Digitization streamlines many things about running an ecommerce business. But logistics is still a physical undertaking. Even the cheapest way to ship a large package includes hands-on processes for warehouse storage, picking and packing, materials, and transportation to customer addresses.
This is especially true if you sell big, heavy, or bulky items. Shipping costs can reduce your profitability. And the likelihood of damages can bring additional costs or loss while also threatening your customers’ satisfaction.
This article shares some insights and information on shipping large items. You’ll discover pricing structures, inventory management strategies, and packing tips to improve your fulfillment.
Have questions as you read? Reach out to learn how Red Stag can help you with cheap ways to ship large items.
Factors to consider when shipping large items
There are two main factors to consider when developing your fulfillment strategy for large items:
- Shipping large boxes requires careful consideration of both weight and dimensions to avoid unnecessary costs.
- Large items also run the risk of damages, which could lead to additional hits to profit margins and customer satisfaction.
Below, you’ll find several other considerations that fall within these two factors. Getting these right can help you avoid loss and maintain fast, accurate shipping.
Costs of shipping large boxes
Large packages often incur higher shipping charges. The challenge lies not only in the actual weight of an oversized package but in its dimensional weight. You may also hear dimensional weight called volumetric weight or DIM weight.
If you want to know how to ship large packages cheaply, you need to understand how dimensional weight works and what you can do to control costs.
Standard vs. dimensional weight
Standard weight is the actual weight of a package. In the U.S., It’s measured in pounds and ounces. Carriers use standard weight to provide delivery rates for packages up to a certain size.
If your products are large or heavy, pricing may be determined by dimensional weight. This structure accounts for how much space shipping large boxes takes up in trucks.
Dimensional weight is typically used when you ship large but lightweight packages. If an oversized package is large and heavy, carriers may just use standard weight to determine the price.
How do you calculate DIM weight for shipping large items?
The dimensional weight of an item is used to calculate shipping costs based on the volume of the package.
The formula varies slightly among carriers, but it typically involves multiplying the package’s length, width, and height (in inches or centimeters) and then dividing the result by a dimensional factor.
What is a DIM factor?
A dimensional factor or DIM factor is a constant determined by a carrier and is used to convert volume into a weight equivalent.
It reflects the carrier’s specific pricing strategy and helps ensure that shipping costs are proportional to the space a package occupies rather than just its actual weight.
Different carriers may have different DIM factors. These factors may also vary based on the unit of measurement, like inches or centimeters.
Why is DIM weight the best way to ship large boxes?
DIM weight makes it possible for carriers to ship large packages that take up a lot of room on trucks even when they don’t weigh a lot.
If shipping carriers were to charge for large but lighter packages based on standard weight alone, they may not be able to accept certain items because the price to transport them wouldn’t cover the costs they incur.
Optimizing DIM weight
What is the cheapest way to ship a large box? You can optimize DIM weight to help ship as cost-effectively as possible.
The key is to make sure you don’t overcorrect for price by reducing the strength or durability of packaging. Finding the cheapest way to ship means avoiding damages and returns.
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Focus on efficient packaging, including right-sized boxes.
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Disassemble products when possible to reduce space.
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Use packaging customizations when it makes sense.
These tactics may help lower shipping costs by reducing dimensional weight charges and ensuring a secure shipping process for large items.
Data and experience may also produce insights that allow you to make positive changes. As you ship higher volumes of large or heavy items, you may discover opportunities for improvements that are unique to your company.
If you work with a 3PL or shipping service, they may be able to support you with more data.
Shopping or negotiating DIM factor
You may also be able to optimize shipping costs by shopping or negotiating the DIM factor in your carrier’s DIM weight calculations.
Shipping carriers like UPS, FedEx, and USPS may offer different pricing structures. For example, USPS Priority Mail and USPS Priority Mail Express may work for some smaller companies. Others may try FedEx Freight or FedEx Ground.
When you work with a 3PL, you may be able to leverage their bargaining power for more favorable landed costs across multiple items. At scale, this can have a major impact on your profitability.
Industry practices for shipping large items
You can improve the cost-effectiveness of shipping large items by following industry best practices for packing and fulfillment.
You don’t necessarily want the lowest-cost options, though. Cost control includes limiting the potential for loss, too. That’s because when products are damaged, you lose more than just the wholesale value of the item. You lose the costs associated with every supply chain event before the damage occurs, plus the projected profit margin on the item. You may also incur costs associated with disposing of the item.
Consider these factors when developing your fulfillment strategy.
Optimal box size calculation
Determining the right-sized box is a critical step in cost-effective shipping. Assess the dimensions and weight of the items to be shipped, aiming for a box that snugly accommodates the contents.
Avoid using oversized boxes if you don’t need them, as they can result in higher shipping costs due to dimensional weight charges.
Structural integrity of your packages
Improving how you ship large items starts with examining the structural integrity of your packing materials.
When shipping heavy items, the forces exerted on the package can be substantial. A sturdy box can help items withstand the rigors of shipping.
It may be best to use boxes made from reinforced cardboard or other types of boxes with additional layers of materials to provide extra strength and durability.
Reinforced cardboard, commonly referred to as double-wall or triple-wall corrugated cardboard, is designed especially to offer enhanced protection. A wavy inner layer, sometimes called a corrugated medium, is sandwiched between two flat outer layers, known as liners. The layers are glued together for additional structural reinforcement.
Depending on your product, these boxes may serve as the best way to ship heavy items because they provide added strength and resistance to crushing.
Strong infill for protection
You can enhance the protective qualities of a strong box with protective infill.
Infill cushions box contents and absorbs shocks during transportation. The key is matching the infill to the specific size and weight of the product.
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Foam may be a popular choice for infill because it can conform to product shapes and offers excellent shock absorption.
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Custom-fit infill elements, such as molded foam or inserts, may also help with cushioning while preventing product movement inside the box.
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Layering different materials, like foam and bubble wrap, may also protect products, especially if you ship large, high-value items.
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Insulation may help protect products from the impact of temperature shifts, including what’s known as container rain, when condensation forms inside a truck container and drips water onto packages.
It’s crucial to give the corners special attention, too. When you ship packages, corners are often the most vulnerable points of a large box, susceptible to crushing or tearing. Make sure infill gets into each corner to protect them.
Heavy-duty tape for box reinforcement
Fulfillment experts often know more about tape than you might expect. Depending on your products, packages may require various tape types and techniques.
Packaging tapes come in various materials and strengths, such as filament tape, duct tape, or reinforced gummed tape.
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Filament tape has fiberglass strands embedded within the tape, providing exceptional strength and resistance to tearing.
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Duct tape, known for its durability, is often used for sealing seams and reinforcing corners on large boxes with heavy items inside.
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Reinforced gummed tape is activated with water, forming a strong bond with your cardboard box. It creates a secure seal that is resistant to tampering and environmental conditions.
Tape application matters, too. When sealing a large box, you may want to use multiple strips of tape along the seams and edges. The goal is to create a reinforced grid that distributes stress evenly.
Overlapping the tape on the edges adds an extra layer of strength and security. Applying it in both directions, horizontally and vertically, can help create a stronger seal.
Large packages without a box
In some cases, you may have to figure out how to ship a heavy package without a box.
Proper warehousing may help prevent damages and returns when shipping large packages without a box. Good warehouse organization may reduce the chance of products getting bumped or damaged during storage or picking and packing.
Labels should have clear shipping information for accurate arrival at customer addresses. Be sure to include any required labels related to dangerous goods, too.
Testing packaging efficiency
Knowing the specifications that work for your products may be a result of trial and error. Consider testing multiple packaging options to help your business grow. Experiment with different box sizes, materials, and protective measures to identify the most efficient solutions.
This will let you refine your packaging strategy, contributing to cost savings over time.
Working with a specialized 3PL
When looking for the best way to ship large boxes, a 3PL can make a big difference for your ecommerce business. They have the materials, procedural know-how, and carrier relationships to help you move big, heavy items without wasting time and money. They can also help you build cost efficiencies and reduce operational and financial risks.
Some 3PLs, like Red Stag Fulfillment, even specialize in finding effective, cheap ways to ship large items. This can be done in a number of ways, including:
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Reviewing product packaging to ensure it’s as compact as it can be
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Choosing the smallest possible box to securely fit and protect your products
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Negotiating discounts with carriers based on shipping volumes across all customers
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Leveraging strategic fulfillment center locations to reduce shipping distances
Moving items closer to customers
When deciding how to ship a large package, customer distances may help determine your fulfillment strategy. Here, we’ll talk about decisions you can make to optimize landed costs for your entire supply chain.
Reducing shipping zones
A practical strategy to save on shipping costs for heavy or oversized packages involves reducing the number of shipping zones.
Shipping zones are geographical divisions established by major U.S. carriers, calculated from the point of origin to the destination.
The distance traveled influences the shipping cost, with each additional shipping zone adding to the overall expense.
For smaller items, the impact of crossing multiple zones may be marginal, but for heavier or oversized packages, it can substantially increase shipping costs.
By strategically minimizing the number of zones a package crosses, businesses may significantly cut down on shipping expenses.
Shipping zones and cost
For heavy and oversized items, the cost to cross multiple shipping zones may be pronounced.
Even a few additional zones can contribute to a substantial increase, adding 50% or more to the overall shipping cost.
With the help of a 3PL, you can analyze shipping routes to optimize speed and cost.
Strategic warehouse locations
Strategically choosing inland warehouse locations may help optimize fulfillment, reduce landed costs, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Many ecommerce companies move products inland at some stage in the order-to-cash cycle, anyway.
By doing it earlier in the cycle, you can sidestep the high carrying costs and congestion risks associated with coastal storage and transportation.
At scale, this may reflect a major reduction in landed costs across multiple products, allowing you to maximize profitability.
For example, Red Stag Fulfillment has warehouses in Knoxville and Salt Lake City. This strategic placement helps keep carrying costs lower for you while providing extended network capabilities throughout the U.S. for the transportation of large and heavy items.
From our inland warehouses, you can reach 96% of the U.S. within two days, even when shipping large and heavy items.
Preventing returns
If products are damaged in transit, customers expect you to quickly pick up the damaged item and replace it with a new one. This presents you with a tough challenge.
With your reputation already on the line, how you respond next can potentially earn you long-lasting loyalty or lose you a customer and damage your overall brand reputation.
But returning big or heavy products is often quite costly. This means you have to know the cheapest way to ship items back, too.
Known as reverse logistics, this process requires the same specialized, higher-cost handling and transportation as fulfillment. Only now, you also have to cover inspection, repackaging, and restocking. This gets expensive quickly, especially with oversized items. If your warehouse isn’t equipped to streamline returns, you may have to deal with exorbitant fees.
That’s why it’s better to limit these risks as much as possible to safeguard customer satisfaction and profitability.
Finding the best place to ship large packages
Ready to simplify shipping for large and heavy items? Consider Red Stag Fulfillment.
We offer a 100% accuracy rate guarantee and a 0% shrinkage guarantee.
With strategically located warehouses in Knoxville and Salt Lake City, we ensure delivery to 96% of the U.S. within two days.
Large and heavy items are a specialty at Red Stag. We offer tailored solutions for optimal accuracy and cost-effectiveness.
Let us handle the logistics, so you can focus on growing your business. Reach out to get started.
