Shipping Archives - UCanTrade

American flag in front of old commerce building

Cross-Border Business, E-Commerce, Logistics, Shipping

What is Section 321 (and Why It’s Important for Canadian Businesses)?

With several hundred billion dollars of annual trade value between Canada and the USA, it is hard to imagine how many shipments get stopped at the border for inspection. With 328 ports of entry, it is hard to keep track. That is why it is understandable that the US Customs and Border Protection agency (or […]

Distribution, E-Commerce, Finance, Logistics, Shipping

How to Save Money on Commercial Shipping Costs

Keeping your commercial shipping costs low has always been important, especially if your business relies on a high volume of incoming and outgoing deliveries. With inflation and sticky supply chain issues over the past few years, finding ways to keep costs down and the lights on is even more difficult to track down. While this […]

E-Commerce, Industry, Logistics, Shipping

A Brief Guide to Packaging Materials

There are few people who are more excited about packaging compared to what’s inside. But if not for that protective outer layer, the delivery might not last the journey – especially if the packaging materials weren’t right for the job. Whether you have an international ecommerce business or have a brick-and-mortar store that ships products […]

dimensional weight | stack of packages in front of a purple door

E-Commerce, Freight, Logistics, Shipping

What is Dimensional Weight (DIM)?

When you think about shipping costs, shipping weight probably comes to mind soon after: the heavier the package, the more it costs to ship. This has been the case for as long as we can remember. However, as technology has changed and we’ve gotten much better at moving packages from one place to another, physical […]

E-Commerce, Holidays, Shipping

Competition for U.S. Parcel Shippers

More competition in the U.S. parcel shipping marketplace? By Jim Pettinger Currently, UPS, FedEx and the USPS are the major players in the U.S. parcel shipping marketplace. However, continuing strong growth in e-commerce has encouraged at least two other “majors” to join the fray. Amazon, of course, is exploring all forms of delivery options, and […]

Canadian Exports, Fulfillment, Shipping, Supply Chain Management

United Parcel Service (UPS) Worldport

By Jim Pettinger Your valuable air parcel is picked up by UPS in Bellingham at about 4:00 PM (PT). Less than 24 hours later it is hand-delivered to your customer in Miami or London or Singapore. What happens in between? You would be amazed. We recently visited Louisville KY to tour UPS Worldport, the largest […]

Canadian Exports, Cross-Border Business, E-Commerce, Fulfillment, Shipping, Supply Chain Management, US Sales, USA Marketing, Warehousing

Who Are Specialized 3PL Providers?

Who Are Specialized 3PL (Third Party Logistics) Partners? First, what does 3PL mean? 3PL stands for third party logistics and is a company that provides B2C (business to consumer) and/or B2B (business to business) inbound/outbound product handling, storage and freight forwarding services. For example a 3PL partner can receive overseas bulk orders, empty the shipping […]

Freight, Fulfillment, Reverse Logistics, Shipping, Warehousing

In Praise of the Lowly Pallet

By: Jim Pettinger, President of UCanTrade, Inc. According to a recent article in Inbound Logistics magazine, “Some 80 percent of all U.S. commerce is carried on pallets, making them an indispensable part of nearly every supply chain.” They estimate there are over 2 billion pallets circulating around the United States of all sizes and makeup. […]

Canadian Exports, E-Commerce, Fulfillment, Seminar, Shipping, US Sales, Warehousing

Optimize For Customers. Optimize Your Business.

So much more than business analysis or software upgrades, optimizing your business means taking a global approach to reviewing the processes required to satisfy your customers’ needs. By definition, to optimize, is to make the best or most effective use of (a situation, opportunity, or resource). “It is not something only for the big companies,” […]

Freight, Fulfillment, Reverse Logistics, Shipping, US Sales, Warehousing

Selling to big retailers? Beware of charge-backs.

By: Jim Pettinger, President of UCanTrade, Inc. In recent years, most “big box” retailers have followed Walmart’s lead by introducing “Vendor Compliance” programs. While understandable due to the huge volume of goods being received, the practice has also come under criticism for becoming a “revenue stream” rather than a reasonable business practice. Typical reasons for […]

Category: Shipping