How to Select The Right Shipping Method for Your Store?

1. Type of Products

The first factor you need to consider is what type of product you will be selling. You should consider the sizing and weight of your products. What’s the difference in size and weight from your smallest, lightest SKUs to your largest, heaviest SKUs? And you should carefully examine the size and weight restrictions, shapes, and offered services when reviewing different shipping methods. Some shipping methods may not be shipping very expensive or fragile items. And some may have certain restrictions like UPS have a weight limit of 150lbs (68kg) and shipping restrictions for products of certain sizes. Shipping large products that exceed the weight and size limit of certain shipping methods are subject to additional charges or special pricing.

2. Destination

If you plan to ship products both nationally and internationally, your store will need to incorporate both international and local shipping methods. It’s a necessity to combine both international and national shipping methods to ensure your packages can make it to your desired destination on time.

3. Time

It’s important for you to review the expected time of delivery from local and international shipping methods. Customers have great demand for timely demands. They want to know when to expect their package and have it delivered to them fast. For local shipment, you may include same-day shipping at a slightly more expensive rate to present your customers with the convenience of additional options. And for international shipments, you may be looking at a period of three days to two weeks, depending on the countries and shipping methods involved.

4. Cost

The shipping cost is mainly related to the size and weight of products, destination, as well as the shipping method. And for the same product to the same destination, the shipping method will have a decisive effect on cost. If you want to offer free shipping, the shipping cost will be especially crucial for computing profits and potential losses. It is necessary to find the right shipping method that provides services at a favorable price so that you can offer your customers the best shipping rates which will also secure their trust and loyalty.

5. Reputation

You can research the shipping method’s tracking record to see if it has a good reputation and can rely on it. In case that you choose a shipping carrier based on their cheap rates alone, but end up in deep waters that an item gets lost or delivery is delayed. Conduct a background check by reading FAQs and user reviews to learn which shipping methods have the least history of losing items and delaying packages. You can also find out additional benefits it offers and what other users think of it.

6. Tracking Services

It’s a remarkable sign to choose a shipping method with remarkable tracking services. Most reputable shipping companies have a website where customers can use the tracking numbers to check on the package’s delivery status including sent out, already delivered, on the way, or have been delayed as well as the locations of the packages so they can be tracked at all times. It’ll also allow you to monitor deliveries and easily coordinate with customers if a shipping or delivery concern arises.

7. Insurance

If insurance is an essential shipping feature for your store and products, take some time to compare shopping methods to find one that offers an affordable rate. The insurance generally doesn’t cost much but will bring peace of mind to both merchants and customers.

The Most Common Shipping Methods

1. ePacket

EPacket is a popular shipping method to ship items that are under 2 kilograms from China conveniently. It can ship to 35 countries in the world and must originate in China. The price for the parcel will depend on the weight of the item and the destination the item shipped to. Its shipping time is generally faster than most other methods originating from China. Most often, customers receive their packages in 10 days, with 20 days being on the slower end. You can track your ePacket item.

However, it is still a Postal Service which means that it can be affected by many political factors as postal strikes, postal treaty. So there are often variables depending on where the package is sent.

2. AliExpress Packaging Service

AliExpress Packaging Service is typically free if you droshipping from AliExpress unless the customer pays for premium shipping. In some cases, the site may charge customers $1-$3 to use the service. A customer can pay $8-$10 extra to have the package get to their home as quickly as possible. It offers the customer the option to track the package and is fairly accurate.

However, there are some problems. They use several shipping services include Singapore Post,  Posti Finland, Correos, DHL, Direct Link, and SPSR instead of one standard shipment service which makes shipping time vary immensely. And its delivery is quite slow that customers receive their packages in 20 business days, even 6 weeks.

3. China Post

China Post is China’s Official Postal Service and is tied in with China EMS. It is a very common delivery service due to the fact that it is often the cheapest for the shipper, especially for companies who offer free shipping.

If you’re in China and speak Mandarin, it might actually be a good solution for you. And you can track packages online and call a help number to speak to a live person.

However, it is bad to ship internationally for it offers no help in English which makes it difficult to inquire about a package. And China Post will switch packages to a different carrier once it leaves China which causes even further confusion about where the package actually is. And it is often incredibly slow that customers receive their packages in 4 weeks, even 8 weeks.