Cheapest Way to Ship in the UK
The cost and speed of shipping products to their end destination aren’t mutually exclusive. As an online retailer, you shouldn’t be paying the same rates as the general public – and many shipping providers offer business rates, incentive programmes, shipping software, and carrier negotiations. Achieving the best possible scenario for your business can be tricky, but ShipStation is here to help.
It’s essential to consider more than cost when choosing the delivery company that will underpin your customer experience. Here is a snapshot view of some of the UK’s most popular carriers.
Evri
Evri (formally Hermes), a very popular choice in the UK, has delivered products to UK destinations for decades.
Delivery options:
Next day and ‘chosen’ date / Economy and Postable Services
Environmental impacts:
No ‘emission-free’ delivery option is available yet. The company does have a target to be emission-free by 2025.
Click and Collect:
Evri offers click and collect at more than 4,500 locations across the UK.
International delivery:
20 European destinations with specialisations in Germany, Austria, France and Russia.
Cheapest way to ship:
Hermes deliveries are based on weight. For packages weighing up to 15kg, you can pay between £2.70 – £9.78 – with an additional charge for signature requirements.
Royal Mail
Delivering packages since the 1500s, Royal Mail is a solid choice when sending packages domestically.
Delivery options:
Several tiers of delivery, including Special Delivery (guaranteed by 9am or 1pm the next working day)
Environmental impacts:
No available emission-free option currently.
Click and collect:
Royal Mail has over 23,000 ‘Parcel Shops’ throughout the UK
International delivery:
Whilst Royal Mail concentrates on domestic shipping; it is also a viable option when shipping further afield.
Cheapest way to ship:
Royal mail shipping is size-dependent. For small packages under 100g, the cheapest way to ship is Second Class Standard for 96p. If shipping via Special Delivery, the same size would cost approximately £6.45 (as of 2021).
DPD
DPD is a worldwide logistics expert with a focus on European destinations.
Delivery options:
Like Royal Mail, DPD offers several tiers of shipping, including Next Day Delivery (including delivery by 10:30am or noon). Additionally, DPD offers 1-hour delivery windows and real-time delivery tracking via its easy-to-use app.
Environmental impacts:
According to its website, 100% of its packages have been carbon neutral since 2012 without adding cost to retailers. Since 2016, it’s decreased the emissions by 14% per package with a target of reducing it to 30% by 2025.
Click and collect:
DPD offers over 2,500 collection points throughout the UK.
International delivery:
DPD specialises in European destinations but also delivers worldwide.
Cheapest way to ship:
Next day delivery for DPD begins at £2. Its shipping prices are dependent upon weight and size.
Yodel
Yodel is a privately-owned British company that operates both domestically and internationally.
Delivery options:
Yodel offers different tiers of shipping. The new Yodel Xpect’s next day delivery provides a two-hour delivery option. Yodel Xpress offers 24/48-hour delivery options.
Environmental impacts:
As of 2021, Yodel offers no sustainable delivery options and hasn’t presented any targets for decreasing carbon emissions in the future.
Click and collect:
Yodel doesn’t offer any click and collect or delivery points in the UK or abroad.
International delivery:
Yodel specialises in long-haul shipping with guaranteed delivery in Europe within 3-5 days and worldwide within 6-10 days.
Cheapest way to ship:
Yodel shipping is dependent upon size and weight and begins at £2.20.
DHL
German delivery company DHL is one of the top shipping providers for commercial and retail in the UK.
Delivery options:
Next day delivery is a key focus for DHL. Its service is referred to as DHL Express.
Environmental impacts:
DHL is environmentally conscious with a target to have zero carbon emissions by 2050. They offer a wide range of environmental delivery solutions including, offsetting carbon emissions and circular economy solutions.
Click and collect:
Without additional aid from delivery platforms and services, DHL does not offer click and collect.
International Delivery:
DHL ships to 220 countries (as of 2021).
Cheapest way to ship:
DHL next working day delivery begins at £7.95, and rates are based on the size of the DHL box used to ship the product.
Choosing the Right Delivery for Your Business
There are other details to consider when choosing the shipping company that will safely deliver your packages to their final destination, including:
- What delivery options do your shoppers want to see in their cart?
- How many packages do you ship a month?
- What types of products do you ship?
- Where do you ship?
- Prioritise what you want i.e., delivery time, security and sustainability
ShipStation Makes Delivery Effortless
Choosing ShipStation’s order processing and fulfilment software provides the best delivery experience for every order that comes through your ecommerce platform. You have the ability to:
- Manage all orders in one, convenient place
- Assign couriers to specific products
- Enjoy discounted rates secured by ShipStation – or use your own
- Shop for the best shipping rates in real-time
For more information about how ShipStation can help, contact our team today.
