Shipping Preferences
Preferences are defaults, not a lock. Each label can still use a different service. Defaults save time for the lane you run most days. Alerts tell you when a scan is an exception or a delivery, so you do not have to poll tracking.
What each default does
Default service pre-selects Express Overnight, Ground, or International Export on Create a Shipment. It does not upgrade a Ground carton to Express if you forget to look. Default packing records whether you usually use your own carton or a Vandelta box; it does not order supplies by itself.
Email and SMS alerts use the addresses and numbers on the account. They fire on exception (delay, address, customs) and on delivery. They do not replace Claims Center. Quiet hours are not offered on exception alerts; a customs hold can post at night.
Account versus this browser
This form stores choices in this browser until you sign in. After sign-in, the same fields live on the account and apply to every user you authorize, unless that user overrides them. Change packing rules here if you switch from envelopes to cartons for a season, then change them back.
Related: Create a Shipment and Cookie Settings for how this browser stores data.