Ian
FedEx made news last month with their
revision on surcharge for large packages. So, what does it mean to
ecommerce companies and in general, to shippers who send a number of
large packages across the world on a regular basis?
FedEx has revised the handling fee on
packages that are longer than 48 inches, as opposed to the previous
threshold of 60 inches. So, 48 inches is the new ‘large package’.
The changes have been in effect from June 1, 2016. And FedEx has gone
on record saying that handling charge threshold was lowered to
account for the fact that eCommerce shipments are getting more
dynamic and varied in size, and that these surcharge increases would
help handle the increasing complexity of sorting these specific
items.
The FedEx Shipping Fee Information
guide says that this revision will add a $10.50 surcharge to any
package that is longer than 48 inches along its longest side. So, if
you are a volume shipper, if you ship large packages often, your
shipping budget will be impacted greatly. A single package shipment
is going to cost an additional $10.50 if it is longer than 48 inches.
Industry experts think that UPS might follow suit very soon. In
general, it is a good practice to optimize the size of each package.
Dimensional weight pricing works on the principle of optimizing size
rather than weight.
So, when it comes
to shipping, size does matter. And it matters greatly when you ship
large packages via FedEx. So, it makes sense to make sure your
packages are made smaller in the future to avoid surcharges. In
conclusion, it’s up to the seller to decide which service provider
works best for their shipping. But with the revision in surcharge,
make sure you also factor this new charge when you compare services
and service providers.
