Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx are caught between a "rock and a hard place." The rock is ever-rising fuel prices, which some economists say will top $4 per gallon for diesel and gas. The "hard place" is eating that cost or passing it on to clients and customers who are themselves fighting a prolonged recession. Sure, UPS and FedEx can add surcharges to cover fuel costs--but their cus...
Continue ReadingMar 25
2011
Mar 22
2011
Negotiating UPS Discounts
Posted: Mar 22, 2011
Gas prices are up and so are UPS rates. But you can negotiate with UPS if you know how. When negotiating discount UPS rates it's important to establish a rapport with the manager at the local distribution center. After you have asked them to reduce shipping rates they and their pricing depar...
Continue ReadingMar 16
2011
Comparing FedEx & UPS Rates
Posted: Mar 16, 2011
If your company does a high volume of shipping and you're being squeezed by your steely-eye comptroller to cut shipping costs, read on. What you need to be a hero is a serious shipping comparison tool. One of these, the ...
Continue ReadingMar 14
2011
UPS vs FedEx: Rates
Posted: Mar 14, 2011
These days, cheap shipping rates are scarcer than feathers in a cuckoo clock. Recent changes to both FedEx rates and UPS rates were bitter to swallow. Both companies announced increases to small package shipping rates that began with the New Year. Adding salt to the wound was a key change in how both FedEx and UPS now calculate ...
Continue ReadingMar 12
2011
Carrier Discounts vs. Rising Shipping Costs
Posted: Mar 12, 2011
Shipping costs are headed higher than a New York City skyscraper. No thanks to the high price of energy, which contributes to rising transportation costs. Record high oil prices have offset decades of trade liberalization efforts. When you consider the rising cost of shipping raw materials and finished goods, distance to market and ...
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