15 Common Shipping Mistakes

18th July 2024, 2:02pm in Shipping Advice by Dan Jones

Shipping errors can have serious consequences on your business. They can reduce your profits, dissapoint your customers and could even damage your reputation.

The worst part is that you may be unaware of the shipping blunders you're committing, and you may even blame it on the delivery service or the customer's expectations. That's why we've put together this exhaustive list of the most frequent shipping pitfalls to avoid and how to fix them! Let's take a look!

1) Not using a variety of couriers

You may have a strong preference for your courier partner, but sticking to only one provider can hurt your bottom line. You may believe it won’t affect you, but how will you cope if deliveries are held up due to staff shortages or strikes? More importantly, how will you explain it to your customers?

Different couriers have different prices and you may be paying too much for your preferred carrier when you could save money by comparing and using multiple companies.

No one has the time to check every carrier’s website to find the best offer. We suggest using a multicarrier shipping solution like Interparcel to find the best rates for your parcel delivery needs in one place.

2) Having slow shipping times

According to a recent study*, delivery time is the key factor for online buyers. If you’re unaware of how long your customers are prepared to wait for their goods, you’re losing sales.

The best approach is to offer a variety of choices at checkout. You can still have a standard option. But you should also include express, next-day and same-day services. Many customers will spend more for quick deliveries if they require your products for an urgent deadline. Without the option of express services on your website, they’ll probably go elsewhere to one of your rivals.

At Interparcel, we are proud to offer a wide range of shipping services including same-day delivery, next-day delivery, weekend delivery, express delivery, collection services, drop off services, liquid deliveries and many more.

3) Not running promotions

Offering special deals on shipping throughout the year can lower cart abandonment and increase sales. The key is being strategic on when to launch them.

The best times of year to market these deals are when buyer interest is high. Depending on your consumer base, it can be during the peak sales seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, your products may also be in demand during specific holidays like Valentine’s Day or Christmas.

Check your analytics to see when your store attracts more visitors. To increase sales, use deals like free shipping for orders over £50 or on high-profit items.

Another good tactic is to use free shipping as a final attempt in your abandoned cart email sequence. If you haven’t recovered customers with 10% or 15% off discounts, this could be the motivation needed to get them to buy.

Make sure you visit the Interparcel voucher code page to see what shipping promotions we frequently run!

4) Lack of stock preparation

Have you ever run out of stock during busy sales periods?

Analyze your sales data yearly and estimate how many products you expect to sell during that period. You can fine-tune it as you approach dates like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but you must make sure you’re ready for a surge of sales.

A lack of readiness can lead to lost sales. The last thing your customers will want to see is the words “out of stock” for the product they want to buy.

5) Making mistakes with addresses

You might think that the customer should always enter the right address, but that’s not true.

Sometimes, customers are in a hurry or distracted when they order a new product, and they end up typing the wrong address. This causes problems for the courier drivers who can’t find the destination, and for your business that loses money and reputation.

That’s why you need to check the addresses before the courier company collects the parcel. With Interparcel’s Shipping Manager, you don’t have to worry about that. Our platform will verify all the addresses before you finalize the order. It will save you the hassle of searching each one online or contacting the customer who made a mistake.

6) Not packaging an item correctly

Boxes come in different shapes and sizes, and which one to choose can also depend on the weight of the items inside of it.

You should never use an old box for any shipment. You might think that reusing parcels from returns is a good idea, but it’s not. They lose their strength over time, which can harm your items during delivery.

Here are some other packing tips that we suggest:

Use a box that has two layers of cardboard
Don't pack your parcel too tightly
Make sure the edges of the package are smooth to prevent rips or damage during delivery
Wrap your product well with cushioning materials

Interparcel recently put together the ultimate guide to packaging your parcel, which includes a video on best practices to reduce the risk of damage during transit.

7) Not being available for your collection

Being present for the driver to pick up the package is a key rule of parcel delivery.

You’ll get a notification telling you when the courier company will come for it after you book your order. You need to make sure you’re there, or your delivery will cost more.

Not only will you have to arrange another courier to take your item, but also your customers will be disappointed with the delay in getting their product.

8) Not having detailed tracking available

By using a solution with detailed tracking you can catch delays before your customers notice them by tracking orders. You can manage the communication and fix any problems that occur.

It’s simple to monitor your shipments with Interparcel. You can choose to get email or SMS alerts at certain points. Or, you can reach out to our customer support team!

9) Sending prohibited items

Some items are not allowed to be shipped. We are not talking about only items that are hazardous or unlawful. For instance, some couriers refuse to transport Christmas crackers, magnets, or expensive products.

You may assume your products are safe, but it’s advisable to check Interparcel’s prohibited and restricted items list first.

Go through the list carefully to make sure your product can be shipped. If you don’t, the transit cover will be invalid, and it will depend on the courier company if they will deliver it or not.

10) Submitting the wrong parcel measurements

Fulfilment centres check the size and weight of all parcels. They also compare them with the dimensions you provide when you place an order.

If they don’t match, you’ll have to pay extra fees for the excess size or weight you didn’t report.

To avoid this, follow these five steps every time:

Measure your parcel only when it's packed and ready to go
Put your box next to a wall and measure the length, width and height
Add one or two centimetres to each measurement
Multiply the length, width and height by the dimensional weight divisor to find the volumetric weight
Round up to the closest kilogram for safety

11) Choosing the wrong shipping service

Shipping costs vary depending on whether you send parcels to homes or offices.

But don’t just pick the lowest price without considering the destination.

If you pick the wrong service, you’ll have to pay extra fees. You might end up spending more than what the right service would have cost you.

When you look at the rates, be careful with the options. Only use a B2B service for business addresses. Choose the service that matches your needs.

PARCEL SAME DAY PALLET

FROM

PARCEL WEIGHT & SIZE

12) Not embracing automated processes

Manual fulfilment tasks are no longer necessary. In fact, they are not advisable.

Human error is more likely with manual processes. Errors such as entering the wrong address or selecting the wrong delivery service can be very expensive.

Interparcel and similar platforms help you fulfil orders faster and safer by:

13) Labelling parcels incorrectly

Labeling your parcels correctly is very important. A frequent shipping error is putting the wrong label on a parcel. To prevent this, have a method to label them properly. You could stack them according to the order you processed them or mark the boxes with a sign.

Another problem is not fixing labels well. Attach it to the top or biggest side of the box. Use tape to make it stay but don’t cover the barcodes because scanners might not read them.

Don’t ignore this task. Wrong or missing labels can increase shipping costs.

14) Having missing or incorrect documents

Besides shipping labels, you need to attach other important documents for international parcels.

The most essential document is the commercial invoice. It must be filled out clearly and have these items:

The product's origin country
Your and the buyer's name and address
A full description of the item, with its material, purpose, and name
Amounts and weights
The item's selling price
A tariff code
An origin certificate
a copy of relevant Free Trade Agreements, if needed
If you don't provide these details, your parcel might face customs delays or be rejected at the border.

15) Not having transit cover

To ensure your parcels are safe and secure, we advise you to get warranty for them before they are picked up.

Transit warranty covers your shipment in case of loss or damage. Courier companies always try to handle your package with care, but sometimes accidents happen due to factors beyond their control, such as weather conditions.

Most of the courier services we offer include a level of free Transit Cover (typically, between £15 - £25) and is highlighted during the booking process and confirmed once the order is booked. However, you have the option to add additional transit cover (up to £2,000) for a small fee. Transit Cover is currently charged at 5% of the additional cover on most services.

Find out about the importance of Transit Cover in our recent blog.

Ready to book your parcel delivery?

When you're ready to send a parcel, simply enter your package dimensions and weight into our online quote tool. Or, you can bulk upload orders via CSV in your Shipping Manager or pull through your orders via your eCommerce integrations.