What are Freight Consolidators, and Can They Help Online Businesses Save Money on Shipping?

Shipping consolidators (aka freight consolidators) can be a nice addition to an online business’ shipping strategy. To help you better understand what shipping consolidators do, we’ve put together a brief rundown of their services and benefits.

Shipping consolidators combine packages from many different shippers into one load that is shipped as a unit to the destinations’ local Post Office, often saving shippers money in the process. From there, the packages enter the local mail stream and are delivered to their final destination.

Using shipping consolidators may help you get shipping discounts that you wouldn’t otherwise qualify for. Consolidators can also save you time by sorting, picking up and manifesting your packages, as well as offering extra services such as insurance and USPS Tracking. However, packages sent via shipping consolidators do risk longer transit times than shipping with the traditional carriers.

You’ll need to weigh the needs of your customers with the needs of your business to determine if shipping consolidators are right for you. Think about what’s important to your customers. Is it lower shipping costs, or faster delivery? Some customers may prefer one over the other, so it’s important to have shipping options that match.

We’ve partnered with more than a dozen shipping consolidators to connect our customers with the right tools to achieve the ideal shipping mix for their online business. Check out some of Endicia’s consolidator partners at the links below.

• APC
• Asendia
• DHL eCommerce (domestic and international)
• Globegistics
• iAccessGlobalMail
• International Bonded Couriers
• International Delivery Solutions
• International Mail Service, Inc.
• Newgistics, Inc.
• OnTrac International Mail
• OSM Wordwide (coming soon)
• RR Donnelley
• UPS Mail Innovations

For more helpful shipping hints, check out our Ecommerce Tips and Trends page.

About Endicia

Endicia is a leading provider of internet-based postage services that make it easier and more affordable to ship parcels through the U.S. Postal Service®. We know that shipping can be complex and our goal is to simplify your shipping operations so you can focus on doing what you do best. Visit us at www.endicia.com to learn more.