What shipping costs are and who pays what
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Shipping costs move products from inventory to customer doors: Correios or carriers, packaging and packing/mailing time. Three approaches: customers pay separately, stores include shipping in prices, or stores offer free shipping above minimum orders. “Free shipping” means shipping included in prices.
Shipping most often misleads profit calculations: product margins look good and disappear on labels. Decide who pays each part beforehand rather than discover losses at month-end.
What makes up shipping?
Carrier quotes depend on origin/destination postal codes, weight, box dimensions and speed. Correios PAC is cheaper and slower; SEDEX dearer and faster. Jadlog and Loggi cover regions and weight ranges with their own pricing.
Quotes exclude:
- Boxes, bubble wrap, tape and printed labels.
- Packing time and agency trips or collection waits.
- Loss, damage and reshipping for incorrect addresses.
A R$ 45 candle costs R$ 24 interstate PAC plus R$ 4 protected packaging. Charging customers R$ 15 to avoid scaring them takes the remaining R$ 13 from margin.
Who pays what?
- Customers pay full shipping calculated by postal code. Simplest when shipping is small relative to prices or expected.
- Stores include everything in prices. Works with high average prices and proportionally small shipping. Nearby customers subsidize distant ones.
- Free shipping above minimum values. Most common because it raises average orders. See “Free shipping above what amount? The calculation that decides.”
Every approach requires correct postal-code calculations: Shipping calculations by postal code.
What to do now
Total labels and packaging for ten recent orders against customer charges. Differences are expenses you never chose. Move shipping, inventory and orders out of spreadsheets without losing history: avilaops.com/sistema-para-pequenas-empresas or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Is free shipping mandatory online?
No, a commercial choice. Last-minute surprises deter customers more than amounts themselves.
Who pays return shipping?
Stores pay withdrawal within seven days of receipt under Consumer Protection Code article 49, and defects. Otherwise exchange policies decide.
Can I use personal Correios accounts?
Yes, without discounts. Shipping platforms offer better tables without minimum volumes even for CPF-only users. Direct Correios contracts require CNPJ.
Connections, made clear
Every delivery has a journey to follow.
Explore a transport operation and its review points.
- RequestGather collection or delivery details.
- PlanningOrganise the stops and responsibilities.
- DispatchCheck the load and record its departure.
- TrackingMonitor updates and possible incidents.
- CompletionReview the delivery and operation records.
- Request. Gather collection or delivery details.
- Planning. Organise the stops and responsibilities.
- Dispatch. Check the load and record its departure.
- Tracking. Monitor updates and possible incidents.
- Completion. Review the delivery and operation records.
Request
Gather collection or delivery details.
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