Online sellers can get special FedEx pricing through Shippo

Online sellers can now receive special discounts on FedEx shipping directly through Shippo, without having to create a FedEx account – and sellers can use their own shipping boxes. This gives sellers access to preferential rates not previously available to companies of their size.

Tens of thousands of small and medium-sized e-commerce sellers use it Shippoenabling them to print shipping labels for over 85 global carriers with automatic notifications to keep buyers informed of shipping status.

Pooja Daftari, Shippo’s vice president of global carriers, said Shippo was the first multi-carrier shipping company to receive an account on the platform from FedEx, enabling it to offer US merchants special discounts on FedEx Ground Economy and FedEx International Connect Plus (FICP ).

FedEx Ground Economy allows sellers to ship packages weighing up to 70 pounds and measuring up to 130 inches in length plus width with a typical delivery speed of two to seven business days.

FedEx International Connect Plus (FICP) offers delivery to more than 190 countries, covering 95% of global GDP, in an average of two to seven business days. Shippo said customs clearance is included when creating a FedEx shipping label.

We asked Daftary about a common problem we hear from sellers who purchase FedEx shipping labels online and incur additional fees after they paid for the label and shipped the item.

“Shippo provides the ultimate in transparency when it comes to shipping costs,” Daftery said. “Our software calculates any known surcharges before purchasing a label. There may be additional charges related to size, delivery area, etc. The only additional fees we usually cannot account for are if the user may enter an incorrect size, weight or destination. In these cases, we may need to bill the user for any price adjustments.”

How do the new FedEx via Shippo rates compare to other services? “While we can’t comment on how exactly they compare to other platforms, we’re excited that this new program will give our merchants a cost-effective, better and easier way to ship via FedEx,” Daftery said.

Shippo published a blog post detailing the new offer on GoShippo.com website.

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is the co-founder and editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on e-commerce since 1999. She is a widely cited authority on marketplace sales and is the author of Turn eBay Data into Dollars (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book Blogging Heroes (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Association of Internet News (September 2005 – present) and Investigative Journalists and Editors (March 2006 – present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send your news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.