Shipping solution for online store - what is best?

[MarccNiee]

Hi,

I would like to find out what is the best (most cost efficient) solution for shipping my product globally.

I will be selling clothing (foldable - tshirts, longlseeves etc.). I am trying to establish what is the best way to send my items to UK / Europe / ROW.

My question is basically what options are available at the moment?

Is picking & packing fulfilment the best solution if I want my items be prepared for shipment and sent by a third party? Is this kind of fulfilment overpriced?

Thank you for the response in advance.

 

[Paul Norman]

I run two online stores, and from both we ship globally.

We ship from our own facility, and operate the dispatch ourselves.


For the lighter/smaller articles you list above we use Royal Mail, for both UK and most overseas locations - it is competitively priced and the success rate is equal to most other services. The tracking is a bit vague, however!

For larger parcels (over 1kg), such as shoes, badminton rackets, big multiple orders, we use DHL. We are content with the success of this arrangement, which has been in place for a few years now.

We hear good things about DPD, too, because their tracking system is very good.

 

[Mr D]

Hi,

I would like to find out what is the best (most cost efficient) solution for shipping my product globally.

I will be selling clothing (foldable - tshirts, longlseeves etc.). I am trying to establish what is the best way to send my items to UK / Europe / ROW.

My question is basically what options are available at the moment?

Is picking & packing fulfilment the best solution if I want my items be prepared for shipment and sent by a third party? Is this kind of fulfilment overpriced?

Thank you for the response in advance.

Best way or cheapest way?

Royal Mail are good in the UK. You can send overseas using it however the local postal service can be hit or miss.
France I give parcels 3 weeks to arrive, Spain I give that timescale in Madrid, longer in the countryside.
Quick delivery I'll use couriers as needed. UPS are my preferred carrier, not the cheapest.

 

[MarccNiee]

I run two online stores, and from both we ship globally.

We ship from our own facility, and operate the dispatch ourselves.


For the lighter/smaller articles you list above we use Royal Mail, for both UK and most overseas locations - it is competitively priced and the success rate is equal to most other services. The tracking is a bit vague, however!

For larger parcels (over 1kg), such as shoes, badminton rackets, big multiple orders, we use DHL. We are content with the success of this arrangement, which has been in place for a few years now.

We hear good things about DPD, too, because their tracking system is very good.

And how much do you pay for shipping for example to Spain / Germany? Also, how do you handle returns?

 

[MarccNiee]

Best way or cheapest way?

Royal Mail are good in the UK. You can send overseas using it however the local postal service can be hit or miss.
France I give parcels 3 weeks to arrive, Spain I give that timescale in Madrid, longer in the countryside.
Quick delivery I'll use couriers as needed. UPS are my preferred carrier, not the cheapest.

I am just a little bit confused, as when I am trying to get a quote for a posting an item (0.25kg) abroad with for example DHL, I am getting a price of around £15 and when the Pick & Pack fulfilment company is providing me with their shipping cost it comes up to for example £6. Do you know what might be the reason behind that?

 

[Kevin Nunn]

If you also want to add convenience to you life, integrating a shipping platform such as Shipstation into you website brings a wealth of convenience. it links in for tons of shopping carts and shipping providers and you will be able to host a tracking page for your customers and also send them notifications.

 

[Mr D]

I am just a little bit confused, as when I am trying to get a quote for a posting an item (0.25kg) abroad with for example DHL, I am getting a price of around £15 and when the Pick & Pack fulfilment company is providing me with their shipping cost it comes up to for example £6. Do you know what might be the reason behind that?

The company sending a hundred thousand items with the carrier? Well, much more than you.

There is usually some difference between the rate you can get as a casual user, the rate you can get if sending dozens of items a month with an account at the company, and the rate you can get with sending a truckload or more a day with the company.

 

[Martin Patfield]

Have a look at signing up with InXpress. They are effectively a courier broker and have access to lower rates due to the volumes they input into each courier network. It'll still be same courier collecting and delivering your goods, however it's InXpress and their staff who deal directly with the courier on your behalf.

 

[KevinRockett]

For shipping to USA/Canada I always recommend eTail-USA to my UK online seller Clients when I am asked via my consultancy business.

They are much cheaper than RM and their service is US domestic so it is possible display "Ships From New York" on the product listings at venues such as Amazon/eBay.

 

[Paul Norman]

And how much do you pay for shipping for example to Spain / Germany? Also, how do you handle returns?

Typically, to Europe, the postage is around the £10 mark, tracked and signed for. Obviously, that is for a small parcel.

I get returns sent back by the same method, usually.

 

[Anderz]

My supplier uses DHL for all UK business and its worked out for years

 

[Mike Godwin]

As already stated, there will be much lower shipping costs using a third party that receives large volume discounts from the courier companies, compared to yourself as only an occasional user. All couriers will discount their rates according to number of shipments & annual spend. VA Distribution are particulary strong in this area and can recommend them.