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There are a few things the average internet buyer values: they value low prices, a simple, streamlined experience, and some transparency on the part of the seller. Together these make for a healthy vendor/buyer relationship, and can help an ecommerce store build up a loyal customer base. But they can often be difficult things for an ecommerce business to achieve, given that shipping has traditionally been both costly and unpredictable.

If you own an online store, you should look into joining netParcel, as we’re free to sign up for and provide you access to a multitude of cheap shipping options, including the cheapest shipping to Canada and the US. What’s more, you should make use of our shipping calculator, which helps you calculate US and Canada rates covering parcel, envelope and LTL shipping, using real time quotes. As if you needed any more convincing, here are four reasons to make use of our shipping calculator.

Increase Your Profit Margins

Whereas before you might have had to take a stab in the dark as to what the shipping cost might be, and therefore lose out on money if you underestimate, with a real-time shipping calculator you are able to charge what you’re charged.

Say you’ve got a package going from Toronto, Ontario all the way to Phoenix, Arizona; it’s 10x10x10 inches and weighs a slim four pounds. You feed your info into our shipping calculator, finding out that the price is a mere $21.81, saving you 49% on shipping – you can then take that price to the customer and charge the exact amount you are being charged. No need to chip into your profit margins.

Get A Better Lay Of The Land

Go ahead and make frequent use of the shipping calculator, even when you’re not packing orders. Treat it as an informational tool and it will give you the ballpark price for popular shipping destinations, which you can then take to use in long-term analyses. The more you know about the low prices on shipping services available to your business, the better equipped you’ll be to set your prices and make projections in the future.

Build Customer Trust

As mentioned previously, transparency is a big plus for online customers, and building trust can therefore directly relate to building loyalty. A customer loves to know that you are working on getting them the lowest possible price on shipping, and that you are giving them the exact amount – this tells them that you are acting on their behalf. It allows you to be upfront with your costs, a value not unnoticed by the discerning online shopper.

Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

If a customer is negatively surprised by the cost of shipping when they get to checkout, they will abandon that cart without hesitation. After all, it’s not like the next ecommerce store is across town – it’s just a tab away. It’s in your best interest, therefore, to make it clear that you offer the cheapest way to ship from Canada to the USA (or wherever your packages may go) and that the cost is upfront and transparent.