The hallmark of the Pacific sales force is that they deliver product information that drives value and lowers packaging costs. Nowhere is this more critical than in the competitive world of e-Commerce. With Amazon offering free shipping to their clients, it can be a matter of survival for competing businesses to lower shipping costs. The greatest amount of freight savings for the on-line sellers is in the area of dimensional weight (DW).
DW is the weight assigned to your box based on the cubic volume versus the weight of the material inside the carton. That means that the larger shipping container can cost more to ship, even though the product inside may be lighter than a much heavier item. Freight is no longer charged on weight alone. These changes in calculating freight rates were put into effect by FedEx and UPS in January of 2017.
Recently, the challenge of DW calculation has been exacerbated by other extenuating circumstances propelled by the rising fuel prices. Other challenges include a truck driver shortage, the need for sellers to optimize their packaging to avoid oversized shipment surcharges and/or rate increases by unknowingly shipping at a higher level. Lead times have been stretched as well. Such challenges have tested the patience of the e-Commerce community and driven up packaging costs. The market reaction has been predictable: a constant search for the smallest available container for shipping product in order to save material costs and shipping charges. The industry refers to this as “right-sizing”.
Let the packaging consultants at Pacific Packaging handle your DW challenges. We are experts at finding the right size container for your products. With over 7 million dollars of boxes in stock, it is likely we have the size you need available for immediate delivery. For some applications, the brown box is not the answer. We also stock cushioned and non-cushioned mailers. Our mailers are lined with recycled padded paper, bubble or can be a rigid self-seal corrugated mailer. Co-ex mailers are ideal for shipping soft goods such as clothing. Mailers are viable, tested alternatives to corrugated boxes.
If packing your product in boxes or inserting items into mailers do not fit with your labor costs or production goals, we have automated equipment that will further reduce DW costs such as automatic bagging equipment and cohesive linerboard packaging equipment as well. Please contact your Pacific sales professional today and begin to look at reducing your packaging spend today.