What e-Packet Shipping Is And Why It’s Great For Your Drop shipping Business?

In a world where more businesses and more people are turning to ecommerce, having a delivery process that is fast, efficient, and cheap is a vital asset. If you are a drop shipping store owner or contemplating starting one, then you want to know about the best practices in shipping. You wouldn’t want to worry about late and failed deliveries or deal with customers who are asking for refunds for products that never reached them in the first place. What you need is a shipping process that is reliable and quick.

Before ePacket delivery, products that were bought from China and shipped to the United States and other countries could take months to arrive, and faster options were just too expensive. Today, ePacket shipping is one of the most popular shipping methods used by merchants in China and Hong Kong to perform cross-border shipments. It is a popular shipping method with drop shippers as well because it’s fast, relatively inexpensive, and sometimes free.

If you want to know more about ePacket delivery and how it can benefit your drop shipping business, then you are in the right place. This article will give you an overview on what ePacket is, how it compares to other shipping methods, and how it can benefit you and your online venture.

What is ePacket?

ePacket shipping is an international shipping and delivery method established in 2011. It was designed precisely for ecommerce, as the “e” in “ePacket” suggests. The agreement was made to benefit trade between China and the United States, by allowing sellers to deliver small and light merchandise from China and Hong Kong to the United States quickly and inexpensively.

To cut delivery time, ePacket orders are handled as priority mail shipments by the United States Postal Service or USPS, and receive USPS First Class Mail Services as well as tracking with delivery confirmation.

ePacket shipping is undoubtedly one the best forms of cross-border delivery to date, owing to the fact that it is extremely cheap, quite fast, and allows buyers to track their orders with no additional cost.

Today, ePacket delivery has been made available in more than 35 countries around the world.

What does this Mean for Drop Shippers?

The advent of the ePacket agreement could not have been more convenient for many people, especially for drop shippers who source the majority of their products from China and Hong Kong. Not to mention the fact that most drop shippers use AliExpress and Oberlo, where many products also have ePacket delivery options.

Here are the ways that ePacket shipping benefits drop shippers:

1. Cheap Shipping Fees

Inexpensive shipping is one of the reasons for the success and popularity of ePacket shipping. Your customers do not want to see a $20 shipping fee for a product that costs less than $2. No, they want shipping that costs lower than the item they are trying to buy. Sourcing products manufactured in China and Hong Kong now comes at a reduced price because of the ePacket delivery option. It is sometimes even free.

Your customers love the idea of cheap shipping fees because it gives them more value for their money. But you know what online shoppers love even more? That’s right, free shipping.

2. Fast Delivery

ePacket delivery has revolutionized and cut back shipping time, allowing your customers to enjoy the satisfaction of fast delivery at reduced prices. This is great, because nothing is worse than a frustrated customer who is demanding for a refund over a product that is taking too long to be delivered.

Before ePacket shipping, your costumers would have had to wait for a month for their orders, sometimes longer. Not many people would bother to buy something that they will have to wait for weeks and weeks for. People want instant gratifications, or as close to that as they can get. With ePacket shipping, your customers will only have to wait an average of 7–20 days for their purchases to reach them.

3. Supported by Drop shipping Sites

ePacket shipping options is available on sites that are popular with drop shippers, like AliExpress, Oberlo, and eBay. The majority (but not all) of the items available on these shops do give buyers the option to ship with ePacket delivery.

4. Tracking and Delivery Confirmation

Buyers and sellers can easily track the progress of their shipments from the tracking numbers provided. You will be able to track your shipments at no additional cost. This means that you will be able to also provide a sense of security to your buyers who will have the option of tracking their deliveries from the day they make their purchase to the day that it arrives on their doorsteps.

5. Improve your Sales and Customer Satisfaction

Giving your customers the option of a cheap, reliable, and speedy delivery service will help increase your conversion rates because you are giving your target consumers some really great incentives to shop with you.

Maintaining a positive relationship with your customers will also be easier because you will be providing them with a reliable and inexpensive service, helping you increase the overall rate of customer satisfaction derived from your store and its services.

The economic cost and reliable service that ePacket shipping provides both dropshippers and customers makes ePacket shipping one of the best ways for you to manage your store’s deliveries.

Disadvantages to Consider

When it comes to ePacket shipping, as well as with most things, there are disadvantages that you have to consider. There are two limitations to ePacket shipping that we would like to highlight for you in this article. Consider the fact that:

1. Limited Availability

If you are working with an international target market, then the offer of ePacket shipping will only be available in over 35 countries. You’ll find a list of these countries further down in this article.

2. Limited Product Selection

Not all products available on AliExpress or Oberlo will have the option for ePacket shipping. However, many of their products do, so you can easily circumvent this problem by simply choosing products where ePacket delivery is an available option.

How ePacket Compares to other Shipping Methods

Now that we have addressed the advantages and disadvantages that ePacket shipping may pose, let’s take a deeper look on how it compares to other shipping methods. Below you will find a comparison of different shipping methods and an analysis on the price and delivery speed. Let’s see how ePacket shipping compares.

We are looking at shipping options to the United States for a car vacuum cleaner. The item in question costs $28.37 and it is being viewed on 2/15/2019.

Breaking down the options:

This item does include free shipping. However, the estimated delivery takes two months and this option does not included tracking.

The next option is ePacket shipping, at $0.19. The item is estimated to arrive on 03/10 and it includes tracking.

AliExpress Standard Shipping takes just as long to arrive, but at $2.32 it is already twelve times the price of ePacket shipping, which costs only $0.19.

The next available option is EMS Shipping at $26.11. If you choose this option, you get your item on 03/13, instead of on the 3/10 with ePacket. Why anyone would choose to pay $26.11 shipping for an item that costs $28.37 only to receive the item later rather than sooner is unfathomable.

DHL is by far the most expensive option. For $320.51, you will receive your $28.37 vacuum clearer on 03/05. Sound good? I don’t think so.

The clear winner here is ePacket shipping. ePacket is the most practical option that is being given at the most economical rate. It is by far the best for anyone to choose from out of all the shipping options for this item.

At $ 0.19, it is not free, but it is cost effective. It’s not the fastest option, but the difference is negligible, and as a dropshipper, you don’t want to sell products that won’t give you a good profit margin.

Tracking ePacket Shipments

You are given a unique tracking code as soon as you place an order. Orders made on sites like AliExpress will give you the option of viewing your order status. You can also track your deliveries from official websites like EMS and USPS, but you can also make use of a third party tracking service from websites like:

• 17TRACK
• Package Trackr
• AfterShip

Product Requirements for ePacket

Not all products can be shipped with ePacket shipping. There are some limitations because ePacket shipping was designed primarily for small and light weight parcels. Here are the packaging requirements:

• Length: The length of the parcel cannot go beyond 60cm (24 inches)
• Total size: The length, height, and thickness cannot exceed 90cm (36 inches)
• Weight: The weight of each parcel cannot go beyond 2kg (4.4 pounds)
• Price: The item cannot be worth more than $400

Taxes on ePacket Deliveries

Note that when it comes to international shipping, there are taxes and customs to consider. This is not an issue with ePacket alone, but with products that are being shipped internationally. As a dropshipper, it would be prudent for you to make inquiries on this issue. Your merchant will most probably be familiar with the additional fees, so you can simply ask them about additional taxes that your customer should know about, so that that the both of you can avoid some unpleasant surprises.

Back to you

By now, you should have a good grasp of what ePacket is and why it might be great for your drop shipping business. We’ve talked about what ePacket is, when and why it started, how it may benefit you, it’s limitations, and even showed how well it performs against different shipping options.

ePacket delivery has been a big help for drop shippers, considering that most products drop shippers sell are manufactured and distributed by China. It has also helped opened more doors and opportunities for drop shippers by giving them an extremely inexpensive way to make cross-border shipments in more than 35 countries, allowing drop shippers to give more people more value for their money.

What do you think of ePacket shipping? If you have any questions about this popular shipping method and how to incorporate it into your ecommerce shop, Ecommerce Pro would love to hear from you. Feel free to start a conversation with us today!