When it comes to oversized shipping, you need to know your options. Shipping large items can be more expensive than smaller and lighter ones, making it crucial to find lower-priced carriers and see the shipping options available.

Keep reading if you plan to include oversized items in your online store. This guide will show you how to plan your shipping for large items to ensure you get the best deal and make the right choices for your eCommerce shipping strategy.

What Are Oversized Packages?

Oversized packages are too large or too heavy to be transported to your customers using conventional domestic shipping options. Oversized packages can be more expensive to ship due to the additional effort required to transport them.

Oversized packages are usually only eligible for freight shipment services, as these services are better equipped to transport bulk and oversized items. Big packages might be just a single large item, or they can be boxes made up of multiple packages. However, there are more limitations on dimension and weight for containers made up of various packages.

Why Is Oversized Shipping More Expensive?

When shipping carriers travel with cargo, they have a finite amount of space. If you use a shipping carrier for oversized items, they won’t be able to store as many items on board, which means they could lose out on money if they charge the same for each item size.

To account for the lack of cargo space caused by these oversized shipping items, carriers will charge more for large individual items than smaller ones.

So, you can expect to pay more for shipping if you stock oversized items. For this reason, many eCommerce sellers try to steer clear of big products when scaling their business because it would cause them to lose more of their profits on shipping costs.

However, many sellers still choose oversized stock products, which means they need to think wisely and minimize the extra costs.

Which Are The Best Carriers For Oversized Shipping?

To help you understand the best carrier options for your oversized packages, here is a list of the best carriers for large shipments:

• UPS – with this carrier, you’ll be able to access many options for large-item shipping, and you can even access overnight shipping.
• FedEx Freight – if you’re planning to ship many oversized items, then FedEx Freight is a great option. The shipping rates will vary depending on your location, but they offer palate shipping for large quantities of oversized packages.

How To Compare Shipping Providers For Oversized Packages

If you’re choosing a shipping provider for oversized packages, the following steps will help you to find the best deal and cut expenses for your eCommerce business:

• Getting quotes from various shipping providers – you shouldn’t stick with the first quote you get from a shipping provider. Instead, you should get quotes from multiple carriers to ensure you’re getting an optimal deal.
• Negotiating prices – you can negotiate prices with your carrier to bring the cost down and improve your shipping rates for oversized shipments, which will benefit your overall profit margins.
• Look for more affordable options – if you opt for express services for your oversized shipments, this will increase the price. You can lower the cost and increase your profit margins by slowing down the shipping process for your large items. Since shipping is generally slower for large items, you shouldn’t expect the shipping time to affect your sales rates.

Oversized Shipping Dimensions And Weights

Knowing oversized shipment definitions can help determine whether you require specialized shipping for specific items.

Awkward items with an abnormal shape can cost more to ship, as their form may cause less room for other items in cargo holding.

The definition of an oversized package varies between shipment providers, but here is some information from different carriers:

• The Australia Post does not ship packages above 105 cm in length and 22kg in weight. This figure differs for international shipping.
• Amazon defines an oversized package as exceeding 65cm on any side. Items over 23kg will be heavy packages and require additional fees.
• UPS states that they can deliver packages up to 274cm long, and any oversized packages might only be eligible for freight shipping services. Packages over 65kg require a heavy package label.
• FedEx Freight defines an oversized package as exceeding 243cm in length and having a combined length of over 330cm. Additionally, the package weight needs to be less than 68kg.

Carriers usually have stricter restrictions for boxes containing multiple packages.

Now that you know the oversized shipping dimensions and weights, you can determine whether or not you need to explore your big options for shipping.

Oversized Options For Shipping

Let’s discuss your options for shipping oversized items and how you can streamline costs for shipping large products to your customers.

Factors Affecting Shipping Costs For Oversized Items

Here are some factors that could increase the cost of shipping your large packages:

• Dimensional weight – the dimensional weight of your package concerns both the weight and dimension of your packages and carriers often use the dimensional weight to determine how to charge you for your items. Be wary of shipping large light boxes, as they may be priced by their dimensional weight rather than their actual weight.
• Special services – if your oversized products are delicate, perishable, or need to be handled in a specific way, you’ll pay more for shipping these items.
• Express services– if you need your packages delivered quickly, you can expect to pay more.
• Domestic shipping vs. international shipping – how far your packages will need to travel to reach the customer will impact the shipping fees.
• Shipping method – whether your packages travel in a transit truck or be shipped overseas will also affect how much you pay for shipping.

It’s a good idea to ensure your large items will be cheap to ship before adding them to your store. Avoiding perishable and fragile large items and lighter large items can help you to cut shipping costs. Additionally, if you only make larger products available to your domestic customers, you’ll be able to save significantly.

Choosing A Shipping Method

Your shipping method will significantly impact the cost of your shipping rates, but each shipping method has its advantages and disadvantages.

You’ll likely need to use a freight shipping company to ship your oversized items, as you may not be able to send them with the Australia post services. When choosing your freight shipping method, you have the following options:

• Ground shipping – you can use trucks to get your packages to specific destinations, not just air hubs and ports. However, ground shipping is often the slowest shipping method, and you’ll have difficulty getting packages to your customers promptly.
• Ocean shipping – you’ll need to cross oceans for international shipping, and ocean shipping is a lot cheaper than air shipping. However, ocean shipping is slow, and there are some security concerns.
• Air shipping – air shipping is the fastest option for international shipping, though it can be an expensive option.
• Rail shipping – rail shipping is one of the most affordable and faster than truck shipping. However, since rail shipping only applies to areas with solid railway links, you’ll find multiple locations inaccessible with this shipping method.

Tips For Shipping Oversized Packages Safely

Here are some of the best tips for shipping your oversized packages, ensuring they arrive safely and in good condition:

• Avoid glued seams – since oversized packages tend to be heavier, you’ll need to ensure your boxes are equipped to handle the extra weight. Glued seams often rip during transit, and opting for a more robust seam-sealing method, such as stapled or stitched seams, would be better.
• Avoid reusing boxes – for items with a heavier weight, reusing old boxes could compromise the structure, and the box could fall apart during transit.
• Use heavy-duty tape – you should apply several layers of heavy-duty tape to your boxes to protect the seams. Heavy-duty tape is designed to support boxes containing heavier and larger items.
• Opt for full security – more oversized items are more expensive, and opting for security coverage for these items will help you to reduce theft shrinkage.
• Wrap and cushion your products – wrapping and cushioning your products will help prevent the item from rattling in the box and weakening the seams. It will also protect the item from any damage caused by impacts during transit.
• Double pack – if the item is fragile, you may wish to pack a smaller box inside a larger one to ensure a double layer of protection. However, be aware that this could increase the dimensions of your package and, thus, the shipping cost.

Summary

Shipping oversized items require more consideration than regular-sized products. You may need to use a freight shipping service and choose whether you want to ship the products by rail, ocean, air, or ground. Shipping costs vary depending on your carrier and special considerations for specific items such as fragility and abnormal shape. By approaching the shipment details of your oversized items with price and method in mind, you can create an optimal shipping strategy for your more oversized products and items.