Tips On How To Reduce Your Bulk Shipping Costs

As a business ,you need to move items in bulk. It could be raw materials that you need for manufacture, or it could be the finished products that need to be sent on for packaging. Whatever you're shipping, those costs can rise fast. There are plenty of ways you can reduce those costs though, so let's see where you can save some cash. 

Use The Right Packing Materials

Whatever you're shipping, there's going to be a container saves you money on shipping. For example, if you're looking for bulk liquid solutions, then a Flexitank is going to be a more cost effective solution than drums. If you're using branded boxes, are they falling within the standard box sizes that transport options carry? If not, shipping them can cost you a lot more in the long run. 

Make sure you're using the best possible packaging for your product. If you're using the wrong one, it may cost you more in materials, or in the space that the product takes up on the truck. Keep that in mind when you're picking materials. 

Decrease Shipping Distance

If you can, this is a very effective way to reduce costs. The further a product has to travel, the more it costs to get it there. If you can reduce that distance, you'll be able to cut costs dramatically. 

For example, if you need to send items to be packaged ready for sale, then look for a center that's close as possible to your current location. The closer you can be, the better. 

Measure Your Shipments Accurately

When you're shipping in bulk, you'll find that costs creep up quickly. You'll be moving larger items, and so they will often fall outside of 'standard' measurements by most transport companies. Some sellers will just accept those costs, but you don't have to all the time. 

For example, there are ways to move items that are large but light more cheaply. Many shipping companies use dimension weight, a concept that takes into consideration how much room an item takes up on their truck. You can calculate the dimension weight of your product on most good shipping sites, so you can compare prices and pick one that's the most competitive. 

Try New Shipping Options

When looking to move anything in bulk, think outside of the box – literally. Let's consider bulk liquid transport again. Traditionally, you would use drums for this. However, they run the risk of contamination, and they have additional costs when you have to send them back empty to be cleaned. That's eating into your profits, so what can be done?

Many companies are using Flexitanks to move liquids rather than drums, as they save a lot of cash. They can move more on the same truck as there's no dead space, and there's less staffing costs for loading and unloading them. They also don't need cleaning as they're one use only, so there's no cleaning or additional shipping costs. You can see why they're becoming the most popular bulk liquid transportation tank out there. 

Look for different options in your area. You'll be surprised at what you can find. 

Avoid Returns Wherever Possible

as you're shipping items in bulk, you're less likely to see returns which cost you more money. However, there are some instances where you may have your product returned to you. If you have mistyped an address for example, the product may not make its destination. At the very least, it will delay delivery. 

The way to avoid this is to take care at every step. Ensure you're double checking details, so everything can proceed as planned. It's also important to inform the destination about what is coming to them, and how.  They'll need to know when to be ready for it, and how to unpack it. If you're dotting the i's and crossing the t's, then everything will go well. 

Ship More Less Frequently

A great way to save money on bulk shipping is to ship as much as you can in one go. The more you can send in one shipment, the more money you'll save overall. It'll be cheaper than sending out half the amount over two different shipments. 

If you're working with retailers and manufacturers, you can offer them better deals to encourage them to order more in one shipment. The more attractive you make it, the more they'll order at once and the less you'll need to spend on shipping. 

Ship On Off Peak Days

Like most services, there will actually be days where it's cheaper to ship items. Take a look at your shipping provider and see if they have any off peak days. If they have them, try and schedule your shipments around them. With some careful planning, you can reduce a lot of costs just by shipping on different days. Of course, this will depend on what you're shipping. If you're shipping something that won't perish if it has to wait a few days, then you're in luck. 

Don't Be Afraid To Spend More Up Front

This sounds counter intuitive when you're trying to save money, but it's actually very important. You can go with the cheapest option, but when you do you may find that things go wrong somewhere down the line. Because of this, you'll be spending more putting things right. 

Because of this, ensure you're looking for the best shipping company out there. It's easier to find them now as you can check out reviews from other customers online, and see what they have to say. If you're using a better company, there will be less problems and these will cost you less in the long run. 

There's plenty of ways to save money on bulk shipping if you know where to look. Use these tips to make those savings every time you need to ship out your product. It's amazing how much cash you can save as a business when you know what to do.