How to Negotiate with the Shipping Company

If you feel that you should be getting a better rate on the cost of shipping, you may wish to call your local courier services and negotiate a lower price. You may think at first that doing so is slightly intimidating, but actually calling your courier to inquire about lower rates is very simple and may be one of the best things you have ever done during your time as a shipper.

The first thing you should do before contacting your courier is to call other competing parcel delivery services and ask for their rates. Write down the name of each company along with their prices in a notebook and keep them on hand. Place a star next to any company that has a rate that is lower than what you are currently paying. Pay close attention as well to special fees such as fuel surcharges.

Then, with this information in hand, call your favorite courier and ask to speak to a customer service representative. Explain that you are wondering if you would be able to obtain a lower shipping rate and point out the costs of their competitors. Usually, the shipping company will not want to lose you to a competing courier, so they may offer to match the price or will discuss other ways that the cost can be lowered, such as reducing any surcharges. If you are a regular shipper and send multiple packages each week, this may be even more of a reason for the shipping company to reduce your rates.

If you are satisfied with their offer, great. If not, another route that you can take to find lower shipping rates is to utilize the comparison and booking site myParcelDelivery.com™.

myParcelDelivery.com™ offers free instant quotes on all your shipping needs as it compares the rates of a number of parcel couriers such as City Link, UPS, and DHL. You can even find special rates for frequent shippers. Then, if you find a courier that you like, you can book a pickup right online, and have shipping labels emailed to you, which you can print out and affix to your package so that it all ready to go by the time the courier arrives.

Sometimes, if you want a great deal, you have to be pro-active in getting it. Taking the steps necessary to obtaining a lower rate is not hard; you just need the fortitude to step up the plate and get the job done. Sometimes you never know until you ask, and since the worst answer you can get is no, there’s nothing to lose. So, why not pick up the phone and call your local parcel delivery service today and do a little negotiating?