Large item shipping companies: The retailer’s guide

If your business stocks large and heavy objects, offering them for sale online can present a number of challenges. One in particular is the increased shipping charges, and if a customer does decide to pay them, how to package the item safely? Or, more importantly, who is going to deliver it for you?

Finding large item shipping companies can really help you here. The best way to get heavy or large items to your customers effectively is to partner with a courier that has expertise in this area. Here’s what you need to know to find the right shipping partner for your business.

Table of contents

• Large item shipping companies: A guide for retailers
• What's the difference between deadweight and volumetric weight?
• How do companies calculate volumetric rate?
• How do shipping companies calculate weight?
• Cheapest shipping for large items
• The best large item shipping companies
• Displaying live rates at checkout to your customers

Below, we’ve put together a list of some of the key terms to know, and steps you can take to ensure success when you’re shipping heavy items to customers. This is a great place to start, but we’d also recommend speaking directly to your courier if you have specific requirements.

It’s also important to check what your courier defines as a large or heavy item, as each courier company has a slightly different set of criteria. Remember to take into account an item’s dimensions as well as its weight.

What's the difference between deadweight and volumetric weight?

Two particular terms are going to dominate your search for how to ship large items: deadweight and volumetric weight. You’ll need to learn about both of these metrics for any heavy items you’re planning to ship. The definitions are:

• Deadweight: This is how much the large shipping item actually weighs. If a courier is pricing your delivery by deadweight, they aren’t taking the dimensions of the product into account.
• Volumetric weight: Sometimes referred to as dimensional weight, this takes into account the length, weight and height of the object you’re shipping so the courier knows how much space it will take up, not just how much it weighs.

To calculate a volumetric rate, companies will multiply a package’s height, weight and depth, and then divide that by 5000. They may also compare this against an equivalent deadweight rate for the same item when selecting which rate is most appropriate.

Calculation example

Take a look at the following calculation example from DHL for volumetric weight:

You have to send a shipment of 20 kg with the dimensions 75 cm (L) by 40 cm (W) by 40 cm (H).

The calculation is then as follows: The volumetric weight in this case is higher than the actual weight of the shipment, so the rate is based on 20 kg.

Cheapest shipping for large items

Now that you’ve learnt the key terms for shipping heavy items, you’re probably wondering which option is the most cost-effective, particularly if you’re trying to ensure fair and consistent pricing for your customers.

If your item is only just over the threshold for what is considered a large item with your normal courier, you may want to quickly check the requirements with other companies as well in case theirs are slightly different.

FedEx notes that, in some situations, volumetric weight can be a cheaper option. This is because there are a few key advantages for sellers that can fit their large shipping items into more efficient packaging, such as the environmental benefits of shipping a more efficient package. However, if you’re shipping items that are naturally large or have unique dimensions, you’re going to have to work with the rate the courier company gives you.

Large shipping item companies

When planning how to ship heavy items, it’s good to check out which companies provide the right service and how they can meet your needs. Here’s a few we recommend and how they deal with heavy equipment shipping.

Direct Freight express will measure an item’s deadweight and dimensional weight, and charge based on which unit is the highest. This is common practice for shipping companies that take both units into account.

For example, heavy shipping items of up to 500 kg can still be sent on their Express courier service. Finally, they remind us that heavy boxes don’t always need a pallet (as long as they’re less than 70 kg) but they do need labels! Putting a “heavy” label on your item keeps everyone safe in the shipping process.

Hunter Express charges for heavy items based on which is higher: deadweight or volumetric weight. The company also notes that knowing this information ensures they send the right vehicle to pick up a large item for shipping.

For the charges themselves, they depend on the volumetric weight of an item and scale as the weight rises. For more help with shipping heavy items, check out the guide UPS put together.

Displaying live rates at checkout to your customers

To help your customers get some clarity over the cost of shipping large items, we recommend displaying live rates at the checkout for online shoppers.

Starshipit integrates with a number of eCommerce platforms and courier services to make this process much easier for you and your customers. Check out our support guide on displaying live rates to learn how to set this feature up.

Conclusion

Shipping heavy items can have its challenges, but with the right couriers and support from smart software like Starshipit, you can ensure shipments of all sizes end up safely in your customers’ hands.

By having an understanding of terms like deadweight and volumetric weight and understanding how they relate to your products, you’ll be all set to work with couriers on shipping large items. All that’s left is to get in touch with us.