Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) lets sellers in the Amazon marketplace take advantage of Amazon’s massive logistics operation for eCommerce fulfillment, introducing both risks and benefits that create uncertainty when companies ask, “is Amazon fulfillment worth it?” FBA items are eligible for Amazon Prime shipping, and Amazon handles your angry customers (whom Amazon considers its customers, … Read more
About two-thirds of Amazon sellers use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) for their ecommerce fulfillment. Amazon FBA provides many advantages but also has some significant downsides, particularly for companies that sell oversized products. For many sellers, Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) or a combination of FBM and FBA serve their customers better. No matter what you sell, … Read more
Domestic shipping is a cornerstone of modern eCommerce. You’ve got local customers who want your products and need them to arrive fast. Plus, shipping can’t break the bank for you or your shoppers. Domestic shipping services provide an easy way to secure this fast fulfillment without the hassle or complexity of international efforts. Thankfully, there … Read more
Sometimes, getting the day’s orders packed and out the door is a significant headache that pulls you and other leaders away from necessary operations. In these cases, you just want fulfillment solutions that work. When you’ve grown big enough that you can’t do it yourself — or you constantly have to watch over the shoulder … Read more
The more links you have in your supply chain, the more opportunities for disruptions and interruptions, making it a natural impulse to shorten the chain. Reshoring has once again cropped up as a potential method for companies to address both historically high freight prices and the ongoing instability of fragile, long chains. The chaos of … Read more
Here’s the raw reality: warehouses don’t typically love receiving floor-loaded shipments. Why? Because unloading floor-loaded containers is much more complicated, time-consuming, and hazardous than receiving palletized stock. That said, there are times when floor stacking is the best (or only) option for one of your shipments. So, it’s critical to understand the eCommerce fulfillment logistics … Read more
Companies like yours can secure the most accurate rates for economy ground shipping by comparing standard costs with FedEx SmartPost dimensional weight pricing for their orders. This ensures you understand what you’ll pay while giving you reliable options to move low-cost goods across the U.S. FedEx SmartPost products offer affordable ways to ship goods to … Read more
The cost of overnight shipping is considerably more expensive than standard shipping. However, it’s an excellent option to offer in your online store because some customers are willing to pay for expediency. That’s especially true if your customers need their order by the next day. People in a time crunch will be willing to pay … Read more
The extra cost and hassle of Certified Mail aren’t worth it for most ecommerce packages or letters. No signature required is a popular delivery option because it lets people get letters and packages when no one is home to receive them. However, if you need proof that your package or letter was delivered to the … Read more
It’s not often that logistics and inventory management approaches are ahead of the curve, but our space has been having the decentralized versus centralized inventory debate for decades. Blockchain and digital currencies are the prominent new voices in decentralization. However, it’s a conversation that entrepreneurs and operations leaders regularly have because, just like in finance, … Read more
Unprecedented eCommerce volatility is likely to constrict operational budgets and capabilities, but tactics such as enabling multi-carrier parcel management can help you blunt some of these threats. Adding more carriers to your pool provides alternatives to congested areas. You avoid being caught in a backlog that you can’t address, but customers blame you for creating. … Read more
In the summer of 2019, the US Postal Service changed the way it calculates shipping charges. USPS added dimensional weight pricing. USPS joined FedEx, UPS, and DHL in applying a size-based formula for oversized boxes. However, USPS has a higher DIM factor than most carriers, so its surcharge for large items is smaller (we break … Read more
