Shipping discounts are everywhere. If you have an ecommerce business, of course, you should not be paying retail shipping rates as it may affect your profit margin. Today, there are many low-cost shipping options apart from getting discounts from major carriers worldwide, you can acquire them by carrier negotiations and shipping softwares.
The light problem especially for online business is that, it can be difficult for online retailers to get discounts on shipping rates - someone has to pay for the actual shipping costs, and retailers can’t always find a way to include it in the price of an item and still be competitive with other retailers at the same time.
So in effect, many online retailers have to take the cons and take the cut from their profit margins. We’d like to help you sort that idea out by sharing with you so many shipping carrier discounts that may be helpful to your business.
Before we get started, it is very important to know that every big player carrier offers shipping discounts. You just have to check with each carrier once in a while which ones are appropriate for shipment of a particular package and service. While discounts change from time to time, here are some current pricing tips that you may want to know and maybe take advantage of.
CHEAP RATES BASED ON SHIPPING SPEED
2-3 Day Shipping - best works with USPS Priority Mail. Although FedEx and UPS Ground/Home Service offer similar delivery times, USPS offers the lowest rate for this type of delivery service. The two would only offer competitive rates if the package weighs more than 10 lbs.
Next day Shipping - Overnight/Next Day delivery is where FedEx and UPS start to offer acceptable rates over USPS. UPS Next Day Air Saver® and FedEx Standard Overnight® are the best choice for expedited shipping.
Next Day AM Shipping - Relative to the above choice, UPS and FedEx offer guarantee delivery by noon on the following day. The best services are: FedEx Priority Overnight® (by noon), FedEx First Overnight® (by 10:00 am), UPS Next Day Air® (by noon), UPS Next Day Air® Early (by 10:00 am). Although the two carriers don’t vary that far.
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING OPTIONS
Standard Delivery - USPS Priority Mail International offers the best rates. But take note that there is no specific time for the arrival to its destination so it would take weeks for the estimated delivery.
Fast Delivery - UPS Priority Mail Express International typically is the best preferred by some as it offers best rates. However, FedEx may offer competitive rates and delivery timeframes with their Economy International Service.
Expedited Delivery - FedEx International Priority® offers on top over UPS Worldwide Express®.
PACKAGE SIZES
Depending on the size of the parcel, the shipping rates vary. The more space the package would take off a container, the fewer the parcel the carrier can transport at once. You have to take note of what they call: dimensional weight. So whichever is higher, they rate you according to space it consumes over weight.
Best for Small Package - Generally, USPS offers the best rates for small packages even if you’re shipping First Class Mail, Media Mail, Priority Mail Package or Flat Rate.
Best Option Under 1 Pound Shipment - USPS First Class Mail is the most affordable shipping option for parcels weighing under 16 oz.
Under 10 Pounds Shipment - USPS Priority Mail is the best option as this is the most affordable offer. However if under 16 OZ, USPS First Class Mail works best here.
Heavy Packages - FedEx Ground typically offers the best option for domestic parcels that’s over 15lbs.
NO TO SURCHARGES!
To add reduced shipping rates, Ezeeship.com users also avoid certain surcharges, saving you even more money. Well, we just have to follow certain guidelines. You can always reach out to our customer service for the complete information and interaction on the guidelines prior to sending the packages over.
BLENDED SERVICES
An advantage to using FedEx and UPS is being able to access blended services. They call it Hybrid Services. It’s where either FedEx or UPS pick the parcel up but ends in USPS final delivery. These are cost-effective since this allows you to get around added costs such as residential and or delivery charges since they are delivered to mailboxes/PO Boxes. These are comparable in rates and estimated delivery to USPS Standard Priority services.
Common blended services:
FedEx Smartpost - A contract-based service that combines FedEx Ground with USPS.
SHIPPING INSURANCE
Under any circumstance, insurance is the main extra cost that you don’t want to pay for until you have experienced it. But even still, there’s no need to pay more for it than needed. Take note that, many services offer a default coverage for insured values under a certain price. And third parties can be a significantly more affordable option.
Default Insured Values
By the way, an advantage of offering free shipping through USPS is that it’s the only domestic carrier that can ship to PO Boxes or mailboxes. As a result, home deliveries do not accrue delivery surcharges the way that FedEx and UPS does. This can add up to $5 for a package’s delivery fees.
USING MULTIPLE CARRIERS
Many online retailers have come to choose sending their shipments using multiple carriers. In this way, they can get the best discounts based on size, weight, girth, shipping method and destination of the packages. Shipping softwares can help you make this process so easy. Ezeeship, for example, supports all major shipping carriers and allows you to select a variety of shipping carriers and can even get estimated rates before deciding to create and print labels. You’ll be able to real-time rates for each carrier and services just to make sure you are taking advantage of the best pricing.
Want to learn more about how Ezeeship.com can help your business save both time, effort and money especially on shipping fulfillment, check out below:
Email: support@ezeeship.com
Tel: US office: +1 323 515 9683
China office: +86 (0731) 8513 - 3680
Comments