carrier, is an operator that collects, transports and delivers documents and parcels door to door within its own network under a single waybill, controlling pickup, linehaul, customs clearance and final delivery. Unlike a forwarder that buys capacity from airlines and arranges each leg, an integrated express carrier typically runs its own hubs, sort centres and often aircraft, and frequently acts as customs declarant for the shipments it moves. Customs authorities clear express consignments through dedicated, largely electronic processes; the WCO Immediate Release Guidelines group them into four categories, from documents without commercial value to high-value goods needing a full declaration. Postal operators carry similar small parcels under the Universal Postal Union framework, but under different customs and liability regimes. Courier pricing uses the greater of actual and volumetric weight, calculated with each carrier's own divisor.
Why it matters for forwarders
Forwarders both compete with and use couriers: urgent samples, documents and small consignments can be faster and cheaper by express than as consolidated air freight, but the break-even depends on weight, dimensions and lane. Low-value import regimes have tightened sharply: the EU removed its EUR 22 VAT exemption on 1 July 2021, and from 1 July 2026 a temporary EUR 3 customs duty per item replaces the EUR 150 duty relief for goods sold by distance sale. The US suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries from 29 August 2025, so low-value express shipments are now dutiable. Because the courier often files the declaration, the shipper's commercial invoice drives classification and valuation, and vague descriptions cause holds and duty disputes. Express networks accept dangerous goods, including many lithium battery shipments, only under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and their own stricter acceptance rules.