How High Is Shipping Right Now?

Gr3g4n
Visitor
1 0 0

I'm about to start a new store based on a new product I've come up with and prototyped. 

Checking UPS, FedEx, Canada Post, it looks like they all want about $100 to ship from Vancouver to Miami (worst case distance to test shipping costs). This is an INSANE price for a product that is about 5 lbs and fits in a medium to large sized box.

My business idea will not work with shipping that high for obvious reasons. Is everyone struggling with shipping costs right now? How much higher than normal are they? How badly is it impacting your conversion rates? 

Replies 3 (3)

Nick
Shopify Staff (Retired)
4531 434 1024

Hi @Gr3g4n,

I can completely relate to you on this. I am based in Ireland but my supplier based in the USA is shipping for my store and I have the same issue regarding costs. Even within the USA, it's expensive. Recently an order from New York to Texas was $17. It has definitley impacted my sales and limited where I can market for ads. I am going to be shipping directly from Ireland soon though as it is cheaper to ship from Ireland to the USA, Canada and Japan! How do you currently ship? Do the couriers pick up your products directly from you or do you bring them to the post office yourself? If the couriers pick it up from you, I wonder if shipping them directly yourself could be a little cheaper. Something else you could look into is the Shopify Fulfillment Network (SFN). This would involve sending your products to a warehouse and have the SFN ship them for you. The eligibility requirements are below:

  • Your business sells in the United States or Canada.
  • You ship a minimum of 3 orders per day.
  • You don't sell any regulated or perishable products.

You can see more about SFN here. Let me know if you have any other questions about SFN and hoping you can find a cheaper reliable shipping solution soon! 

To learn more visit the Shopify Help Center or the Community Blog.

ShipAntdotcom
Pathfinder
168 6 16

If you need to ship from usa to CA via courier like ups fedex dhl, there's no doubt the shipping cost very high, in this case your goods should be also high value, however, it might have tax to ship to CA via fedex for high value goods, the best way is usps which might be more affordable.

ShipAnt.com - Chinese dropshipping agent - reliable sourcing agent

atroya
Tourist
35 0 1

Hey @Gr3g4n 

 I agree, typically shipping shouldn't be costly. However, you're shipping an item INTERNATIONALLY. That being said, carrier services charge more when shipping an item regardless of size because of the package moving from the source, to the customs office of the country and then to the customs office of the destination country, and finally it lands to the destination. As you see, there's a couple more steps than a domestic shipment. I found this article here that goes a bit more in depth on shipping expectations, especially after COVID-19... Maybe you can get a couple of tips for it to help apply to your business, especially with the high cost of international shipping. 

https://fenixcommerce.com/changes-in-delivery-expectations-due-to-covid19/

Best Regards,

AN