Going back to UPS and need some details

[daniel_long]

We currently ship everything via Priority Mail and offer free shipping (yeah, it's built into the cost). In anticipation of disruption at USPS, I am looking into UPS. The rates that show up with Shopify really aren't bad. My main question is that $4 charge. Do I set it once for the entire day's pickup run? We ship anywhere from 3 to 100 packages per day.

 I'm also curious if Shopify's rates are as good as I might get negotiating directly with UPS. Seems simpler to go with Shopify. Also, we sometimes don't ship on some days and we only ship 7 months out of the year.

 Any advice from those with direct experience of knowledge would be appreciated.

[Jagruti_Naveen]

Hey @daniel_long!

Makes total sense to explore UPS with USPS disruptions on the horizon. 

Shopify’s UPS rates are quite competitive, especially if you’re shipping around 3-10 packages a day. No contracts, no volume commitments—just discounted rates directly within Shopify. The $4 pickup fee is per pickup, not per package, so whether you send 3 or 100 orders in a day, you’re only charged once. And if you don’t ship on certain days, there’s no fee at all. You can also skip it entirely by dropping off your packages at a UPS location.

If you’re shipping closer to 100 packages daily, negotiating directly with UPS might be worthwhile. You could also consider UPS Smart Pickup (around $11/week), which triggers pickups only on shipping days. To streamline everything, the Multi Carrier Shipping Label app could be a game-changer. It lets you display carrier rates at checkout, automate label printing, request pickups, and track orders—all from one place.

If you’re looking for simplicity, Shopify’s built-in UPS rates work well, but if your shipping volume grows, exploring a direct UPS account might make sense.
Hope this was helpful!

[RR1Popcorn]

Hello!  We have a long standing, established relationship with UPS.  We ship anywhere from 45-65,000 packages a year with our various business accounts.  Our UPS rep validated that yes, Shopify UPS rates are extreme and they couldn't match (we went to Shopify e-comm last May, 2024).  I did however keep our UPS account open, as it has daily pickups without scheduling.  So we're billed a weekly fee, but shipping all through Shopify.  It is frustrating that Shopify doesn't have a way to automate daily pickups, and without a schedule.  We will pick pack and ship up to when the UPS driver is loading!  Using Shopify's method for pickup, we could not do that.