Ever sigh at the amount reflected in your cart before reluctantly hitting “check out?” Been there, done that.

Small businesses often think there’s no avoiding the concoction of exorbitant shipping fees, inconvenient times, or complicated requirements when booking shipments. But don’t forget – those expenses add up fast, and can deal a lethal blow to your business’s bottom line and growth.


Raise your hand if you’ve felt personally victimized by traditional shipping 🙋


woman holding phone and packages

You’ve every right to feel frustrated about ineffective and expensive shipping. What gives? Why does shipping have to be so opaque when you’re a budding business? What even is a “convenience charge,” anyway?

We’re here to dispel some of the murkiness to help you ship better – and cheaper.


Uncover the truth about more affordable shipping and save more time, energy, and sanity 🔎

There are five common lies told about cheap shipping that we’re putting to the test below.

 

Myth #1: It’s only worth investing in 2-day or 3-day shipping


business man holding a stack of packages

It’s easy to get caught up in the need for instant gratification. And it’s valid – sometimes you need a rush job, like during peak season or by a customer’s special request. But choosing faster shipping doesn’t mean you have to pony up and pay the big bucks. There are small business shipping options out there for those speedy and affordable sends, like Sendle’s 2-Day or 3-Day Guaranteed delivery services. But they’re not your only options.

Myth, busted: Sendle Saver is your affordable option for reliable delivery.

When you don’t need a rush job, you can count on Sendle Saver to get your goods wherever they need to go, for much less. Sendle Saver delivers door-to-door in 2-8 days. There’s no illusion to it – with this option, you pay even less for cheap delivery that’s still fast, just not rushed. Depending on where you’re sending from, packages can arrive earlier.

Real quick: how does Sendle Saver work? Available in certain regions and zones, Sendle Saver utilizes regional shipping networks to optimize your package’s route. This can mean that your customer may receive your package from a last-mile carrier like Better Trucks or GLS at their doorstep. And this also means that you can save way more on shipping to your customers in those areas, and have spare cash to put into other parts of your business. 

Book Sendle Saver

 

Myth #2: Insurance will always cost extra.

With other couriers, you usually have to purchase insurance as an add-on, and different coverage can unfortunately result in different charges. A feature like insurance is valuable to you and your sanity, and also to your customer. But those charges stack up for every single shipment. To a lot of businesses, it’s a conundrum that’s unfortunately sacrificed for the sake of keeping shipping costs down. Foregoing a surefire safety against the what-if scenarios can leave a bitter taste in your customer’s mouth, should anything happen. What’s a small business to do for some peace of mind?

Myth, busted: Sendle Cover is included on every package you ship.

Sendle cover is included for Saver, Preferred, and International shipments. When you ship with Sendle, every package comes with insurance included. Sendle Cover for loss and damage is up to $100 on Saver shipments and $150 for Preferred packages. It’s our safeguard for you and your customer to have one less thing to worry about.

And Sendle Cover is automatically applied when you book a free pickup or drop off, so it doesn’t cost you anything extra. Phew. Talk about much-needed relief!

Real quick: how does Sendle Cover work? It’s simple – once you book a Sendle package, Sendle cover is automatically included. And if a what-if sitch happens, we’ve got your back. Learn more about Sendle Cover for loss and damage. 

 

Myth #3: There’s no way around paying more for pickups from your door.


business woman holding boxes of packages for shipping outside the door

Other carriers may require a fee to pick up packages from where you are. And most days, there’s not enough time to run to the post office and wait in a long line. Sticking around at home all day waiting for your package pickup is far from ideal, too.

It’s pretty typical to think you just have to suck it up, make the trek to the post, and drain hours of queuing to pinch a few pennies. Fortunately, this isn’t the case with us.

Myth, busted: You can get free pickups and avoid paying more or extra fees.

Whether you’re shipping a package a day or five hundred, pickups will make your life way, way easier. It’s a way to take back your day and focus on what matters most for your business and customers. When you book a shipment pickup with Sendle, all you have to do is label and separate your packages by courier and leave them at your desired pickup location and time.

Best of all? There’s no added fee that you’d have to pay to get packages picked up by Sendle.

And if you need to change your mind? It’s no sweat or additional charge to change your package to a drop off, instead. We figured that small businesses don’t need the extra stress or strike to their wallets, however they ship.

Creating a label and scheduling a pickup from your Sendle Dashboard takes a minute or two, tops.


Book a free pickup

 

Myth #4: Shipping large quantities is too complicated and costs more.

This misconception applies heavily for any business that’s looking to grow. The notion comes from how common it is to come across a shipping courier that will refuse your shipment because of how many packages you want to send. Or, they’ll quote you an unreasonable number. Oh, how we wish 42 was the answer to everything, too.

The idea of only shipping packages in teeny-tiny batches when trying to reach a new goal for your business would make many of us shudder. Paying twice as much and then some isn’t appealing, either.

Myth, busted: SCAN Forms are your best friend when sending multiple packages.

A SCAN Form, or a Manifest, is for USPS shipments that make pickups and drop offs breezier. Rather than scanning packages label by label, a SCAN Form provides the pickup driver or drop off attendant with a bar code to represent the entire shipment. All that’s required is providing the SCAN Form, and once scanned, all your packages then get effortlessly entered, tracked, and delivered safely to your customer’s door. It’s a must-have hack to save your schedule and arm muscles and encourage business as usual at an even faster pace.

Learn how to create and download a SCAN Form, it won’t take long at all.


Create a SCAN Form

 

Myth #5: Hidden fees, like booking or service fees, are a given, no matter who you ship with.


business man on computer with packages

It’s easy to think that there’s no clear choice when it comes to shipping for small business. After all, traditional shipping is notorious for being needlessly complex. Nowadays, it’s the norm to see the most random, miscellaneous fees attached at the very end of a booking (side-eyeing the experience of buying concert tickets in this day and age…) like the world’s worst surprise. Big shippers like UPS are no different. And, like some of the myths mentioned above, reluctantly accepting the unsolicited surprise is usually deemed part of the process.

Well, we’re saying nope, no, absolutely not to the secrecy of hidden, unnecessary fees.

Myth, busted: Sendle always provides transparent pricing and doesn’t charge extra for straightforward, reliable, and sustainable shipping.

Hidden fees are almost like a scary, mystical cryptid waiting in dark corners to spook you. In actuality, they’re just nasty charges that only eat away at your savings. It’s one of the reasons we only get you the most realistic, low, as-is shipping rates for many package sizes and weights. We keep our pricing real so you can keep saving and avoid the trap that other carriers often ensnare upon you.

Sendle has always banished hidden charges from what we do. We only share the fairest prices to help you compete on a more even playing field, and that won’t ever change.

 

Ship cheaper and better in 2024 

There you have it! Don’t fall for these usual suspects that milk your time, energy, and money. We’ve got you covered with trusty, affordable shipping that makes sense.


Send a package

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