How to Save Money on Shipping Fees

Up front, here's the short answer: Make larger purchases. Now I'll tell you why.

When you shop at podmerchant.com, UPS servers calculate your shipping charges based on weight, distance, and the service level (Ground, 3 Day, 2nd Day, etc.). These fees represent our costs — shipping fees are not a profit center for us. In this first chart* you can see an example in which the value of the products in a shipment range from $10 to $100, yet the shipping charges range from just under $8 to $11.

Looking at the same data in another way, below we can see that for a $10 order, the shipping charges are 80% of the value of the goods, and at $100, the shipping charges go way, way down to only 10%.

So making larger orders (placed less frequently, obviously) can save you big bucks. And this isn't doesn't just hold true at PodMerchant, but at any online retailer that charges UPS, FedEx, etc. rates based on weight, service level, and distance.

* Values based on purchases of multiple units of Lucaffe Classic Espresso Pods ($9.95 each), shipped via UPS Ground from Valencia, CA 91355 to New York, NY 10021.