Product Sourcing News   

Shopping Around for Your Shipping Needs

Getting the Best Deal Every Time

FEATURED COMMENTARY

By Chris Malta
Home EBiz Product Sourcing Expert

Doing comparison research on each package you mail your customers can reduce your overhead costs significantly—you can save from 25-50% on your annual shipping expenses!

A Logistics Problem
Unfortunately, it’s not simply a matter of finding “THE Right Shipper” for your eBiz because the carrier that gives you the best rates and terms of service is going to differ with each package you send. There are so many variables that come into play—delivery time frame, package size and weight, the shipped item’s worth, destination location—that it’s not realistic for a small business to analyze and compare the best value for every single out-going package. Says Bill Van Wyck, CEO of RedRoller.com, “When you start moving across geographic areas and time zones, it becomes very complicated to understand what your real options are… and what are the services that are available by these different carriers.”

A Unique Solution
This dissatisfaction led Van Wyck to create RedRoller, a website that allows you to enter your package info, and see what carriers can offer you the best deal for that particular shipment. It will pull up all the service options available, and you can choose the one you want right there and print off the shipping label. You can even choose to have the package picked up; or you can print off a map to that carrier’s nearest drop-off facility.

Some Convenient Features
In addition to being free, RedRoller is an extremely user-friendly service:
• It lets you pull your customers’ Ship To addresses in from your selling platform without having to type them in every time. Your Ship From address is in the system, so all you have to worry about is entering the package specifications.

• It’s fully integrated with eBay, so you can import everything—package dimensions, customer data, time frame, etc. All you have to do is click on the My eBay screen and all your auctions come up. And it updates eBay with the tracking information automatically.

• It provides live data and numbers from the carriers’ sites, so you know all the information is up-to-date and accurate.

• It includes options from regional carriers who sometimes offer, not only better rates, but things like late drop-off and pick-up.

Using one standard account for all your shipping needs may seem like the most straightforward solution, but RedRoller makes comparing shippers quick and simple so you can get the best deal every time. And that can add up to tremendous savings for your business. Says Van Wyck, “You can ship multiple packages literally in minutes, using multiple carriers… It’s very, very easy to use.”