Send by package/parcel/mail/post

[Glizdka]

Suppose you're selling something on eBay. Rather than drive all the way to the person who's bought the item you're selling, you want to have it delivered to them by using a professional delivery service provider, say, UPS.

In your description, you write that you're going to send it by ___________.

A) package
B) parcel
C) mail
D) post

 

[Tarheel]

It depends. If I was going to send it by UPS that's what I would say.

(If I had to pick one I'd pick B. parcel.)

 

[tedmc]

By courier?

 

[Rover_KE]

It depends on the country you're sending it from.

From the UK, we'd send it by Royal Mail parcel post or courier (such as DPD, TNT, Hermes etc).

 

[Glizdka]

I'm looking for the most natural expression here, preferably with just one word completing the "send by..." part. It must be general. I know I could just say the name of the service provider, but I want something applicable regardless of whose services I'm going to use.

If none of the four options listed by me sound right, what would you suggest, besides "send by courier"?

 

[Tarheel]

You could say you're going to ship it. You could say you're going to send it by parcel post. (You can't say by package. You're going to send a package.)

You could of course say you're going to send it via UPS (or FedEx or whatever).

 

[SoothingDave]

Ship it. You're going to ship it.

 

[Rover_KE]

'Ship it' is hardly ever used in the UK unless we know it's going by sea.

 

[SoothingDave]

Seriously? I did not know that.

It's one of those linguistic ironies that when we "ship" stuff it's mostly going by truck or air.

In general, if it's being sent by a private carrier, it is shipped. Stuff handled by the US Postal Service is "mailed."

 

[Tdol]

I'd say by UPS/courier.

 

[Glizdka]

If it's transported by a car, it's called shipment, but when it's transported by a ship, we call it cargo.

English... why you do this?