It's critical to conduct a thorough study before making any expensive selections in light of the current inflation, especially if you're a small firm developing your shipping strategy for the first time. Ship a Package Cheaply.
Nowadays, customers demand quick, affordable (or free!) delivery alternatives after checkout, so choosing the fastest, most cost-effective ship a package might take a lot of time and effort. We have put up a straightforward guide on shipping costs, kinds, and carriers to make things simpler for you. This will allow you to easily compare prices and choose the best offer for your company plan and shipping strategy.
The cheapest way to ship a package: A beginner’s guide
Shipping prices are crucial because they affect whether or not a customer purchases your merchandise. Baymard Institute, an ecommerce research organization, discovered that roughly half of all online buyers abandon their carts because of additional fees (such as expensive shipping and taxes). Therefore, maintaining cheap pricing will surely be advantageous to your business. But how can you be sure that you always have the best shipping rates?
The weight and size of your shipment, how quickly it must be delivered, and the distance all affect how much shipping will cost. You must measure your package's dimensions and determine its weight before you can effectively calculate shipping charges.
Types of shipping options
Depending on your location and the speed at which you can deliver a package to its destination, there are many sorts of shipping methods to take into account.
- Flat-rate shipping: The weight or size of the product has no bearing on the delivery cost. Customers will pay a set flat charge based on a range of generic packaging sizes for each order.
- Free shipping: As part of the whole transaction, the vendor pays the shipping expenses.
- Real-time carrier rates: When this occurs, the precise shipping costs that carriers impose are automatically determined at checkout while accounting for the item's dimension, weight, and distance.
- Local shipping: Without employing a shipping service, an item is packaged and sent directly to the client.
- Pick-up: The consumer goes to a certain area to pick up their package.
- International shipping: utilized while shipping across the globe.
- Same-day delivery: The same day the consumer places the order, the order is delivered.
- Expedited shipping: any delivery technique that promises to reach its target more quickly than other standard delivery methods.
- Overnight delivery: The day after the consumer places the order, the order is delivered.
Any of these can be selected as one of your shipping options at the time of purchase because there isn't a single shipping strategy that works for all businesses. Others prioritize speed above price and make sure the delivery is delivered as soon as possible. Some (like flat-rate and free shipping) are wonderful because they help manage expectations and give transparency.
How to choose the right provider
Numerous carriers in the U.S. provide differing tariffs based on various needs. Shopify Shipping in the US includes special discounts with the USPS, UPS, and DHL Express, and many additional suppliers can be added through Shopify‘s many applications. Depending on your needs and region, shipping costs.
Every year, generally in January, shipping companies revise their service fees to reflect changes in inflation, taxes, and surcharges. To safeguard your bottom line and avoid any expensive surprises, it's critical to keep up with fluctuating shipping prices.
To help you evaluate costs and alternatives, we have created a list of shipping calculators with ecommerce shipping prices for some of the biggest and most well-known shipping companies. You can pay for USPS, UPS, DHL Express, Canada Post, and Sendle shipping choices and get pre-negotiated pricing if you're a Shopify business headquartered in the US or Canada. Here are some pricing examples.
- USPS – Shipping Calculator
- FedEx – Shipping Calculator
- Canada Post – Shipping Calculator
- UK Royal Mail – Shipping Calculator
- Australia Post – Shipping Calculator
- UPS – Shipping Calculator
- Sendle – Shipping Calculator
The price of each delivery will vary depending on the alternatives each supplier offers and the factors of distance, size, and weight. In this essay, we'll concentrate on how to mail a product for the least amount of money overall. The costs shown below are only estimates. As an alternative, you may use Shopify Shipping to evaluate shipping costs and save up to 88% on all related carriers.
What is the cheapest way to ship a small package?
Any envelope, box, or poly mailer that weighs less than 4.5 lbs is typically referred to as a “little package”. There will be different standards for what constitutes “little” for each carrier. Most carriers will provide a selection of fundamental rules.
The chart below shows the least expensive domestic shipping options for tiny packages with dimensions of 6 inches in length, 3 inches in height, and 1/4 inch in thickness (6 x 3 x 0.25). The box might be up to 5 lbs. heavy.
| Provider | Service | Time | Prices start at: |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Priority Mail | 1-3 Business Days | $8.25 |
| UPS | UPS Simple Rate | 5 Business Days | $9.45 |
| DHL Express | DHL Express Calculator | 1-5 Business Days | $50.20 |
| FedEx | FedEx One Rate | 1-3 Business Days | $10.80 |
| Sendle | Sendle Standard | 1-3 Business Days | $9.40 |
What is the cheapest way to ship a large package?
A large package might mean different things to different couriers. The maximum package limits for the top shipping providers are shown below:
- USPS: Package weights cannot exceed 70 lbs. Packages typically have a maximum overall length and girth of 108″.
- UPS: Package weight is limited to 150 lbs. Packages can have a total length and girth of up to 165″.
- DHL Express: Accept no shipments weighing more than 3000 kg or having a length more than 300 cm.
- FedEx: Shipments might weigh up to 150 lbs. 165″ in length plus girth, or up to 108″ long.
- Sendle: To qualify for Sendle, a standard-sized package must not exceed 22 inches on all sides, have a total length and circumference of 108 inches or less, and not exceed 864 cubic inches or weigh more than 20 pounds.
The list that follows is for a typical heavy package that is 12 1/4″ x 12 1/4″ x 6″ and weighs up to 35 lbs.
| Provider | Service | Time | Prices start at: |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Priority Mail – Large Flat Rate Box | 1-3 Business Days | $19.20 |
| UPS | Flat Rate Shipping – UPS Simple Rate | 1-5 Business Days | $19.60 |
| DHL Express | DHL Express Calculator | 1-3 Business Days | $146.53 |
| FedEx | FedEx One Rate | 1-3 Business Days | $24.20 |
| Sendle | Sendle Standard | 1-3 Business Days | $19.50 |
What is the cheapest way to ship packages internationally?
Numerous couriers calculate their shipment charges abroad based on international import zones. The least expensive international shipping rates are always for shipments to Canada, with costs rising as a package's distance from origin increases. Despite this, the cost of international shipping varies greatly depending on the nations you reside in and the nations you are sending your goods to.
| Provider | Service | Time | Prices start at: |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Priority Mail International Flat Rate | 6-10 Business Days | Starts at $28.13 |
| UPS | UPS Express Saver | 1-3 Business Days | $26 (Zone 1) – $72.50 (Zone 7) |
| DHL Express | DHL Express Worldwide | End of the earliest business day | $77.46 (US to Europe, up to 10kg) |
| FedEx | FedEx Global One Rate Economy | 2-5 Business Days | From $35.36 (Zone A, up to 0.5kg) |
| Sendle | ـــــ | ـــــ | ـــــ |
Best rates for 2-3 day delivery
- The least expensive shipping option for lightweight items is USPS First Class, with pricing starting at $4.50 for 2–5 day delivery.
- With costs starting at $8.70 for 1-3 day delivery, USPS Priority Mail is also the least expensive option for bigger shipments.
- Only items weighing up to 13 oz are covered by First Class. The best bargain is found in USPS Fixed Charge boxes, which allow you to send things weighing up to 70 pounds for a reasonably modest flat rate.
- Similar to the USPS Flat Rate boxes, FedEx also offers a One Rate box for shipping items to Canada. For three-day shipping, FedEx small boxes cost $12.05, while extra-large goods cost up to $39.10 for each item.
Best rates for next-day delivery
When time is of the essence and you need to transport your goods as soon and safely as possible, next-day shipping is your best friend. Although all significant carriers have next-day delivery alternatives, USPS remains the most affordable choice, with normal prices starting at $26.95.
Competitive next-day pricing is also provided by UPS Next Day Air Saver, which starts at $29.66 and delivers by the end of the next day. If the delivery address is within 150 miles, FedEx Standard Overnight pricing for the following day begins at $31.22.
Save on shipping costs with Shopify Shipping
With Shopify Shipping, Shopify retailers may now reduce their shipping expenses, resulting in quicker order fulfillment. From your Shopify dashboard, you can easily manage items, clients, stock, and shipping. You may swiftly ship off large items by purchasing shipping labels, printing numerous labels at once, and doing so. Merchants may transfer goods safely throughout the world and save up to 88% on shipping expenses within the United States.
Shopify Shipping makes it simpler to provide consumers with free or flat-rate shipping at the checkout by giving you pre-negotiated reductions on rates from USPS, UPS, and DHL Express. With automatically created customs paperwork and discounts on international shipping, you may simply reach consumers abroad.
Although USPS offers the most affordable service overall, it has had trouble meeting demand in recent years. Other shipping firms are now providing an alternate service that may be more dependable and may be worth paying a little bit more for.
Tips to keep shipping costs down
There are a few strategies small businesses may employ to keep shipping costs low and prevent them from hindering their performance, even if negotiating prices and researching couriers will help you develop a successful shipping plan.
Use the right-sized packaging, Because you don't want to transport your goods by air all over the place, use boxes that are the right size and weight for your products.
Be economical about materials, Since cardboard is heavy, wherever possible substitute a poly mailer or other lightweight packing. Air pillows, packing paper, bubble wrap, foam inserts, Versa Pak wadding rolls, and excelsior are further lightweight possibilities.
Use flat-rate shipping where possible, The most economical option is usually always flat-rate shipping, particularly for domestic deliveries. You can more precisely forecast prices with flat-rate delivery. No matter what sort of parcel you have, its size or weight, the cost will remain constant.
Offer local delivery and pick-up. By far, Local delivery, or even better, pick-up, is the least expensive delivery option. Local delivery service is a fantastic method for small companies to reach nearby clients, increase sales, and give a fantastic customer experience.
Finding the least expensive shipping method could initially need some trial and error, especially as you become used to all the alternatives, delivery options, couriers, and the sources of the bulk of your sales. You'll start to spend less time filling orders and more time expanding your business once you have a sound shipping plan in place and shipping rates that benefit both you and your customers.
