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If you ship regularly, the new dimensional weight pricing strategy introduced by FedEx and UPS are going to raise your shipping costs. So, your shipping costs depend on package dimensions. A smart shipper tries to cut down on dimensions as much as possible to bring down shipping costs.
Here are a few tips that can help you keep dimensions to the bare minimum:
1. Needless to say, the first tip is that you pack as tightly as possible. So, eliminate all void space within the package. Use packaging material that does not expand or bulge while in transit. This requires a lot of thought. So, do dry runs and see if you can bring down dimensions by going for different packing material. Several businesses find that corrugated packaging saves a lot of space.
2. Negotiate with your carrier for a higher DIM factor. The default DIM factor is 166, but there may be carriers who would be happy to give you a higher figure if you negotiate with them. It doesn’t hurt to negotiate. So, call the carrier right away.
3. While you negotiate for a better DIM factor, also try requesting for a higher cubic threshold. A higher cubic threshold increases the space you can use without increasing the costs. If you ship regularly with a shipping carrier, they might give you incentives in the form of discounts and added services.
4. Try not to ship high-volume, low-weight goods. The dimensional weight of high-volume, low-weight goods are much more than their actual weight. So, it’s not profitable to ship these goods. If you have an option, opt out of these goods.
5. Pass on shipping costs to your customer. An understanding customer will pay for shipping if you tell him that you are facing a hike in shipping costs at your end.
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