How does sellers choose a shipper?

[smedinadupont]

We are a group of student from The University of Melbourne. Currently we are doing an investigation about the logistic service in Australia and we are doing different surveys to do so.

Please, if you have time, just answer these two easy questions. It is going to be very helpful to us.

Thank you.

1. How do you choose your shipper?
2. We are thinking about developing a website that compares different shipping providers so you can compare rates and time of delivery.

Would you find this useful? Please shortly explain why.

[redders_60]

I choose my shipping options as to which best suits the buyer location along with weight & type of parcel to be sent. I sell from a number of online platforms. I have accounts with Australia Post, Fastway couriers & Temando. Temando offer a comparison chart with dozens of services, any of which I could choose & pay for by credit card or Paypal. This would negate the comparison charts as you propose. Once I choose a service on Temando, I can then book & pay for the service all from the one website. I do believe Temando have won many business awards for the service they provide. Good luck with your student survey. May I ask what area of study is accumulating the data? As I have participated in a similar one with regards to online selling & freight from NMIT business students a few years ago & was kindly given a copy of their research findings for my records.

[lyndal1838]

There are already websites where you can compare shipping services and get quotes.   Check out temando.com.....is this what you had in mind?

[davewil1964]

Don't they have a requirement that students must know English grammar anymore?

I use AP almost exclusively and a courier would have to be significantly cheaper to cover the extra hassles involved with using couriers, especially for buyers.

[putney32]

I use Australia Post because using a courier comes with hassles of its own.

if your buyer is NOT in a major city, (and thousands of ebay users live in remote areas / country towns etc), then if they are not home when the courier calls they may have to drive 50, 75 even 100km to the nearest courier depot, during business hours, just to get their parcel.

certainly not something a working ebay buyer could manage in a lot of cases.

[*crikey*mate*]

Dave, that's mean! It's a Business/Commerce degree - entry only requires that you pass English, not excel at it!

*hopes like crazy that my grammar is of a suitable standard*

OP - I use Aust Post exclusively as well.

Same as above, Aus Post, in conjunction with Click and Send Flat Rate, is more economically viable than a courier for the items I sell. Couriers become too costly and delivery times are unpredictable and often inconvenient for the customer.

Australia Post generally has an outlet or at least a sub agent somewhere close to the buyer so that if they can't deliver a parcel and need to leave a card for the customer to collect, the collection point is often reasonably close. With a courier, there may not be a depot close by for pick up of undelivered items which really inconveniences some buyers.

Dave, don't you dare comment on my poor punctuation..... When I need to, not only can I spell and use the correct grammar, but I manage to get the punctuation correct as well.

*cheeky grin*

[*crikey*mate*]

oops - I didn't really answer your questions, did I?

*looks embarrassed*

*points and laffs at Davewil*

1) I choose my shipper based on convenience and cost. If I hope to give my buyer a positive experience in dealing with me, I also have to consider the cost and convenience factor for them.

2) For business, I would probably find the web site interesting, and may look at it every time Aust Post increases their prices, but unless more couriers enter the market offering a similar service convenience and price wise, it would really only be useful for me in that it would confirm that Aust Post is the method that most suits me.

As a general consumer though, there have been times when such a website would have been handy, but not often enough for anyone to make any money from me.

Might want to factor in the convenience aspect into your assignment as well, i.e. what happens if the customer isn't home when the courier arrives and where the closest Depot is to their location.

[*crikey*mate*]

oh, and that the selected courier is PayPal compliant - ie able to provide tracking and lodgement details.

[retailtherapist_8]

Oh my goodness, I read that question completely wrong! How embarrassment...........: How does a Seller choose a Str***er..

[*crikey*mate*]

---

@retailtherapist_8 wrote:

Oh my goodness, I read that question completely wrong! How embarrassment...........: How does a Seller choose a Str***er..

---