Introduction
The extra cost is resulting from the carrier charging by size rather than weight surprises eCommerce companies and merchants when they send their first large boxes. However, this dimensional weight (DIM weight) might occasionally result in a considerable price rise that will hurt profitability.
Other than flat-rate items, carriers like USPS, FedEx, and UPS will compute DIM weight on every package you ship and charge you most of the traditional or DIM weight pricing. These expenses appear to increase annually, and calculations alter.
So, eCommerce firms have no other way to adjust and alter how they pack products before shipment.
So below are the ways you can bring into practice to cut extra shipping costs based on the dimensional weight charges.
Test various infills and fillings
The infill can significantly impact your efforts to preserve your items. Kraft paper is versatile and lightweight when you’re just trying to keep objects from moving. It is also inexpensive and recyclable.
When you need more protection, bubble wrap and air pillows are becoming more popular since they provide extra cushions without adding weight. Because they are light and thin, foam wraps are also an excellent replacement. In addition, shredded cardboard can give extra security to fragile items without adding any tape weight or bulk.
In this circumstance, reusable packaging provides numerous options. Check to ensure that you comply with any industry-specific reuse rules.
Check the durability and security of your items. Then, determine how much of each filler is required to provide that. Furthermore, you may be able to convert it to a lighter material for the same or less money. However, you may discover that one approach provides superior protection and that requiring less of it allows you to work with a smaller enclosure.
You should also inspect your merchandise rapidly to determine if anything has changed because some savings can be hidden by reducing the amount required inside a box.
Resizing the packing structure
Packing plays a pivotal role during shipment. First, choosing an appropriate box to place your products is better because selecting a large package for small products can consume more space and amount. And in most cases, you’ll end up spending more on these types of pointless expenses.
In another way, you can also prefer procuring a package dimension scanner as it calibrates packages’ dimensions and weight information in a jiff. So, with the right DIM details, you can effortlessly organize your box.
You can make minor changes to reduce the overall size by a couple of inches to eliminate DIM-centric issues. Then, using a dimensional weight calculator, you can look at how different box shapes and sizes for the same weight affect the pricing.
It’s necessary to look over these alternatives and variations. A change may occasionally only affect one or two carriers. So, now that you’ve dealt with the outside, it’s time to look inside.
Separate the Orders
Checking to see whether you can separate things or shipments and send them in separate boxes is an easy-peasy way to examine savings. For example, if a noticeably big, light object, such as a bike frame, can be folded or dismantled and transported in two boxes, you may be able to reduce box sizes considerably.
This unusual event usually only applies to extremely lightweight products, but some businesses have found success.
There is also an unsaid benefit to this. If you plan for this type of shipment while processing orders from multiple warehouses, you may be able to control expenses better. Say, for instance, suppose you have an order for four products, but only three of them are at your primary warehouse. You could simply ship the item from your secondary warehouse. Alternatively, suppose you’ve previously investigated dividing up shipments. In that case, you may be aware that combining three products from one location with one item from another can result in fewer boxes being required, resulting in a lower overall shipping cost.
You may wish to consider WMS and other tools that can assist you automate these decisions by comparing pricing and shipment dates. However, you may save money and be able to provide orders to teams as quickly as possible, preventing them from testing or having fit problems.
In essence, you can also employ a package dimension scanner integrated with your WMS to input and record all product-centric information and track the product during the shipment without a hitch.
Think about third-party services
Third-party logistics (3PL) firms that specialize in eCommerce and retail fulfillment can support your operations while keeping expenses under control.
A 3PL can save money in various ways, including minimizing labor expenses and charging only for your storage space. Their greatest advantage for DIM weight, though, is their company volume. As a result of consistently meeting high load and freight needs, sending several shipments daily, and delivering numerous goods, 3PLs can negotiate better terms with carriers.
Since it gives them a competitive edge over you carrying out your own fulfillment, the majority pass those savings through to you. They also have the software and other resources to optimize lane and box selection, ensuring that your customers receive your products promptly and for the lowest possible price. When you start delivering with fully automated partners, you have the best choice right away because they do this by default.
It’s crucial to get in touch with suppliers, especially when it comes to DIM weight pricing. You can save a lot of money by working with a partner. Or, at the very least, they might be able to suggest tools and procedures that will enable you to save money now while your company expands.
Flat Rates must be taken into account
Because their approaches differ from other procedures, organizations may miss out on more evident savings opportunities. As a result, if you have various products and orders, take some time to explore your flat rate options.
USPS’s Priority Mail Flat Rate and Regional Rate options are designed to make shipping easier for USPS while potentially saving you money. The priority Mail Fixed Rate, for example, is a flat cost depending on box size, regardless of how far the product travels. As a result, you may regularly be able to fit items in medium and large boxes, thus saving your money on DIM weight charges.
Conclusion
DIM charges can be a huge nightmare for almost all eCommerce shippers. Therefore, considering the above-listed practices, it would be best to try to cut extra costs during shipment. You can also look into a package dimension scanner as these dimensioning types of equipment can help you calibrate the dimensional information of all shaped parcels, so you would know exactly which sort of items would fit into different boxes based on the package attributes.
Is acquiring accurate DIM information your main priority? The vMeasure parcel Ultima package dimension scanner is a one-stop dimensioning solution for all your DIM-centric issues, so you should check it out.
