Why do shipping rates appear high on e-commerce platforms?

[Gladis]

Hi everyone - I have suspected for the last year that the rates I get through Shopify Shipping are not that great (we are supposed to get "up to 80% off USPS rates", etc....So I started going to the Post Office, and yes, in fact, a 25 lb box would cost me $15 at my local post office, and it's $25 via Shopify.  This is really a bummer - I know the high shipping costs are hurting my business.  Does anyone have solutions or similar experiences out there?  

[DavidH40]

The problem with Shopify shipping rates is that you can't really audit them after the fact to know why they are so high.  Is it the weight you have in the system? etc.  The ideal thing is to bring your own account to Shopify so you can get invoices directly from UPS so you can fully audit them and see what is causing the rates to be so high.   This company can help you get it right: https://www.unishippers.com/1603/

[Gladis]

thanks, I'll check them out.  Do you work for them? 

[TheOddAgency]

Yes, Gladis, that is a franchisee / affiliate of Unishippers pointing you to his referral link. 

[Mevans]

Hi Gladis, we're you successful in finding the answer to the shipping rate? I am very new to Shopify but what I have found thus far is the rates are more expensive than the FB Marketplace shipping I was using before I switched to Shopify. I've also noticed that shipstation has cheaper rate then the  shopify website when fulfilling orders however in the final weight of the package, shopify somehow adds an extra pound or so to each package. Not sure how to correct this except to do it manually before I purchase the shipping. Maybe we can brainstorm and find cheaper options as I pay for the shipping, my customers don't. It gets spendy.

[Gladis]

hi, I was not able to figure it out (it's not the weight) - I'm assuming right now that Shopify is just saying we get discounts through them when we don't really.