Buy more, spend less!

Reduce Shipping Fees On ZenPlus

TL;DR

Yes, consolidating purchases, especially if they have similar sizes/weights, can significantly reduce the shipping cost per item. Read the full article below to understand how to save on international shipping!

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Understanding Volumetric Weight
How To Reduce Shipping Costs
Practical Example
Conclusion

1. Understanding Volumetric Weight

Before we share tips on saving, it's crucial to understand how shipping costs are calculated. A key factor is 'volumetric weight'.

Volumetric weight, also known as dimensional weight, is a pricing technique for commercial freight transport, including courier and postal services.

It uses an estimated weight calculated from the package's length, width, and height, reflecting the package's density.

Why is this important? Because shipping a box full of feathers costs more than shipping a box full of lead, even if they weigh the same. The box of feathers takes up more space in the delivery truck or airplane.

Therefore, carriers use volumetric weight to ensure they're adequately compensated for the space packages occupy in their vehicles.

2. How to Reduce Shipping Costs

Consolidate Your Purchases

If you're buying multiple items like plushies, shipping each one separately may cost more. Instead, you can reduce the shipping cost by consolidating them into one shipment.

For example, if you're buying one plush, consider buying an additional one, and shipping everything together. This way, you only pay for the volumetric weight of one box instead of two.

Volumetric weight is calculated by multiplying the length, width, and height (in cm) of a package, then dividing by a 'volumetric factor'—typically 5000 or 6000, depending on the courier or postal service.

Example: Purchasing a single Shinada Global L plush

Let’s say we want to buy one L plush. An otter measures around 25 x 20 x 25 cm and weighs around 400g.

We'll use a box sized 30 x 20 x 30 cm to ship this. 30 x 20 x 30 = 18000/5000 = 3.6KG.

In this case, even if our plush only weighs 400g, it will be shipped as a 3.6 kg package!

Therefore, shipping one otter to the US could cost roughly 20USD$(standard shipping), depending on the current currency conversion and shipping couriers' rates.

What happens when we buy 2 L size and 2 Mini otters together?

Despite having more than double the size and weight, if we use a slightly larger box (30 x 30 x 30 cm = 27000/5000 = 5.4KG)

and fit all the plushies together the cost for shipping everything to the US will be only around 32USD$!! (with standard shipping)

By doing this, our cost per plush drops from 20$ to 8$ for each plush!

Briefly, this is how you can save on shipping:

Buy Multiple Items Together: When purchasing on ZenPlus, try to buy multiple items at once. This way, the items can be packaged together, reducing your shipment's total volumetric weight.
Choose the Right Shipping Option (when possible): Our website offers different shipping services. If you're not in a hurry to receive your items, choose our “standard” service to save on shipping costs.

If you need your items ASAP, the “express" option might be best, although it will likely cost more.

4. Conclusion

With ZenPlus, you have the advantage of purchasing authentic Japanese goods from the comfort of your home.

Moreover, by understanding how shipping fees are calculated and taking steps to optimize your purchases, you can significantly reduce your ZenPlus shipping costs!

Happy shopping!