Business Shipping Rates and Membership Plans FAQ

What's the Difference Between Shipito's Free and Paid Plans for a Business Shipping High Volumes?

Answer: A Free account gives you warehouse addresses and 7 days of free storage. A Shipito for Business plan adds lower fees, shipping discounts of up to 10%, 45 to 90 days of free storage, and full access to returns, pick-and-pack, and API services.

You don't have to pay anything to become a Shipito member. A Free account lets you use our warehouses in California, Oregon, Austria, and Japan, gives you email and chat support, and stores your packages for free for 7 days. That's a good starting point.

If you run a business and ship often, a paid plan usually saves you more than it costs. Here's a quick comparison:

• Free account: $0, 7 days of free storage, $3.25 processing fee per package, no shipping discount.
• Shipito for Business: $12 per month or $99 per year, 45 to 90 days of free storage, a processing fee of $2.25 or less, shipping discounts of up to 10%, and full access to returns, pick-and-pack, and the API.

There are four business plans. Your plan depends on how many shipments you usually send each month:

• Standard: fewer than 10 shipments per month
• Starter: at least 10 shipments per month
• Growth: at least 30 shipments per month
• Enterprise: at least 50 shipments per month

Are There Volume Discounts for Businesses That Ship Dozens or Hundreds of Packages a Month?

Answer: Yes. The more you ship, the more you save. Higher business plans have lower processing fees and bigger shipping discounts, up to free processing and 10% off shipping on the Enterprise plan.

Here is what each business plan includes:

• Standard: $2.25 processing fee per package, no shipping discount, 45 days of free storage
• Starter: $1.25 processing fee per package, 5% shipping discount, 45 days of free storage
• Growth: $0.75 processing fee per package, 7% shipping discount, 60 days of free storage
• Enterprise: free processing, 10% shipping discount, 90 days of free storage

If your business receives many packages each month, even a small saving per package adds up quickly over time.

Tip: Watch your monthly shipment volume. If you often get close to the next plan level, upgrading can help you get more value from every shipment. See all plan details on our Shipito for Business page.

How Does Shipito's Pricing Compare to Competitors for Businesses Doing Regular Bulk Consolidation?

Answer: When you compare package forwarders, look at the total cost, not only the consolidation fee. With Shipito, consolidation costs $3.25 per package for paid members, and business plans include 45 to 90 days of free storage, which gives you more time to combine orders.

Consolidation is one of the easiest ways to spend less on international shipping. Instead of shipping each package from our warehouse on its own, we combine your purchases into one box. This can save up to 80% on shipping.

For businesses, the free storage period is a big advantage:

• Standard and Starter: 45 days
• Growth: 60 days
• Enterprise: 90 days

More storage time means more flexibility. You can buy inventory in batches, order from several suppliers, and plan your shipments around your orders. Paying a small consolidation fee for that flexibility is often the more practical choice, because fewer, larger shipments usually cost less in total.

What Extra Fees Should a Business Budget for Beyond the Base Membership Cost?

Answer: Besides the membership, plan for per-package processing fees, shipping costs, and any add-on services you choose, such as consolidation, extra photos, storage extensions, customs help, and insurance.

Here are the main fees at paid member rates. All prices are in U.S. dollars.

• Processing fee: From free on the Enterprise plan to $2.25 per package on the Standard plan. Express Processing costs $5.50.
• Additional photos: $5. Use them to check order accuracy, product condition, and packaging.
• Storage extension: If you need more time after your free storage ends, each extension adds 7 days. It costs $7 plus $1 for each day the package has been past its free storage date. You can extend up to 4 times, for a maximum of 28 extra days.
• Consolidation: $3.25 per package. It costs a little up front, but it lowers your total shipping cost.
• Special requests: $15 per half hour, for anything outside our standard package handling.
• Extra packing material: $2, for products that need more protection.
• Customs declaration: $5 for us to fill out the customs form for you, using the shipment information you provide.
• Insurance: Starts at $3. The price depends on the shipment and the coverage you choose.
• Heavy package surcharge: Starts at $10 for overweight packages.
• Shipping cost: Depends on the carrier, destination, weight, and package size. Business plans get up to 10% off shipping.

See every fee on our pricing page, and get a shipping quote with our shipping calculator.

Is It Cheaper for a Business To Use Assisted Purchase or To Buy Directly and Have It Forwarded?

Answer: Buying directly is usually cheaper when the store accepts your payment method and ships to your Shipito address. Assisted Purchase costs more, but it can be worth it when a store blocks your payment or won't ship to us.

When you source products for your business, a store might not accept your card or might not ship to your address. With Assisted Purchase, you tell us what you want and where to buy it, and we buy it for you.

Assisted Purchase costs $8.50, plus a 4.3% processing fee and an 8% commission. Whether it's cheaper depends on the store, the payment method, and the type and value of the products.

Assisted Purchase can also save you time. You don't have to try different payment methods or figure out why a payment keeps getting declined. For a business, time is money.

Does Shipito Offer Custom Pricing or Dedicated Account Support for High-Volume Business Shippers?

Answer: Shipito doesn't offer individually negotiated pricing contracts or a dedicated account manager. Instead, business plans give you automatic savings that grow with your shipping volume.

We keep pricing simple, with tiered plans and pay-as-you-go fees. As you move to a higher plan, your shipping discount goes up, your processing fee goes down, and your free storage lasts longer. Each package and shipment is billed and recorded separately, so you always have a clear record of every charge.

We're always happy to talk about custom shipping solutions. Email support@shipito.com, or schedule a consultation on our Shipito for Business page. Live chat is available on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time.