Shipping Products Online
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David
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February 20th, 2012
Shipping products online is a very important part of selling products and selecting a shipping provider is probably the most important part of this. Choosing a shipping provider isn't as easy as saying I'm going to ship with the USPS and moving forward.
You're going to need to decide what you're going to use to print shipping labels, are you going to provide tracking, will you add a handling fee, will you ship enough to negotiate better rates, etc. There are quite a few options to choose from and hopefully the information below helps your decision.
How To Choose A Shipping Provider
This is a difficult decision to make because each provider is going to offer something different. Your best bet is to decide the quantity of packages that you feel that you'll be shipping and go from there.
The rates will vary between providers along with the software that they offer. Most will provide tracking which is very important because if you can't locate a package you'll probably have to resend it on your dime.
I've broken down the top 3 providers that I've worked with and list the advantages and disadvantages of each.
USPS - United States Postal Service
The USPS is the same service that you use to send envelopes. They've come a long way with their online capabilites but they are definitely still playing catch-up.
Some of the advantages of the USPS are:
- Affordability - The rates to ship via the USPS are by far the lowest.
- Packaging - If you decide to ship via Priority, the USPS will provide you with boxes free of charge.
- Flat Rate - If you're shipping heavy items you can select a flat rate shipping. This is convenient because regardless of weight the rate stays the same as long as your items fit in their standard boxes.
- Convenience - You probably have a local branch very near you so dropping packages off won't be hard to do.
- Saturday Delivery - Just like the regular mail, the USPS will deliver on Saturdays which can get your packages to your customers quicker.
Some of the disadvantages of the USPS are:
- Functionality - The USPS system for printing labels isn't the easiest. There are services out there that make it a bit easier but it's nothing like the software provided by the other companies.
- Tracking - The USPS doesn't provide a true tracking system. For a fee you can track it to the point of 'was it delivered or not' but you don't have the capability to find out the scheduled delivery date or where the package is currently at.
I mentioned that there is software available to make the label printing task easier. I use Endicia as it's directly integrated with the USPS system so you can verify addresses before printing a label plus they offer a discounted rate on shipping for certain shipping types.
UPS - United Parcel Service
UPS is the provider that I use for my website BBQFans.com and have found that it works best with my shopping cart provider. The have an application called Worldship that will automatically print your shipping labels by importing a file that contains all of your shipments. It allows you to literally print 100's of labels at once.
Some of the advantages of the USPS are:
- Convenience - Once you are shipping a certain number of packages a day you can setup daily pickup where UPS will come to your location to pick up your shipments.
- Tracking - UPS provides in-depth tracking which allows your customers to track where their order is at.
- Technology - As I mentioned UPS offers Worldship that makes printing your shipping labels extremely easy.
- Negotiated Rates - If you meet certain thresholds in regards to the dollar value that you ship you can speak with your UPS rep and discuss negotiated rates. You can either pass the savings on or use it to make a bit more money per sale.
Some of the disadvantages of the USPS are:
- Cost - Rates for shipping are a bit higher than the USPS but they do give you tracking which can make up for the difference just in lost packages alone.
- Saturday Delivery - UPS only delivers Monday through Friday. They do offer Saturday delivery but they charge a premium for this service.
Fed Ex
Unfortunately this is a provider that I can't give any information on. I've never used Fed Ex, not for any particular reason though. I've been extremely happy with UPS so I haven't had to consider another provider.
I mentioned it so that you at least consider them as a provider.
Shipping Internationally
Shipping internationally is a completely different topic in itself. When you ship internationally you need to be familiar with duty fees, broker fees, etc.
It's recommended that if you intend to ship internationally that you check with each provider as I'm sure you'll find differences. This can only be decided by what your needs are and what the providers have to offer.
Webmaster Forum
I invite you to visit my webmaster forum, it's a great place to discuss websites and ask questions to fellow webmasters regarding topics that you may still have questions on.