UPS Shipping Cost

UPS shipping cost is one of the most important factors to consider when shipping products. The cost of shipping can greatly affect your bottom line, so it's important to find the best deal possible. This blog post will explore the different UPS shipping rates and options and help you choose the right option for your business.

What is the cost of UPS Shipping?

UPS Shipping Cost is a huge part of using UPS vs. FedEx, DHL, or other carriers for shipping needs.

Knowing your Shipping Cost can be especially helpful when it comes time to place orders with suppliers who may not be local, but their pricing is very competitive compared to local suppliers. Shipping costs will make up a large portion of the cost, which might negate the price advantage unless you are buying larger amounts of product anyways.

The article below explains how to calculate your own custom shipping cost using your zip code and package weight/dimensions to plan for upcoming shipments.

UPS Shipping Costs Calculator: Your Customized Rate

Using this calculator is very straightforward - enter in your zip code, then adjust package dimensions and weight until you get the results in the "Estimated Rate" section.

Note: This calculator is klutzy since I had to use WordPress so, it may take a few extra seconds than you would think for your information to be submitted. Just wait until you see the confirmation message before closing out of the screen - that's when everything was submitted, ok.

UPS Shipping Calculator ZIP Code

Enter yours here. 5 Digit Zip Code with no spaces, dashes, or parenthesis Package Dimensions (L x W x H) inches.

Calculate Estimated Rate * All dimensions must be in whole numbers only (no decimals or fractions) Length Width Height Calculate Number of Boxes Needed * This field is only relevant if you use palletized or skid shippings. Estimated Rate.

$0.15 * If the "Estimated Rate" section shows $0.00, then your package dimensions have not been entered correctly. Please try again.

Number of Boxes Needed

This box is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The estimated shipping rates provided by UPS are based on dimensional weight, which is calculated by multiplying your shipment's linear dimension (L + W + H) in inches by a factor corresponding to the total shipment weight in pounds for items greater than one pound up to 70 pounds, and by an additional factor of 166 for items over 70 pounds - see the table here.

This is for estimating purposes only; your actual rate may be more or less depending on the final dimensional weight.

Note: UPS does not calculate dimensional weight by multiplying length x width x height - it's slightly more complicated than that. For more information, see this page here; they include a good explanation plus an informative flow chart to help visualize the process taking place in their system when determining dimensional weight.

For my example, I used package dimensions of 8 "x8" x12" and entered a weight of 9 pounds which yields a dimension factor of 6.061828... (in other words, very close to 6.06). This resulted in an "estimated rate" of $0.17 which would round up to $0.18 if charged by UPS - pretty close to the $0.19 rate shown on their website.

Since I was already in the neighborhood of dimensional weight, why not make it simple and just enter 9 pounds as my total package weight for this example? If your dimensions are slightly off what you expected, try throwing a heavier or lighter item into the package to better understand how changes will affect your cost estimate.

Free Shipping Offers:

Many suppliers who offer free shipping offers may be doing so because they have a very low-cost basis (or even no cost at all). For example, many suppliers operate out of China, where labor is much lower than in North America, so paying someone to pack an order might not be possible due to time or cost constraints. Other suppliers drop-shipping customers orders directly from the manufacturer without getting involved at any stage of order processing - so all they have to do is print out a shipping label and send it off.

So, what does this mean for you? Well, if your supplier falls into one of these two scenarios, then be aware that their free shipping offer might not necessarily equate to lower prices. Take into consideration how much time would be saved by ticking "Free Shipping" vs. paying an extra $5-$7 on average (based on my personal shopping experiences over the last couple of years) for shipping using UPS' low ground rates.

Conclusion:

It's a good idea to call UPS and ask about their rates. You can also use our shipping cost calculator to estimate the cost of your next shipment, which will help you determine what rate is best for your business needs. Let us know if we can be of any assistance as well.