Top 6 delivery companies in Germany for e-commerce

Besides having the right product and the right marketing for the respective target group, efficient fulfillment is a decisive factor for the success of e-commerce companies. It influences shipping and storage costs (shipping can account for up to 60% of logistics costs according to Markus Hamer, Managing Director of the German Institute for Service and Quality). Fast and reliable shipping has a direct effect on customer satisfaction and repurchase rates.

Diving into shipping options can feel like a global adventure, especially with customers from everywhere, including Germany, each with their delivery likes and dislikes. That's why we created this updated 2025 guide to Germany's top delivery companies, packed with the latest insights on speed, green shipping, parcel insurance, pick-up options, and more. Choosing the right shipping partner isn't just a logistic choice, it's a strategic one. Let's dive in.

What German Online Shoppers Expect from Parcel Delivery Options

• 10+% of Germans use pick-up points.
• 75% of German consumers will not buy from a retailer if they don't trust the shipping service provider. 
• 81% of global consumers will abandon their purchase if their preferred delivery option isn't available.
• 79% of consumers will leave if the return process doesn't meet their expectations.
• 78% of Germans expect a delivery time of 2-3 days for standard shipping
• 35% of German consumers are willing to pay extra for environmentally friendly delivery
• 48% of German consumers consider online customer reviews to be highly beneficial.
• 83% of online shoppers value getting their parcels delivered by a shipping company with which they have already had good experiences.

German Parcel Delivery Market in 2025

Germany's courier, express, and parcel (CEP) market continues to grow steadily, driven by booming e-commerce and increasing B2C volumes.

• The market is projected to reach €34.95 billion by 2030, with a 2024 valuation of €20,5 billion+.
• Germans received an estimated 4.6 billion parcels in 2024, a recovery from post-pandemic declines.
• B2C shipments dominate, making up nearly two-thirds of all parcel traffic.
• Six providers (DHL, Hermes, DPD, GLS, UPS, and Amazon Logistics) account for 98% of all shipments in Germany.
  

• DHL leads the market with around 40% share, followed by Amazon 15-25%. Other carriers each hold between 7% and 15%.

  
  

Top 6 Parcel Delivery Companies in Germany

• Deutsche Post DHL
• Amazon
• Hermes
• DPD
• GLS
• UPS

These six shipping companies dominate the German e-commerce landscape. While this isn’t a ranking, each offers distinct advantages depending on your parcel volume, customer location, environmental priorities, and international scope.

Deutsche Post DHL

DHL remains the market leader in Germany, handling about 40% of the nation's parcel deliveries. With more than 29,000 pickup points, including 15,000+ Packstations, DHL continues to offer unmatched convenience.

Express delivery
Wide range of options including DHL Express Worldwide, Sameday services, and more.

CO2 Neutral Options
The parcel delivery service provider aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050. Among other things, the GoGreen environmental protection program offsets the greenhouse gases produced.

• All domestic shipments are carbon-neutral by default (GoGreen program).
• Surcharge for EU: €0.20 per parcel.
• Surcharge for international: €0.70.
  

Pick-up points
29,000 locations in Germany: Packstation, post office branch, DHL Paketshop or “Paketbox”.

Insurance
Standard parcels are insured up to €500.

International focus
Strong international focus and global expertise.

Advantages

• Wide range of services
  
• Shipment tracking
• Choice between:
  • slow & cheap
  • fast & expensive
• Attractive for fast-growing and internationally active companies, according to DHL.
• “Warenpost”/Kleinpaket allows small goods (max. 5cm x 25cm x 35.3cm) to be sent quickly (usually next-day delivery) and efficiently

• Customer service can be slow
• Prices often complicated

• DHL International Express
• DHL Euro Plus
• DHL Sameday Jetline
• DHL Sameday Sprintline
• DHL Express 9:00/10:30/12:00
• DHL Express Worldwide
• DHL Express Easy
• DHL Warenpost

Trustpilot rating (July 2025): 1.6 (56.000 reviews)

Amazon

Since launching its logistics arm in Germany in 2017, Amazon Logistics has grown rapidly to become one of the largest delivery networks in the country, now responsible for 15–25% of national parcel deliveries.

Express delivery
Offers same-day, next-day, and two-day delivery via Amazon Prime.
Delivery on Sundays and public holidays in select areas.

CO2 Neutral Options
Committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040 as part of The Climate Pledge.
Expanding fleet of electric delivery vans and renewable energy logistics hubs.

Pickup-Points
11,000+ pickup locations in Germany, including Amazon Lockers and partner stores.

Insurance
Standard consumer insurance applies. No additional parcel insurance for merchants outside FBA.

International focus
Strong international focus and global expertise.

Advantages

• Ultrafast delivery for Prime orders
• Highly integrated into the Amazon seller ecosystem
• Efficient for high-volume Amazon sellers
  

Disadvantages

• Exclusively available to Amazon sellers
• Limited flexibility and branding control
• Less suitable for multi-channel e-commerce
  

Trustpilot rating (July 2025): 1.6 (21000 reviews)

Hermes

Hermes, a subsidiary of the Otto Group, is a major player in Germany and one of the largest within the EU. With 17,000 parcel shops, it offers convenience, especially for domestic B2C.

CO2 Neutral Options
The environmental initiative "WE DO" exists, but Hermes lags behind competitors in actual carbon-neutral coverage.

Pick-up points
17,000 parcel shops in Germany.

Insurance
Standard parcels are insured up to €500.

International focus
Shipping to countries outside the EU (except the UK) is not possible with Hermes, but the parcel carrier is one of the most popular delivery companies in the UK. It is, therefore, true that Hermes is a strong player within Europe, while there are no offers beyond that area.

Advantages

• 95% of all incoming packages are delivered in the domestic market on the very next day
• Shipment tracking
• B2B service from 300 shipments p.a. at attractive prices
• Especially attractive for smaller online retailers
• 1st place in the price-performance category for courier, express, and parcel service providers 

• Parcels are relatively often returned without successful delivery
• Only EU-wide shipping + the UK
• Not the optimal shipping solution for large internationally active e-commerce companies
• Bringing up the rear in climate-neutral shipping

Delivery methods and services
Among others:

• Hermes NextDay
• Hermes International
• Hermes BorderGuru (cross-border e-commerce)

Trustpilot rating (July 2025): 1.2 (3.200 reviews)

DPD

DPD Germany is part of the DPDgroup under French La Poste. It serves about 10-12% of the German market and operates over 7,000 pickup shops. Incidentally, the company is one of the top parcel delivery companies in France.

Express delivery
National and international express services.

CO2 Neutral Options
Under the name "Driving Change" DPD has established a group-wide strategy for sustainable development within the company.
From 2012 to 2024, DPD shipped 100% climate-neutral. Since 2025, they don't do that in Germany anymore.

Pick-up points
7,000 parcel shops in Germany.

Insurance
Parcels insured up to €520.

International focus
With DPD it is possible to ship to certain countries outside the EU, such as the USA, still, the focus is clearly on shipping within Europe.

Advantages

• Sustainable and fast delivery
• Transparent size-based pricing
• Strong EU shipping options

• High additional costs for delivery on Saturdays

• DPD Air Classic
• DPD Air Express
• DPD PickUp 24
• DPD PickUp Express
• DPD PickUp Classic

Trustpilot rating (July 2025): 1.7 (370.000 reviews)

GLS

GLS (owned by Royal Mail) is Germany's third-largest courier. It operates over 5,500 pickup points and holds about 7-8% of the national parcel market.

Express delivery
Customers can use the ExpressParcel service to send parcels in the fastest way possible.

CO2 Neutral Options
Since 2019, GLS Germany has been delivering all parcels 100% climate-neutrally, both nationally and internationally. Further measures are being taken as part of the GLS KlimaProtect initiative.

Pick-up points
5.500 parcel shops in Germany.

Insurance
Parcels insured up to €750.

International focus
Not the best international network (delivery to "only" 23 countries in the EU + the USA and Canada).

Advantages

• High insurance limit.
• Fast shipping within EU.
• Simple pricing based on size.
• Climate-friendly provider
• Best Trustpilot rating among carriers in Germany

• Saturday delivery only in a few metropolitan areas
• Not an optimal solution for e-commerce retailers with large shipping volumes
• Comparatively few pick-up points

• GLS BusinessParcel
• GLS EuroBusinessParcel
• GLS ExpressParcel
• GLS FlexDeliveryService

Trustpilot rating (July 2025): 2.9 (57.800 reviews)

UPS

UPS is a global logistics leader with about 10-13% of the German market. It operates around 5,000 Access Points and delivers more than 6 billion parcels globally per year.

Express delivery
Fast solution with UPS Express.

CO2 Neutral Options
Like almost all companies in this sector, UPS is also increasingly focusing on climate neutrality. For this purpose, the UPS Foundation was established, however, the company is still lagging behind its competitors. UPS’s climate-neutral shipping comes with a flat rate surcharge of 12 cents.

Pick-up points
Approx. 5,000 parcel shops in Germany

Insurance
Parcels insured up to €510.

International focus
With 807 different airports served, UPS has a strong network around the world. Especially for exports to the USA, the parcel delivery company is ahead of its competitors. However, as their focus lies on the American market, their shipping services within Europe are not as compelling as those of some of their competitors.

Advantages 

• Extensive international network (especially strong in US exports)
• High reliability and speed
  

• Few pickup points in Germany
• Climate initiatives trail behind most European competitors

• UPS Express Critical – International
• UPS Worldwide Express Plus
• UPS Worldwide Express Shipping
• UPS Worldwide Saver, UPS Next Day Air
• UPS Worldwide Expedited
• UPS 2nd Day Air
• UPS Standard

Trustpilot rating (July 2025): 1.1 (19.200 reviews)

Conclusion

Whether you're seeking the reach of DHL, the speed of Amazon, the affordability of Hermes, the sustainability of DPD, the reliability of GLS, or the international power of UPS, Germany offers excellent shipping companies for every business model. Evaluate what matters most to your e-commerce operation: speed, price, eco-friendliness, international reach, or customer experience.

3PL and Order Fulfillment as an Efficient Solution

For merchants with hundreds of shipments per month, working with an established 3PL (third party logistics) provider like byrd can optimize your fulfillment process. By connecting your shop to a modern logistics network, you get access to automated order management, scalable warehouse infrastructure, and lower shipping rates from aggregated volumes.

By partnering with byrd, you gain:

• Seamless integration with your e-commerce system
• Access to multiple warehouses in Germany and across Europe
• Flexible use of different delivery carriers
• Greater resilience during seasonal peaks

This is how you scale smartly in Germany and beyond in 2025.

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