Are Discounts AND High Quality Service Possible on Domestic Residential Deliveries?
As a 3 PL (third party logistics) provider, we know that one of the most difficult areas to get natural products delivered cost effectively is to a residential address. At Ware-Pak Nutraceuticals, we provide fulfillment services to a number of suppliers and manufacturers of supplements, dietary supplements, vitamins and natural products with heavy volumes shipping directly to consumers. To help ensure we respond to these needs, we are constantly researching this issue and believe we have a solution.
Normal shipping methods to residential addresses include USPS Media Mail, Priority Mail and UPS. Each of these methods carries certain restrictions.
USPS Media Mail is the most cost effective. However, its main limitation is the exclusion of all supplements, dietary supplements, vitamins and natural products. This service is exclusively for bound printed matter. Other limitations include no tracking capabilities and a slow transit time of 7 to 12 business days.
Priority Mail is significantly more expensive than Media Mail. It offers limited tracking capabilities, and transit time to major metropolitan areas is 2 to 3 days, while delivery to outlying areas takes 3 to 5 business days.
UPS is considered to be the highest quality service by many in the natural products industry, but at the same time, it costs about 10 to 15% more than Priority Mail. UPS offers the best tracking and transit times of the three options. However, the normal UPS discount does not apply to residential deliveries and they only offer a 1 to 2% discount on this service. Because of this, UPS is the most expensive option.
In our search, we have found a new method of shipping supplements, vitamins and other natural products at a cost effective rate, with improved transit times. Mail Innovations, a division of UPS has developed a small parcel service that marries the best of UPS and the Post Office. Mail Innovations can offer UPS speed and tracking capabilities at rates that rival the Post Office. The parcels are picked up by the Postal System. The total transit time will be close to half the time of Media Mail at 4 to 8 days, and the cost will be just a few cents more than USPS Media Mail.
The big winners are the natural products companies who ship UPS Ground residential because they can save up to 60% off the UPS rate without having to worry about residential chargeback’s and other fees. Supplements and natural product orders that are considered small parcels, weighing less than 1 pound, can ship for as little as $1.17 – making this an effective method for residential deliveries.
This services has been offered to all Ware-Pak clients as of March, 2010.
Stay Connected, Subscribe to the Ware-Pak feed via RSS or email. Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.
