Best shipping solution for new ecommerce business?

[Miller_K]

My husband and I are planning to start a fitness equipment and accessories retailer (Miller Fitness Equipment), and sell across UK mainly, and possibly Europe/US.

Some items will be sold via a drop-shipping service from suppliers we’ve contacted (mainly the really big items), but for small to medium size products, we plan on buying these in which means that we’ll get a large discount, and we will send these ourselves.

We are looking into shipping solutions like Ship Station, Shippo and In Xpress. Does anyone have experience working with companies like these? (in a similar way to our planned venture)? What are the pros and cons? Any hidden charges? Easiest to use for someone just starting out? And/or does anyone know of a better company maybe we’re not aware of?

Thank you in advance for any help and advice you can offer us.

Karen.

 

[Deleted member 335660]

Hi Karen,

I have no experience of these shipping methods, I just use DHL for Europe. Royal Mail for UK and UPS for USA.

Personally I would focus in UK first and see how it goes, you’ll get bogged down with Brexit issues for Europe.

 

[WaveJumper]

DPD and UPS however suggest you do some homework with the main shippers as you may find they have weight restrictions on the consignments and you will need to use more specialist type shippers and movers who tackle heavier loads, also have a chat with those who are drop shipping for you

 

[Lawson@CBF]

The Royal Mail is starting to make a play for the Hermes/Yodel type consignments. Tracked 24/48 services can now be up to 30kg. There will always be volume restrictions from any courier, but large gym equipment I would recommend sending via a Two-man lift dedicated service. I'm guessing the value of the goods is high in most cases so you don't want them being mistreated by the Next Day shippers and their conveyor belt processes.

I've seen what they can do to e-bikes and Hi-fi equipment even when packed correctly. They all have claims processes, but it's an arduous task to get them to payout.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Despite being working in the industry I have never even heard of those companies that the OP mentioned and I not searched them as it might increase my electric bill ! . One can only assume that these are parcel resellers and they are they last thing you need if shipping large quantities daily . !
As mentioned above it would be best to use the main companies direct .
Where you may be sending different sizes and weights it would be advisable to use different carriers that offer the best price for a particular size /weight
Deal direct with the parcel companies and dont use any of these resellers

 

[japancool]

I used InXpress a long time ago. They're a parcel reseller, but from memory, they offered better rates for DHL than I could get myself.

 

[AlanJ1]

Despite being working in the industry I have never even heard of those companies that the OP mentioned and I not searched them as it might increase my electric bill ! . One can only assume that these are parcel resellers and they are they last thing you need if shipping large quantities daily . !
As mentioned above it would be best to use the main companies direct .
Where you may be sending different sizes and weights it would be advisable to use different carriers that offer the best price for a particular size /weight
Deal direct with the parcel companies and dont use any of these resellers

They are but they aren't.

We use Ship Station. It allows us to pull orders from all marketplaces (we have over 15) and print pick-lists and labels. It allows us to set rules up to specify which order goes with which carrier based on price, weight etc.

It does however sell shipping services on-top if you didn't have an account with a carrier. But they link into your account with all the majors.

Saved me thousands in labour / time by using them to be honest.

 

[Jacob Evans]

Yeah I wouldn't suggest DHL, there are several others with better rates

 

[crabnomad]

Been using FedEx, the service is good but not the pricing.

 

[Adam Le Grand]

Quite simply.. Stay away from UPS.

Parcelforce are good for items up to 30kgs.
DPD probably have the most comprehensive service but their prices have gone up sharply of late.
I'd recommend a Dedicated service for the larger items. I work in eCommerce fulfilment and have seen first hand what courier networks do to large items - it is not a pretty and the claims processes are not fun either.

Yes, a dedicated service may be slightly more expensive but I can assure you, if you find a reliable one, they are worth their weight in gold.