1) Introduction
Running an e-commerce business is by no means easy. There are a lot of things to keep track of – ranging from manufacturing to delivery to pricing. The shipping process is complex and multifaceted, requiring dedication and focus at every step. Therefore it’s important to keep pricing and budget limits in mind while devising a shipping strategy. We’ll take a look at how to do that today.
In order to ease the burden of shipping, many companies outsource operations to specialized firms, where skilled personnel with years of experience oversee the process. Yet others make use of software or API to assist them in their work. One such example is a shipping platform.
Shipping platforms are used to implement shipping functionalities into the websites or stores of e-commerce platforms, using API and other functionalities. Most shipping platforms help businesses with a wide variety of tasks.
They allow the easy set-up of shipping facilities, tracking and management of shipments, help with order fulfillment processes, and sometimes even engage in order returns.
There are several such platforms to choose from, and today, we’ll be taking a look at a popular software called Shippo, as well as the pricing that it offers.
2) Shippo
Shippo is a shipping platform that makes use of API for its shipping solutions. Founded in 2013, their primary motive is to assist companies with their logistical and shipping-related needs.
They integrate with more than 85 carriers to offer their clients the best shipping solutions. Being a well-known platform, Shippo handles over 100 million shipments per year.
Some of their major shipping partners and carriers are USPS, DHL Express, and UPS. Shippo claims to offer discounted rates with several of their carriers, as well as exclusive deals and seamless integration with all of them.
Some of Shippo’s essential and core features include:-
- Real-Time Order Tracking
- Calculation of Shipping Price Based on Product Dimensions
- Easy Handling of Order Returns
- Automatic Creation and Printing of Shipping Labels
- Customizable and Unified Dashboard
- Modifiable Push Notifications and Alerts
- Integration with Multiple Carriers
- Global Carrier Discounts
- Rate Comparison among Carriers
- Live Chat and Email Customer Support
3) Shippo Pricing
Shippo operates on a pay-per-use billing model based on how many labels your business uses. You need to pay only for how much you use, not more than that. Let us take a look at the pricing plans that Shippo offers.
3.1) Starter Plan
This plan is completely free with zero monthly subscription charges. It is the most basic plan that Shippo offers. The main elements of this plan are-
- Discounted Rates with USPS, UPS, and DHL Express
- 5¢ per label with connected carrier accounts. However, this fee is waived when you are using Shippo’s default carriers (USPS, UPS, and DHL Express).
- Access to one user, but with unlimited carrier accounts
- Live chat and e-mail customer support
- Access to the web app and API functionality
3.2) Professional Plan
This plan contains a free 30-day trial with no per-label fee. It comprises a monthly charge based on the label volume. It includes all the features of the Starter Plan, in addition to the following-
- Custom Email Notifications
- Custom Branding for the e-commerce tracking page
- Available to 5 users with unlimited carrier accounts
- Starts from 10$ a month at 0-60 labels.
- Branded Customer Experience
3.3) Premier Plan
The most feature-rich and comprehensive plan offered by Shippo, the Premier Plan consists of all the features provided in the Starter and Professional plans, along with the following-
- Available to 15 users with unlimited carrier accounts
- Personal and Dedicated Integration Specialist
- Upto 80% discounted rates with USPS, UPS, and DHL Express
- Price negotiation with many other carriers
- Shipping more than 100k packages per month
There are virtually no hidden fees associated with this platform, thus lending it credibility as one of the most popularly known shipping APIs. You can also cancel, change or upgrade your account anytime you feel like doing so. You can do so by reaching out to the Shippo team via email at support@goshippo.com.
4) Conclusion
Today, we took a look at shipping APIs and one of them specifically, Shippo. We came to know the features it offers as well as how much it costs. Many companies such as eBay, Shopify, and BigCommerce choose to partner with it to provide efficient shipping solutions to their customers.
Now that we know the pricing that Shippo offers, we can get a much better idea about its cost-to-use ratio and whether or not it provides good value.
While it may be a good choice for many businesses, ultimately, only you, as an owner, can decide if it’s a good fit for your company as well. Hopefully, the above information will help you make a well-informed choice and scale your business to new heights.