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In an increasingly competitive marketplace and with customers from all corners of the globe, small businesses face the challenge of shipping products effectively and efficiently. The difficulty lies in balancing the costs of shipping with the size and dimensions of the small business parcel as well as the final destination to ensure that your business is not losing out but is rather profiting from the sales you’re making.

With so many customers shopping online and expecting fast and affordable deliveries, there’s pressure placed on small businesses to ensure that they deliver. With this in mind, it’s crucial that your small business is prepared for the shipping that you’ll need to do in order to stay ahead of the competition. You’ll need reliable courier and parcel services that you can trust. But what factors do you need to consider when you’re shipping? We take a closer look.

What factors do shipments for companies depend on?

Shipping is not a straightforward process. It requires the consideration and weighing up of several factors to ensure your customers get a quick and affordable delivery. So, with this in mind, it’s important to look at the aspects that one needs to consider when it comes to shipping so that you choose the best option for your small business.

Weight and dimensions: One of the first considerations for determining shipping is the issue of weight and dimensions. A 100 g package containing earrings will be much smaller than a 2 kg package containing clothes and shoes. Not only is the weight between the products different but so are their dimensions. One package will be physically larger than the other and these dimensions, including the weight factor, will affect the shipping costs.

Material of delivery: The material in which the item is packaged is also influential in the shipping process. For example, you may need something much sturdier and stronger for wines and fragile products made of glass than something that is made of plastic and is harder to break or damage. As a result, something that’s fragile will require sturdier, heavier and denser packaging as opposed to something that’s not easily breakable.

Speed of delivery: Another influential factor is the aspect of speed. It may be common knowledge that the faster the delivery expectations, the higher the cost of the shipment. This is because numerous players are involved in the delivery and the more players in the network who interact with each other, the higher the cost will be. The opposite is true for shipments that can be shipped over a longer period of time.

The nature of the products: The nature of the products is another factor to be considered. As mentioned above with the example of wine, this is a fragile product. But there may also be governmental laws which govern the nature of the products that are shipped abroad. For instance, shipping food is not permitted in some countries whereas others do not permit the shipping of cash or certain products that may be dangerous to convey across boundaries. Hence, the material and make up of the product itself will influence the costs of the shipping.

Shipping frequency: In addition to the above, the frequency of shipping services will also play a role in the costs. If you’re thinking, but I send an international package every few days, you’re likely to be able to negotiate lower fees for the delivery. Meanwhile, if the frequency of shipping is more distant, then your fees will be higher.

Distance for deliveries: Next up, it’s also important to consider the final destination of the package. Shipping from Barcelona to an international destination as compared to shipping to local customers will also affect the price of the delivery. Usually, the further the destination (together with the combination of factors mentioned above about weight and dimensions), the more expensive the shipment will be.

In-house vs outsourced fulfilment: Of course, you can do in-house shipping and wrap and pack each product separately and then wait for several packages to accumulate so that you take all of them to your shipping provider. However, you can also do outsourced fulfilment which means that you simply call your provider who comes to collect the parcel from your doorstep at any frequency that you desire. This can often work out to be much cheaper than doing it in-house and can be more cost effective as well as efficient in terms of getting deliveries to your customers as quickly as possible, irrespective of their location.

Costs: If you want to send a cheap parcel for companies, you need to factor all of the above aspects in to get the final cost. Costs will vary from parcel to parcel and provider to provider. However, you need a reliable partner you can trust with your shipments and deliveries so that each item you send out of your store is couriered to the right place at the right time.

Final thoughts

Customers are increasingly seeking a courier service that will ensure that the product arrives quickly and undamaged. This is why packaging is so important but so is the final price. Shipping costs can build up quickly over time and to keep your costs as low as possible, you need to consider the fact that there are numerous considerations in determining the total amount due. If you are looking for reliable courier companies in Barcelona, trust us at DRG Solutions to help with both local and international shipping. You get a reliable service that will not let you down.