Shipping products successfully is one of the most important aspects of the customer experience. Shoppers expect to pay as little as possible for shipping, receive their order quickly, and find all their products in perfect condition.

For order fulfillment, choosing the right shipping method and cooperating with trustworthy carriers is of the utmost importance.

What is a shipping carrier? 

A shipping carrier is a person or company that physically delivers your products to your customers. They charge a specific rate for each delivery, which is typically based on a combination of weight, speed, and distance. If the carrier is bigger, their service will be stabler. Although Covid-19 totally altered carrier companies’ shipping times in 2020, international carriers such as DHL returned to normal in short order.

What is a shipping method? 

A shipping method is the service for delivering goods that a shopper selects at checkout. The shipping methods are provided by shipping carriers. The key points of any shipping method are:

Pricing: You’ll end up passing shipping costs on to your customers or adding them to your business expenses, so it’s important to compare providers based on what they charge for packages. Consider ways to get discounts, like shipping in bulk or asking a USAdrop sales agent to get a lower price if you are a high-volume seller.

You need to learn the pricing list of your chosen shipping method. The main pricing method will be 1. A flat rate+price/kg(kilogram) and 2. A flat rate for different ranges of weight. 

Weight Limits: Accurately estimating the weight of your products is essential. The price for a package weight above 1 oz will jump. And if your package is too heavy, there will be fewer shipping methods for you to choose from.

Products Limits: Some shipping methods limit the products’ attributes. For example, if your products are electronic or liquid, you can’t ship them by ordinary shipping methods. Instead, you must ensure that the shipping method can handle your particular kind of product.

Here are several product attributes for your reference: Ordinary, Electronic, Contains Batteries, Pure Battery, Contains Liquids, Powder, Cream, Contains Magnets, Sharp, Customs Ban, Imitation Brand, Oversized, Thin, Flat, Other.

Destination Limits: Some shipping methods can’t ship to more remote states or territories such as Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, etc. A PO box address or an APO/FPO address (Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office) may not be accepted, either.

Oversize Charging Policy: Here is a key concept—volume weight. How do you calculate it? The formula is: Volume Weight=Length(cm)×Width(cm)×Height(cm)/Ratio. The ratio is provided by the shipping carrier, which can differ from company to company. When the package volume weight is higher than the real package weight, the carrier will charge you based on the package’s volume weight. Make sure the package volume is under the charging standard, or you may get hit with additional shipping costs.

How do you Choose a Shipping Method? 

For example, when we open Aliexpress.com, we can see different shipping methods that include different prices and shipping times.

Whether you are a dropshipper or not, when you collect all the key information for all the optional shipping methods and want a balance between profit order and shipping times, it's clear that one shipping method may be faster but is more expensive.

If you want to start a dropshipping business, but don’t know what to do, don’t sweat it! A USAdrop professional sales agent will help you find the most suitable shipping method for your orders.