This article is from Shopify, and was republished and shared through Elksourcing with the permission of Shopify.
Original link:https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopify-shipping-services
Getting orders to your customers is a vital part of running your ecommerce business, and there’s a lot involved, from choosing product packaging to planning your shipping strategy.
Underpinning those strategic choices, however, is the fulfillment method that gets your order from point A to point B. Choosing a delivery method, carrier, and shipping services are important aspects of your logistics process. It’s all about finding the right balance between what your customers want and what you can realistically provide, both from an operational and a budget standpoint.
Shopify Shipping works directly with multiple carriers each offering multiple mail classes to make the process as streamlined as possible, so you can get orders into your customer’s hands quickly and affordably, whatever that means for your business.
Table of Contents
- What is Shopify Shipping?
- Choosing a carrier and a shipping service
- Carrier delivery times are impacted by increased volumes and COVID-19
- How to ship with Shopify Shipping
- Take the next step with Shopify Fulfillment Network
- Explore local options
- Moving forward with Shopify Shipping
What is Shopify Shipping?
Shopify Shipping makes it easier and faster to fulfill orders, solving many common shipping problems. You can buy shipping labels directly in Shopify, print multiple labels at a time, and get orders out the door quickly.
Shopify Shipping works with USPS, UPS, and DHL in the United States, Canada Post in Canada, and Sendle in Australia, and offers multiple mail classes with each carrier. With Shopify Shipping, merchants can access features like overnight delivery, package pick-ups, shipping insurance, tracking information, international shipping, and more depending on your location, carrier, and mail class. We’ve also worked with carriers directly to negotiate competitive rates for each shipping service, which are automatically included on every plan at no extra cost to you.
Choosing a shipping carrier and a shipping service
When you want to ship an order, your shipping carrier is the company that takes your package and delivers it to your customer. Shipping carriers are companies like DHL or Canada Post that physically deliver packages to your customer’s door or mailbox.
Each shipping carrier offers multiple ecommerce shipping services, giving you different options based on your budget and needs. For example, in order to give options to your customers, you might be able to offer both a mail class that guarantees delivery within five business days and a more expensive one that guarantees delivery within two business days—all using the same carrier.
Before you choose a shipping carrier, it’s helpful to know the answers to the following questions:
- Where are you shipping to?
- Where are you shipping from?
- What products are you shipping?
- How heavy are your products?
- What type of packaging will you use?
- What’s your budget? Do you offer free shipping, flat-rate shipping, or exact-cost shipping?
- What do your customers expect from your shipping policy? Do they expect their order to be insured, or have specific timelines they need for deliveries?
- Do you need to coordinate with any third party logistics (3PL) providers?
Once you’ve answered those questions, you’re ready to select a carrier and a shipping service—or several, if that’s what works for your business.
You can ship with any carrier, but Shopify has partnered with specific carriers to make the process even easier for you. If you ship through Shopify Shipping with USPS, UPS, or DHL Express in the United States, Canada Post in Canada, or Sendle in Australia, you’ll be able to pay for and print shipping labels directly in Shopify.
Streamline your search for a shipping service: To see all of your options in one place, we’ve put together PDFs of all of the options available through Shopify Shipping in the US, in Canada, and in Australia.
Carrier delivery times are impacted by increased volumes and COVID-19
In “normal times,” carriers have standard delivery times and windows. However, as COVID-19 has driven more online shopping, merchants and carriers alike are facing unprecedented spikes similar to what you see during the holiday shopping season. As a result, many carriers have been unable to guarantee delivery times. You can check our shipping carrier status page to get updated information about rates, delivery times, delays, and more.
United States Postal Service (USPS)
If you’re shipping from the United States, USPS is the most economical way to ship lightweight and less-urgent orders through Shopify Shipping.
✓ Economical
✓ Government post office
✓ Lightweight items (under 70lbs)
✓ Domestic and International Shipping
✓ Tracking information (for most mail classes)
You can use six domestic mail classes and three international mail classes with USPS in Shopify Shipping, and some of them offer tracking information and insurance. You can ship packages weighing up to 70 lbs, and you can create return shipping labels for domestic orders in Shopify as well. When you ship with USPS, all delivery timelines (with the exception of Priority Mail Express) are estimated, not guaranteed.
Regardless of the mail class you choose, USPS doesn’t charge surcharges for fuel, residential delivery, or Saturday delivery. USPS offers both domestic and international shipping options. Here’s an overview of the mail classes available to you in Shopify Shipping with USPS.
Domestic USPS Mail Classes
First-Class Package Service
Delivery time: 2-5 business days
The most affordable way to ship small packages.
Priority Mail
Delivery time: 1-3 business days
Best for fast domestic delivery.
First-Class Mail
Delivery time: 2-3 business days
Best for lightweight items like greeting cards, stickers, and postcards.
Priority Mail Express
Delivery time: 1-2 business days, guaranteed
The fastest and most premium domestic delivery option.
Parcel Select Ground
Delivery time: 2-8 business days
Slower, economical way to ship heavier packages. Only available online.
Media Mail
Delivery time: 2-b business days
Only eligible to ship media like books, records, and DVDs
International USPS Mail Classes
First-Class Package International Service
Varied delivery timelines
The most affordable way to internationally ship small packages.
Priority Mail International
Delivery: 6-10 business days
Offers fast international delivery to 190 countries.
Priority Mail Express International
Delivery: 3-5 business days, guaranteed
The fastest and most premium international delivery option to 190 countries.
United Parcel Service (UPS)
UPS is a reliable and premium way to ship both regular and time-sensitive orders in Shopify Shipping in the United States.
✓ Guaranteed delivery
✓ Premium shipping carrier
✓ Tracking information
✓ Insurance coverage (up to $100)
✓ Lightweight and heavy items (under 150 lbs)
✓ Domestic and International Shipping (220 countries)
There are six domestic mail classes and five international options available with UPS in Shopify Shipping, all of which offer guaranteed delivery. Their premium offerings include tracking information on all shipments, time-definite and day-definite deliveries, and international shipping to 220 countries and territories. You can ship packages up to 150 lbs, making UPS the carrier of choice for shipping larger or bulkier items.
Domestic UPS Mail Classes
UPS Ground
Delivery: 1-5 business days
The most affordable domestic delivery option.
UPS 3 Day Select
Delivery: 3 business days
Best for shipments that need to arrive in a shorter timeframe.
UPS 2nd Day Air
Delivery: 2 business days
Best for shipments that do not require overnight service, but still need to arrive quickly.
UPS Next Day Air Saver
Next business day (afternoon)
Best for shipments that must arrive the next business day. The most affordable of the “next day” services.
UPS Next Day Air
Delivery: Next business day
Best for shipments that must arrive the next business day.
UPS Next Day Air Early
Delivery: Next business day (morning)
Best for shipments that must arrive early the next business day. The fastest and most premium domestic delivery.
International UPS Mail Classes
UPS Standard
Delivery: Day definite by date scheduled
Ships to Canada and Mexico only. The most affordable international delivery for less-urgent shipments.
UPS Worldwide Expedited
Delivery: 2-5 business days
Best for less-urgent small packages to 220 countries.
UPS Worldwide Saver
Delivery: 1-3 business days (end of day)
Best for express international shipments.
UPS Worldwide Express
Delivery: 1-3 business days (morning)
Best for express international shipments to 120 countries.
UPS Worldwide Express Plus
Delivery: 1-3 business days (early morning)
Best for the most time-sensitive international shipments to 55 countries.
DHL Express
DHL Express is a premium way to ship time-sensitive international deliveries from the US in Shopify Shipping.
✓ Premium shipping carrier
✓ Fast international delivery
✓ Tracking information
✓ Lightweight and heavy items (under 150 lbs)
✓ International Shipping (220 countries)
Through Shopify Shipping, DHL Express offers one mail class: DHL Express Worldwide, which provides flexible delivery options for the buyer, tracking information on all shipments, time-definite deliveries of 2-5 business days, and international shipping to more than 220 countries and territories. The maximum weight allowed is 150 lbs.
Canada Post
Canada Post is the most economical way to ship packages from Canada in Shopify Shipping, and offers both domestic and international shipping options.
✓ Economical
✓ Government post office
✓ Lightweight to medium-weight items (under 66 lbs)
✓ Domestic and International Shipping (220 countries)
Canada Post offers three domestic shipping services, four international shipping services to the United States, and six international shipping services to more than 190 countries in Shopify Shipping. You can ship orders weighing up to 66lbs, and some of Canada Post’s services offer insurance, tracking information, and delivery guarantees.
Canada Post’s Domestic Shipping Services
All of Canada Post’s domestic shipping services offer guaranteed delivery.
Expedited Parcel
Delivery: 1-7 business days
The most affordable domestic delivery option.
Xpresspost
Delivery: 1-2 business days
Best for fast shipping for documents and parcels.
Priority
Delivery: Next business day
The fastest domestic delivery for time-sensitive documents and parcels.
Canada Post’s International (USA) Shipping Services
Small Packet™ USA – Air
5-8 business days
The most affordable delivery option to the United States. Ideal for small and lightweight items (under 1 kg).
Tracked Packet™ – USA
Delivery: 4-7 business days, guaranteed
Best for shipping small and lightweight items (under 1 kg). Ideal for e-commerce shipping due to online tracking and insurance coverage.
Expedited Parcel™ – USA
Delivery: 4-7 business days, guaranteed
Best for bigger parcels (under 30 kg).
Xpresspost™ – USA
Delivery: 2-3 business days, guaranteed
The fastest and most expensive delivery option for international shipments.
Canada Post’s International (Rest of World) Shipping Services
Small Packet™ International – Surface or Air
Air delivery: 6-10 business days
Surface delivery: 1-3 months
The most affordable international delivery for less-urgent small and lightweight items (under 2 kg).
International Parcel™ – Surface or Air
Air delivery: 12+ business days
Surface delivery: 1-3 months
The most affordable international delivery for less-urgent larger parcels. Also ideal for shipping to countries that don’t offer Xpresspost™ – International.
Tracked Packet™ – International
Delivery: 6-10 business days, guaranteed
Best for small and lightweight items (under 2 kg) to 31 countries. Ideal for e-commerce shipping due to online tracking and insurance coverage up to $100.
Xpresspost™ – International
Delivery: 4-7 business days, guaranteed
The fastest and most premium delivery option to 70+ countries.
Sendle
Sendle is the best way to ship packages from Australia in Shopify Shipping.
✓ Free pickups
✓ $300 AUD of cover against loss included on all shipments
✓ Request free signature confirmation
✓ 100% carbon neutral
✓ Domestic and International Shipping (200+ countries)
Sendle offers both domestic and international shipping services. You can ship orders weighing up to 20 lbs. All Sendle shipments through Shopify include $300 AUD of cover against loss, tracking information, and 100% carbon neutrality.
How to ship with Shopify Shipping
Once you’ve selected the carrier and shipping service you want to use, getting started with Shopify Shipping is simple.
If you’re going to offer multiple options for your customers to choose from, and pass on the direct costs to them, make sure to select and enable the shipping service you’ll offer in Shopify Shipping. You’ll also want to ensure your product weights and dimensions are accurate, to make sure your shipping price estimates are too.
Shopify Shipping can automatically calculate carrier shipping rates based on cart weight, box size, and the shipping services you want to offer. It’s important to make sure you add weights to each of your products and measure the size of the box you’ll use for shipping.
You can also set up free shipping for minimum order thresholds or other parameters of your choice. Shopify will automatically set the shipping rate to $0 when customers with a qualifying purchase hit checkout.
When you’re ready to fulfill an order, here are the steps to ship with Shopify Shipping:
- Select the order(s) you want to fulfill
- Add package details and select carrier
- Review and print labels
- Affix labels to packages
- Drop them off at the carrier or dropbox or schedule a pickup in the admin (UPS,DHL Express, and Sendle only)
Take the next step with Shopify Fulfillment Network
It takes time and energy to make sure every delivery is part of an on-brand and positive customer experience. If you ship more than five packages in a day, it quickly starts to eat away at the time you could be focusing on your business.
If you find yourself spending too much time on shipping and fulfillment, it might be time to look for outsourced fulfillment services from a logistics partner. When working with a 3PL partner, they’ll handle all the coordination with carriers to get products shipped out to customers. Plus, you’ll get more space to hold your inventory in their facilities and warehouses.
And you can outsource all this through Shopify too. Shopify Fulfillment Network is an addition to our suite of shipping options, allowing you to automate fulfillment so your orders get picked, packed, and shipped as quickly as they come in. Shopify has a network of distributed warehouses across North America so you can strategically distribute your product closer to your customers, reducing the shipping times and costs.
Though your product might be spread across multiple warehouses, Shopify still gives you a centralized view of your inventory so you can see where all your products are and connect you with a main point of contact, your own dedicated logistics expert — and your eyes in each warehouse.
Working with a 3PL can help you take back your time, so you don’t have to spend it worrying about shipping. Learn more about fulfillment here.
Explore local options
While Shopify Fulfillment Network helps you expand your reach and serve a large geographical area, there are also ways to take local fulfillment into your own hands. These “shipping” options not only give you more control over shipping and deliveries, but also eliminate the need to pay for a carrier or 3PL. This is because local options offer low or no cost options for customers to get their products. The benefits are that this makes it easier for your business to deal with the holiday rush, and omit worry around potential shipping delays as you won’t have shipping carrier holiday cut off dates, and it’s a good way for you to connect with your local communities and attract local sales.
Local delivery allows customers to buy your products online and have you deliver them straight to their home. Local and curbside pickup allows customers to buy your products online and visit your store, warehouse, or other designated pick-up location to pick them up.
Though local delivery and local pickup options may have spiked in popularity due to social distancing measures for COVID-19, they’re shaping consumer behavior in ways that will last well past the pandemic.
Moving forward with Shopify Shipping
Shopify Shipping takes one of the complicated, tedious aspects of your business and streamlines it so you can focus on more impactful tasks. With Shopify Shipping, you can save up to 90% on shipping and send your products with confidence using simplified tools that scale with your business.
