Shipping cost estimates are both a prediction and a calculation based on different dynamic factors. Those factors include, but are not limited to:
- Product weight and dimensions
- Your historical total shipping costs
- The retailer’s historical shipping costs between their location and other brands near you
- The available courier options to ship the order from the ship from location to its destination
Our system bases shipping cost estimates off of actual courier costs, which can sometimes include surcharges for things like remote area drop-offs, if the shipping address is in a remote area.
How can I optimize my shipping costs and decrease shipping cost estimates?
We know that you want to offer the lowest available shipping costs with the most reliable couriers to your customers. If you’re seeing higher than expected shipping costs, here are a few things that you can review and adjust to ensure that you are receiving the best possible shipping rates:
- Confirm that your product weights and dimensions are accurate. The weight and dimensions that you enter for your product should be that of a single unit. The system will automatically multiply the unit weight by the number of units in the order. To learn more about editing your product details, visit How do I add or edit products?
- Reach out to the retailer post-order. After a retailer places an order with you, you can contact them through Faire messenger and reassure them that you’ll be sure to select the lowest available rate when shipping their order to them.
How to get the correct measurements for my products?
When providing product measurements, it is important to consider how your products are sold and shipped.
- Packaged weight refers to the weight and dimensions of the entire case when you sell items by the case, or the weight and dimensions of a single item as it is packaged before being boxed and shipped."
- Item measurements should reflect the product's size and weight without any packaging.
If you sell by the case but only enter an item measurement, Faire will multiply the weight by the number of items in your case to determine the weight of the case.
Make sure to maintain consistency across weights and dimensions. If you provide the weight at the case level, make sure to also provide the length and width at the same level. Avoid mixing item and package measurements; they should align with how you are selling the items.
What if I do not have all the measurements for my products?
You don't have to update all your product measurements at once. Instead, you can make changes in smaller batches based on the information you have on hand.
The bulk editor allows you to edit specific products and select exactly which items you want to modify. To learn more, visit Can I edit products in bulk?
If exact product measurements aren’t available, please provide your best estimate. We recommend prioritizing packaged weights, as they are crucial for calculating accurate shipping cost estimates.
What if I provide the wrong measurements?
We use product measurements to estimate shipping costs for retailers. Inaccurate measurements can result in incorrect shipping estimates at checkout, potentially impacting retailer conversion and reorders.
If you have provided incorrect measurements, you can make changes at any time. You can individually add weights and measurements for your products or update them in bulk. To learn more, visit How do I add or edit products and Can I edit products in bulk?
How do retailers see shipping cost estimates at checkout?
We’ve heard from retailers that seeing estimated shipping costs upfront helps them better plan and prepare their budgets. For this reason, we provide shipping estimates to retailers at checkout. This cost varies depending on the order and is estimated by order total, weight, and shipping distance.
When a retailer is ready to check out their order with you, they will see the following shipping information included in their Order Summary:
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An estimated shipping cost
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A disclaimer informing them that final shipping costs are not determined until the order is fulfilled and shipped
If the retailer is eligible for free shipping, a shipping cost estimate won’t be provided. Instead, “free shipping” will be listed in the Order Summary.
What if the shipping cost estimate is higher than expected?
Occasionally, retailers may feel that the estimated shipping cost they see at checkout is higher than they expected in relation to the contents of their order. This is likely due to the dynamic factors used to determine the estimated shipping cost for an order. Although this represents a small percentage of orders, we understand the crucial importance of accuracy when displaying an estimated shipping cost at checkout to ensure retailers feel confident placing an order with your brand.
We are proactively encouraging retailers to contact the brand if the shipping cost estimate is higher than they expected, to ask for more information about the shipping method, and the factors that could affect the shipping costs of their order.
Packaging, courier, and speed of service, all impact your average shipping costs, which our system takes into account when estimating shipping costs for retailers at checkout.
Can I set my own shipping cost estimates for retailers at checkout?
At this time, we do not provide the ability for brands to set their own shipping cost estimates for retailers.