Best Shipping for Small Business

Shipping should be one of your highest priorities when investing in your small business website builder.

Shipping is essential no matter the nature or size of your business, but finding an economical shipping partner may prove challenging for smaller operations.

As such, we’ve compiled this article outlining the top shipping providers for small businesses and what key points should be considered when choosing one.

Considerations When Selecting Shipping Options

When selecting an optimal shipping solution for your small business, several key aspects must be considered to make an effective selection. 

1. Cost

When shipping products, your primary concern should always be the cost and how well it fits your budget.

Shipping expenses depend upon many variables, including package volume and size and their estimated delivery dates.

Before making any definitive decisions about shipping costs for your online store, always calculate and compare them in advance – shopping around is perfectly acceptable to find the most economical value!

2. Location

To choose an effective shipping provider, consider both your location and that of your customers when selecting one. Ensure your chosen provider can pick up items directly from you or drop them off at a nearby shipping point.

Consideration should also be given to where your customers reside. Not only must your provider operate and ship to that area, but you’ll need to determine how much and long it will cost them to transport their orders there.

3. Product Size

The size of your items plays an integral part in selecting the appropriate shipping provider. Certain companies impose size limits when they deliver packages, and additional fees may be assessed for larger packages.

Consider how your shipping provider delivers goods. If using a local or cross-country delivery van service, consider whether or not your items might exceed their capacity – though this should rarely happen with furniture sales!

4. Delivery Times

Do you offer same-day or next-day deliveries to your customers? If so, ensure your shipping provider can accommodate these deliveries as efficiently as possible.

5. Insurance Requirements

It is wise to secure your packages if something goes wrong during transit, though this can be expensive for small businesses. An alternative might be finding a third-party provider who can cover you against issues like lost and damaged parcels.

Transit insurance should always be considered when shipping high-value items – you can learn more about the various forms of e-commerce business insurance in our complete guide.

6. Item Type

When selecting your courier service provider, take into consideration both what kind of items will be being shipped as well as their type.

If your items are fragile and breakable, extra precautions such as adding more padding are essential. Furthermore, marking your box as weak will alert the shipping provider that it needs to be handled with extra care during transit.

Suppose you’re shipping perishable items like food. In that case, special precautions must be taken when shipping perishable products such as gel coolants or using a courier who guarantees fast and temperature-controlled delivery. Our beginner’s guide contains more useful e-commerce packaging tips.

7. Order Volume 

Finally, it is also critical to assess how many products will be shipped each month. While you might wait to reach Amazon-style ordering rates, considering these factors to ensure as many orders can be fulfilled each month is essential for long-term success.

As your new business gets underway, if your orders only consist of a handful of orders initially, it might make sense for you to package and send them yourself instead of visiting a post office for delivery.

Businesses anticipating high volumes of orders may find fulfillment centers an essential consideration.

Best Shipping Options for Small Businesses

What are my best shipping options for small businesses? Let’s look at some of the most renowned carriers to help you decide the right one. 

  USPS

One popular carrier option that may work is USPS – or, more commonly known by its acronym, USPS.

USPS offers superb shipping solutions for small businesses.

USPS provides shipping certificates for most deliveries, enabling you to track orders and prevent mistakes or misplaced parcels easily. They even offer home pickup if multiple trips to the post office become burdensome.

USPS transit times tend to take slightly longer than its rivals, and international shipping can become costly; so if selling products internationally and providing shipping is part of your plan,

   UPS

UPS is one of the premier business shipping providers, and for good reason. They are offering international shipping as well as order tracking software that makes answering customer inquiries about order status easy.

When shipping with UPS, there may be additional fees associated with international or weekend delivery services.

UPS does not offer a free pickup service. Fed-Ex Small Business Program

  FedEx

FedEx is a great shipping provider by offering temperature-controlled transport of perishable products like food. Businesses shipping such items may worry they won’t survive their journey intact. One of main selling points is temperature-controlled shipping, perfect for businesses shipping perishable items that must remain fresh during transit.

FedEx ships to more than 220 countries worldwide and is one of the most convenient shipping providers, boasting over 40,000 drop boxes worldwide.

FedEx charges pickup fees if you prefer having your orders collected; these costs can quickly add up if preferred.

DHL

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DHL operates in over 220 countries worldwide, serving 84,000 service points globally and offering international freight transport via roads, rail, air, and sea freight systems. It’s an ideal option for international shipping needs with its comprehensive global freight network that spans road transport, rail transport, air cargo delivery systems, and maritime shipping solutions.

Conclusion: Shipping for Small Business

Making the appropriate shipping choice for your small business is one of the most critical decisions you’ll face.

Though choosing a shipping supplier might be a challenging task, taking the time to find one suitable to you can increase the chances of your small business’s success.