If your shipping spend looks high relative to your AOV, the cause is almost always one of three things. First: oversized packaging. If your average parcel is bigger than the product needs, you're paying dimensional weight on every shipment — USPS, FedEx, and UPS all charge by whichever is greater, actual or dim weight. Second: defaulting to Priority Mail (1-3 days) when Ground Advantage (2-5 days) would land in the same delivery window for most ZIPs at meaningfully lower cost. Third: shipping at published retail rates instead of negotiated commercial rates or a 3PL's pooled discount.
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Most brands fix one or two of these and skip the third. The compounding effect is large: trimming a box by 2 inches per side can move a parcel out of the next dim-weight tier; swapping Priority for Ground Advantage on the right zones saves $2-4 per shipment; moving from retail to commercial rates is typically 10-30% off the published table. The rest of this post walks through each fix, plus three smaller wins on supplies, packaging sources, and when bringing in a 3PL makes the math work.
Use USPS Ground Shipping
For lightweight packages under 1 lb, USPS First Class mail is the most affordable option. Rates start at around $2.80. For heavier packages up to 70 lbs, USPS Priority Mail offers cost-effective shipping with tracking and delivery in 1-3 business days.
Right-Size Packaging
Oversized packaging leads to higher dimensional weight charges. Carefully measure products and use the smallest boxes and mailers possible. Bubble mailers and poly mailers are lightweight and take up less space than boxes. Consider ditching boxes altogether for envelope-style mailers.
Order Free Supplies
USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL all offer free shipping supplies like boxes, bubble mailers, and envelopes. Order only what you need so you can use carrier-branded packaging and qualify for the best rates.
Buy Supplies in Bulk
Once you know your average monthly volume, consider buying bubble mailers, boxes and other supplies in bulk. Buying larger quantities can save up to 40%. Shop around for the best deals on quality supplies.
Use a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Provider
Outsource shipping, warehousing and order fulfillment to a 3PL like Simpl. Large 3PLs ship high volumes every day so they receive steep discounts that they can pass onto clients. And they have warehouses strategically located to reduce miles and transit days.
The order to attack these in: audit your packaging dimensions this month, run a rate comparison between your current service mix and Ground Advantage next month, and benchmark your published rates against commercial rates (or get a 3PL quote) the month after. Two of the three are free to fix and don't require any vendor changes — they just require someone to actually look at the numbers. The third is where most brands at 500+ orders/month find the biggest single line-item savings.
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