Just the other day, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw something really relatable. It was a post that pointed out most people wouldn’t buy something online that was $25 with $5 shipping, but would have no problem buying something that’s $30 with free shipping. At first glance, this may seem a bit silly, because the net worth in both situations is the same. However, if you think about it, in the former, you would be buying something that has a $25 value for $30. The difference is small, but apparently big enough to make a lot of people opt out of buying this $25 object.
AlsoAlso, to the average consumer, it looks like a lot of online stores take advantage by hiking up prices on certain items. I always thought that there was some complicated business model involved that dictated whether or not the shipping costs would be high or low. But, now that I think about it, I never really saw a correlation between anything like distance, product price, whether or not it was a specialty item, etc.
Now, the question we have to ask ourselves is this: is there a way to ensure affordable shipping for online purchases? If anyone answered “yes” to this question, I would have been skeptical. However, after learning about a company called Shyp, I might just believe it. I always wondered if there was a way to make shipping cost go down for a variety of online purchases, and apparently, Shyp has found the secret formula to do just that.
Shyp acts as a shipping and fulfillment company. With Shyp, the total cost is a combination of shipping + packaging rates + pickup. Shyp compares the rates of major shipping companies like USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, and OnTrac and chooses the cheapest rate for each and every shipment. The costs changes with the size of the package being delivered, but Shyp gives lower costs for multiple white packages. For one item, they charge $15 per visit. For two items, they charge $10 per visit. For three or more items, they charge $5 per visit.
The team at Shyp offer this message from their website:
“Shyp’s unique packaging and shipping technology helped device refurbisher human-I-T ship thousands of fragile computers around the world every month, at a fraction of their previous cost and damage rate.”
They even have an all-in-one shipping software ane service:
“Snap a photo using our mobile app, or upload multiple orders to your computer. Select packaging, shipping, and extras like insurance. Then schedule a pickup, and we’ll handle the rest… If you’re sending something overseas and it’s traveling with FedEx or UPS, tracking will usually update all the way to your shipment delivery address. If your shipment is traveling by USPS, how far your item is tracked will depend on the speed you originally chose. "
Companies like this are why major corporations that consider themselves titans do not control all facets of the market they do business in. It just goes to show that creativity will always pull through and lead to success for those who utilize it wisely.
Shyp was founded in 2013 by Kevin Gibbon, Jack Smith, and Joshua Scott. They wanted to take the stress out of the shipping process. Shyp picks up a customer’s package anywhere they’d like, and ship it that the cheapest price. The company currently operates in San Francisco, and they plan on improving their business model before expanding.
Shyp is already helping people make their lives easier and more cost-effective. They are even helping businesses with their shipping needs:
"I have a huge appetite for growth. Shyp has been a major part of moving my business forward," said Jared Wisbrod, CEO of Chicago Candle Factory.
Shyp helped Chicago Candle Factory by making sure their fragile candles were packaged and very carefully and safely. The business was having some troubles shipping the hundreds of candles because of how fragile their product was, but Shyp helped them to deliver candles more efficiently than ever. In the future, I’m sure Shyp will grow into a popular service that many more people and businesses utilize.
