Shipping estimates are often crucial for planning and budgeting, understanding how to calculate shipping costs accurately can save you time and money. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to find a shipping estimate:
Step 1: Determine the Weight of Your Shipment
The weight of your shipment is determined by either the actual weight of the items or the dimensional weight, whichever is greater. Follow these steps to determine the weight:
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Reference Postal Warehouse’s Standard Packaging to estimate which packaging will be used to ship your item and note the length, width, height, and weight.
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Calculate the actual weight: total the weight of the items in the shipment plus the weight of the packaging.
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Calculate the dimensional weight: enter the length, width, and height into the dimensional weight calculator in the Postal Warehousing Shipping Rates sheet. Convert the weight from pounds to ounces. 1 lb = 16 oz.
Reach out to warehousing@postal.com for a copy of the Postal Warehousing Shipping Rates and Zone Maps!
Step 2: Find Your Package's Weight on the Rate Chart
Once you have the weight of your shipment (actual or dimensional, whichever is greater), you can reference the Postal Warehousing Shipping Rates sheet. The rows are the weights in ounces and the columns correspond to different domestic zones or countries.
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Locate Your Destination Zone: refer to the zone map associated with the warehouse in which your items are stored to determine your destination's zone.
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Identify the Corresponding Column: Match the zone number from the map to the columns on the rate chart.
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If you are estimating an international shipment, the destination countries are listed in the columns.
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Step 3: Calculate Your Shipping Cost
Once you've identified the correct column on the rate chart, locate the row that corresponds to the weight of your shipment. The intersection of the column and row will give you the shipping rate for your package!
Example:
Let's say you're sending a teddy bear weighing 12 ounces from Chicago to San Luis Obispo, California. Here's how you would calculate the shipping estimate:
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Calculate the actual weight and dimensional weight
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Weight of Teddy Bear: 12 oz. + Weight of Packaging: 5.22 oz. (using a 10” x 6” x 5” box) = Total Actual Weight: 17.22 oz.
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Dimensional Weight: 28.92 oz. (formula (L X W X H) / 166) (1 lb = 16 oz.)
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Referencing the US (IL) Midwest Hub Zone Map, San Luis Obispo is in Zone 8. So, we'll look across the sixth row to column J in the US - Domestic Standard rate sheet.
The shipping estimate for this order would be $15.19.
Conclusion
Understanding how to calculate shipping estimates is essential for effective shipping management. By following these steps, you can accurately estimate shipping costs and plan your shipments accordingly. Remember, the weight of your shipment is determined by either the actual weight or the dimensional weight, whichever is greater, and don’t forget to convert the weight from pounds to ounces!