Dimensional Weight Shipping Charges
Does your shipping quote seem high for the large, but seemingly light, multiple items in your cart?
ANSWER: USPS, UPS and FEDEX have all recently transitioned to a DIMENSIONAL WEIGHT calculation method system as the primary way of calculating shipping charges.
- Example: Lets take a 15" round balloon (which weighs next to nothing), but dimensionally, it takes up 15" x 15" x 15" of space in the delivery truck. So for this example, the calculated shipping charges for the 15" balloon may weigh the same as a 6" x 6" x 6" 12lb. box of nuts and bolts.
Now let us take this example and go one step further ... If you have multiple larger items in your cart, like three balloons, the dimensional weight calculation increases exponentially in a stacked dimensional calculation, because every item's dimensions is added in a stacked / accumulative dimensional weight total.
- Example: Lets take a shopping cart order with 5 bird houses as an example ... Each birdhouse may be 6" x 6" x 12" and weigh about 1.5lbs. When shipping one birdhouse, the dimensionally weight charge will be close to the actual weight shipping charge, say $7.95. However, put 5 birdhouses in one order, in one huge box together and the shipping charges will be calculated on dimensional weight, and instead of 7.5lbs, now that 30"(five time 6") x 12" x 6" box will probably cost $75 to ship.
- Helpful Tip: So we recommend in circumstances like these to do a little testing, and try to save some money, as it may be more economical for you to break your large multi-item purchase into multiple single or two item orders.
- If you do decide to make multiple orders, please leave a note in the comments/message box in your order that "This is NOT a duplicate order!" or some other message of your intensions, to avoid any confusion.
If you are familiar with the items that you are ordering, (and they are small in dimensional measurements, light in weight), and your shipping quote seems very high, please give us a call @ 1.630.435.5900.
There may just be an error in the weight or one of the dimensions of one of the items. We'll be happy to check it out for you!
Thanks
CS