FAQ around Cheap and Economical International Shipping

International shipping is an excellent way to expand your business and grow your revenue and sales.  Shipping internationally does come with its share of challenges and of course, costs can be significantly higher than your standard domestic shipments . Plus you have to consider other factors such as customer service, the safety of the item being shipped and accountability.

You can either have a great experience in shipping or a terrible experience. While one considers the cheapest way to ship between any of the top players in the shipping industry, it greatly depends on where you are sending the package along with the dimensions and weight of the package.

Cheap international shipping varies for every country. Couriers have different price depending on the shipping destination.  What is really the cheapest way to ship and how would you know you’re getting a good shipping deal? 

How do shipping weight and dimension affect international shipping price? And how does shipping timing affect the price and knowing the real difference between paying $200 to $20 for a shipment? What about the cost and different transportation methods?

Let’s tackle all of these and find out the answers to these questions and be guided on what to do best when shipping. 

How Do I Know I’m Getting a Good Shipping Deal?

The best way to know if you are getting a good shipping deal is to use a price comparison tool like Secureship.  You’ll see what it costs to ship with FedEx, UPS, Canada Post, Purolator and other carriers, all from one page. Compare international shipping prices here.

What is the Cheapest way to Ship International? 

International shipping is never cheap.  Prices can go up substantially for every pound (lbs) of weight your package has.  The cheapest way to ship internationally is to use a rate shopping platform that also provides bulk discounts through their buying power.  Secureship is a great example of this - you get to see the prices of shipping with a variety of international carriers and you can save over 50% off the list price by sending your parcels through them. You still get the shipping power of these carriers but enhanced with the ease of use, service, and pricing of Secureship.

How Shipping Weight Affects International Shipping Price?

Shipping costs have historically been calculated on the basis of gross weight in kilograms or pounds of the cargo. However, charging only by weight for lightweight and low-density packages has become unprofitable for freight carriers due to the amount of space that they take up in the truck/aircraft/ship in proportion to their actual weight. 

Like a box with Oreo cookies will be charged by gross weight, but the same box of cookies will probably be charged by its dimensional weight. This is because the box of Oreos takes up a lot of space but does not fill up a vehicle’s capacity in terms of weight, so it’s an inefficient use of space.

 Thereof, the concept of ‘Dimensional Weight’ has been adopted by the transportation industry worldwide as a uniform means of establishing a minimum charge for the cubic space a package occupies.

How Shipping Dimensions Affect Shipping Price?

The concept of dimensional weight reflects package density , which is the amount of the space a package occupies in relation to its actual weight. It works by calculating the cubic size of a package by multiplying its length, width and height. Once the dimensional weight is calculated, it is then compared to the actual weight of the package in some circumstances, and the larger of the two is used to determine the package’s actual billable weight.

How Shipping Timing Affects Price?

If you miss a delivery date it radically increases the frequency of returns and unexpected shipping costs. On-time deliveries are imperative and can affect the shipping price. You will need to build into your shipping cost calculations the possibilities of unexpected issues that could add to your shipping costs. This could be delays, re-bills, re-weighs and items that are damaged or lost in transit

Is the Cost of Shipping Coming Down Each Year?

Actually, it’s quite the contrary. Shipping cost has been increasing each year with the average for most major carriers being 4.9%.  Costs for everything from big-rig hauliers and rail transportation to airfreight, parcel carriers and storage, have risen steeply since the middle of last year. And demand doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ annual State of Logistics report. The demand and prices for logistics services increase each year.

What are All the Different Transportation Methods for Shipping and How Does it Affect Price?

There are four major types of freight transportation for shippers to use in the world of freight shipping. The primary ones are by ground (road/truck), rail, ocean, and air. These main categories of freight transportation have their own processes that differ from one another. 

All major freight types can be split into their own associated service groups. Ground freight encompasses “Less-Tank-Truckload” and “Full-Truckload”, where ocean and air freight are associated also by their respective processes. 

Freight costs include fuel, mileage, capacity requirements and any other use of equipment and services. However, shipping freight is dependent on many variables. The method of transportation, freight class, delivery timeframe, types of packaging and destination all contribute to the final costs.

What does it cost to ship internationally from Canada?

Destination Country	Package	Carrier Price	Your Price	Savings
United States	Express Envelope	$59.62	$29.81	50%
United States	1 lb Ground	$30.69	$17.19	44%
United States	2 lbs Ground	$33.02	$18.49	44%
United States	5 lbs Ground	$38.75	$21.70	44%
United States	10 lbs Ground	$47.90	$26.82	44%
England	Express Envelope	$94.67	$49.22	48%
England	Express 1 lb	$117.12	$57.39	51%
England	Express 2 lbs	$145.30	$71.20	51%
England	Express 5 lbs	$203.39	$99.66	51%
England	Express 10 lbs	$298.17	$146.10	51%
China	Express Envelope	$112.87	$58.70	48%
China	Express 1 lb	$174.13	$85.33	51%
China	Express 2 lbs	$195.71	$95.90	51%
China	Express 5 lbs	$263.67	$129.20	51%
China	Express 10 lbs	$361.83	$177.30	51%
Australia	Express 2 lbs	$191.08	$93.63	51%
New Zealand	Express 10 lbs	$358.56	$175.70	51%
France	Express Envelope	$94.67	$49.22	48%
Pakistan	Express 1 lb	$177.83	$87.13	51%
India	Express 2 lbs	$215.38	$105.53	51%
Spain	Express 5 lbs	$206.61	$101.24	51%
Germany	Express Envelope	$94.67	$49.22	48%
Italy	Express 1 lb	$117.12	$57.39	51%
UAE	Express 2 lbs	$215.71	$105.70	51%
Japan	Express 5 lbs	$216.15	$105.92	51%
South Korea	Express 10 lbs	$313.92	$153.82	51%
Philippines	Express 20 lbs	$584.36	$350.62	40%

* Prices listed are for Jul 5th, 2019.  See try our estimate tool for an exact, real-time price.

Find economical shipping options and prices for all international destinations here.

Since there are many different shipping variables and options to choose from, it’s difficult to make exactly the same comparison without locking down some of the basic parameters. There are trade-offs between prices, shipping time and reliability. And these trade-offs will be based on the best shipping strategy.

The growth of machine learning and technology improvements is set to change the entire face of freight shipping services as a whole. One of the core challenges that these improvements aim to answer is finding a solution to cover more miles with fewer vehicles on the road. Initially, this may be seen as a catalyst for cutting jobs, the main purpose is to reduce both shipping costs and carbon emissions. Although Amazon might be ahead of the game with expedited shipping, the industry is still growing as more technology is introduced to solve current issues. 

A lot of shipping issues despite the busy schedule of shippers. We know how busy you are and don’t always have time to compare rates between all the different carriers. That’s why we created secureship.ca. Secureship will help you identify the best shipping solution for every delivery. Our shipping calculator will automatically compares shipping rates from various carriers to help you find the best rate and service for your package. The next time you need to ship something, visit secureship.ca and make sure you’re getting just what you need! It’s easy and you save money!