With the threat of the UPS strike behind us and the increased costs of the new contract surely to be passed on to customers, it may be time to review your shipping options on your website, eBay store, Etsy store, Amazon, or Paypal options. Each place you can buy postage will more than likely have different rates for each of the major shipping companies.
Among the rewards of growing an eBay store to preferred seller status is a bigger discount on shipping through USPS. This discount may not be passed on if you use one of the other options; UPS or FedEx. And you are always at risk of losing your discount at the whim of a buyer who misunderstands your store policies.
Comparing the options for a website can be an enormously daunting task and it is better to go with one vendor for convenience as each vendor will require special programming with an app that must be approved and tested through the chosen vendor. Here are a few links to help you on your quest through the options:
Showing posts with label shipping costs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shipping costs. Show all posts
Monday, May 6, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Shipping USPS---New Changes
Effective today Postal rates go up. And there are many other changes that make life more complicated for online retailers and sellers. Today if you go to the USPS site to buy postage you will no longer be able to purchase Parcel Post. In fact Parcel Post no longer exists. Instead the USPS has 2 items to choose from; one is Standard Post---an option only available at the Post Office---you can not buy this product online. This option is for the small business shipper. Small shipper is defined as anything less than 50 piece per shipment.
For a 50 piece or more per shipment you can choose Parcel Select. This option is available today on the Amazon.com website, however, Parcel Select is still being worked out on the eBay website leaving those customers little option except to use another service like UPS ground. If you've got your own shop and want to offer USPS select you'll need to contact the postal service. And from some reports information varies from Post Office to Post Office---even their own staff is confused and uninformed of the rules. The USPS Website provides limited information too. There are no links to assist businesses to come on board with Parcel Select. It's almost as if the USPS doesn't want that business and is advertising for UPS.
A quick comparison of rates shows that UPS may be a better solution too. I used Amazon's handy postage calculator to do a comparison of shipping packages of different rates and sizes from Northwest Indiana to Virginia this morning and this is how rates compared:
For a 50 piece or more per shipment you can choose Parcel Select. This option is available today on the Amazon.com website, however, Parcel Select is still being worked out on the eBay website leaving those customers little option except to use another service like UPS ground. If you've got your own shop and want to offer USPS select you'll need to contact the postal service. And from some reports information varies from Post Office to Post Office---even their own staff is confused and uninformed of the rules. The USPS Website provides limited information too. There are no links to assist businesses to come on board with Parcel Select. It's almost as if the USPS doesn't want that business and is advertising for UPS.
A quick comparison of rates shows that UPS may be a better solution too. I used Amazon's handy postage calculator to do a comparison of shipping packages of different rates and sizes from Northwest Indiana to Virginia this morning and this is how rates compared:
So it looks like it pays to ship packages 10 lbs and over UPS. Add the free insurance that you receive on some UPS shipments and it looks as if even if you can go the Parcel Select route it really isn't worth the trouble. It's a great time to rethink your shipping especially if you've been using Parcel Post---an option no longer conveniently available.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Sooner or Later You'll Need to Ship
If you have a small business sooner or later you'll need to ship. You will soon discover that fees are all over the place, regulations are many and can be difficult to wade through, and service can be non existent.
After several years of experience, my shipping company of choice is still the good old USPS. Nothing beats the Postal Service's prices, the service, once you're out of the post office, is reliable and consistent, and most rules and regulations are easily found on their website.
Just about everyone can come up with a horror story on any shipping service, but I don't have one yet on the USPS. They won't leave something with a neighbor. They won't leave a package on the doorstep. They will only get a signature from an intended recipient.
And I'm currently finding why UPS gives up to $100 in insurance free on their shipments.
Stay tuned...more to follow.
After several years of experience, my shipping company of choice is still the good old USPS. Nothing beats the Postal Service's prices, the service, once you're out of the post office, is reliable and consistent, and most rules and regulations are easily found on their website.
Just about everyone can come up with a horror story on any shipping service, but I don't have one yet on the USPS. They won't leave something with a neighbor. They won't leave a package on the doorstep. They will only get a signature from an intended recipient.
And I'm currently finding why UPS gives up to $100 in insurance free on their shipments.
Stay tuned...more to follow.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Calculating that shipping
I recently reviewed the current site for a potential client who was setting up for online commerce. The prices of the products were more than reasonable compared to similar products available. The shipping listed was astronomically low; low enough to generate substantial loses. The client was a local business heading for a successful online business...with a few tweaks.
All the major shippers; Fed-X, UPS, even the USPS, have handy aps that can be added to a website to calculate shipping costs. Ask your Web Consultant to add them to your e-commerce site.
All the major shippers; Fed-X, UPS, even the USPS, have handy aps that can be added to a website to calculate shipping costs. Ask your Web Consultant to add them to your e-commerce site.
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