Affordable Solutions for Shipping Heavy Items in India: Top Couriers & Tips

Businesses make mistakes when they’re juggling with bulk items they need to dispatch soon, mostly paying a hefty amount for heavy shipping in India. Sending out large shipments, like machinery, furniture, etc., takes planning and cost optimisation. 

High shipping rates can cut into your profits, while compromising on service quality can lead to bad experiences. Shipments may arrive damaged or not at all, resulting in significant losses for your business.

So, it’s crucial to find a courier company that can pull heavy shipping off without burning a hole in your pocket. In this article, we’ll show you how to strike a balance by choosing a reputable and reliable shipping company that can easily steer you through the daunting task of sending heavy items by courier.

 

Strategies for Reducing Shipping Costs on Heavy Packages

As we discussed, how important planning and implementing smart strategies is for making heavy shipping affordable yet durable. So, here are some tips to help you shed the load on the container and your pocket!:

1. Enhance Packaging Efficiency

Using efficient packing material is a sure shot way of reducing shipping costs. So, wrap up your products or shipment in lightweight but sturdy packaging materials that adequately shield your products and help lose the excess weight. Go for packaging solutions specifically designed to fine-tune space utilisation in a shipping container and reduce dimensional weight charges. 

Make sure that you do two more things to streamline your packaging:

1. Opt for the apt. Packaging size: When you’re smart about selecting the right packaging size for every heavy item you’re shipping, you end up minimising wasted space and reducing dimensional weight charges. Many shipping companies offer customisable packaging solutions that let businesses tailor the packaging dimensions to fit their products perfectly, which means you’d barely require excessive void-fill materials.
2. Choose eco-friendly packaging: Look for and sort out some eco-friendly packaging options that use recycled or biodegradable materials. These lightweight materials help you reduce heavy shipping costs and also make you look good in the eyes of the customer since it shows your sustainability efforts. 

2. Leverage Third-Party Logistics Services

A highly productive and cost-efficient way to streamline your supply chain and shipping processes and cut costs is to outsource shipping and fulfillment services to reliable 3PL (third-party logistics) firms. These 3PLs mostly have well-established relationships with carriers that give them the power to negotiate better and discounted shipping rates.

There’s more shipping companies can do for your bulk shipping:

• Shipping partners can help you consolidate your shipments and utilise centralised distribution hubs for more efficient order fulfillment. They even optimise shipping routes to reduce shipping distances, curtailing heavy shipping costs and getting you bulk shipping discounts.
• Secondly, you benefit from their heavy shipping expertise and use of advanced technology to process your orders and minimise costs. They got all tools and resources  from real-time tracking systems to route optimisation algorithms, to make heavy shipping light for you. 

3. Use Shipping Calculators for Cost Estimation

Shipping websites usually have online calculators that help you figure out a cost estimate depending on many factors, like your bulk shipment’s dimensions, weight, and destination distance. You can even compare rates through these digital calculators 

and find the most cost-effective heavy shipping option for your cargo, minimising your expenses. 

A few more considerations:

• Consider zone-based pricing offered by carriers, which decide shipping costs depending on the exact distance between origin and destination regions/zones. If you pick a carrier with competitive zone-based rates, it’ll help you reduce expenses related to long-distance shipments.
• Compare expedited and standard shipping by evaluating the trade-offs between the two services to finalise the most pocket-friendly option for various shipment types. The difference between expedited and standard courier service is that the former offers faster delivery times but comes with steeper shipping costs compared to the latter, which is cheaper and slower. Understand your customers’ expectations and try prioritising cost-efficient shipping methods whenever you can.

4. Explore Flat-rate Shipping Options

The flat-rates that carriers provide are bounty for businesses shipping small, heavy items or products easily adjustable within standard packaging sizes. Flat rate shipping is where you get predictable or fixed prices regardless of your shipment’s weight or distance, a perfect solution for economically mindful firms.

You can maximise the usage of flat rate boxes by adjusting your packaging to fit the maximum possible items within the size and weight constraints that flat rate boxes have. This way, you maximise container-space utilisation and reduce the number of packages required, taking advantage of flat rate pricing and saving costs significantly.

However, make sure you learn about the eligibility criteria and restrictions that come with flat-rate shipping methods. You may not be able to avail of every item at a flat rate; there may be exceptions, and a few items may even require additional packaging considerations. So, consider the product characteristics and your shipping requirements to see if you can get lucky with a flat rate shipping.

5. Optimise Distribution via Centralised Warehousing

Save shipping costs by consolidating multiple shipments into fewer deliveries to the warehouse distribution centers. As you centralise inventory and fulfill orders from strategically located distribution hubs, you cut down the shipping distances and can enjoy some bulk shipping discounts.

So, how do you reduce heavy shipping costs by optimising your warehouse distribution? Streamline your inventory operations, first, through effective stock management practices that will help you minimise stockouts and alleviate the need for expedited shipments. You cut heavy shipping costs accompanying rush orders and urgent shipments when you maintain an optimal level of inventory and strategically position stock across distribution hubs.

Next, try exploring cross-docking strategies to streamline the shipping process and cut back the storage costs that come with warehouse distribution centers. Cross-docking means you’re directly transferring goods from inbound shipments to outbound ones without storing them, and it reduces the handling time and heavy shipping expenses.

6. Secure Bulk Discounts through Carrier Negotiations

Having strong relationships with carriers and negotiating bulk discounts can be a boon to your bank. If your business requires regular shipping of large quantities of goods, you can take advantage of this shipping volume to bargain and get lower rates or even access to special pricing agreements with these carriers.

You need to measure your shipping volume and show the potential for future growth to negotiate favourable terms with carriers. Other things you could do to persuade them are exploring multi-year contracts, consolidating shipments, and demonstrating loyalty to carriers to strengthen your negotiation bait and get competitive shipping rates.

Another way to get good rates is by finding customisable shipping solutions that you can get through collaborations with carriers. They can tailor different heavy shipping solutions to fit your business needs. Also, scan for some alternative delivery options, like freight consolidation or weekend delivery facility, to grab cost-saving deals without compromising on service quality.

Leading Courier Companies for Heavy Shipments

After equipping you with some solid strategies for cheap heavy shipping, let’s take you through a list of shipping partners that are pros at implementing them: 

Ekart

Ekart positions itself as one of the best options for heavy shipping in India. Businesses can find many multimodal solutions with diverse transportation options in this shipping company. They boast an extensive network and many hubs across the country and operate 7,000+ trucks daily, providing cost-effective and reliable shipping solutions for businesses. You can also leverage their known expertise in less-than-truckload (LTL) and full-truckload (FTL) freight for your various transportation needs. 

Moreover, Ekart’s got an ace up their sleeve for those time-sensitive shipments. Their Air B2B service, backed by a solid ground express network, puts your cargo on the fast track. Plus, they know how to do the heavy lifting very well with their solid infrastructure and multimodal approach. So, Ekart can bring a perfect blend of efficiency and affordability to the table.

Blue Dart

The name may strike a chord as Blue Dart is one of the top choices in India for shipping large parcels across the country at wallet-friendly rates with its Blue Dart Express Pallet service. They offer customisable palletised packaging that can accommodate shipments weighing 50kg to over 100kg, which makes them a versatile and convenient service for businesses of all sizes. 

They use everything to prioritise the safety and protection of in-transit goods: weather-proof packaging, shrink-wrap to keep things snug, and pallets that support the shipment’s weight and make handling and transportation easier. Plus, these pallets are foldable and easily adjustable to the volume of your shipment, streamlining the shipping process. Overall, Blue Dart’s shipping service is affordable and flexible, and it gets the job done without fuss.

Delhivery

Delhivery is a premier logistics provider in India that specialises in the transportation of heavy shipping solutions for large enterprises and SMEs, offering wallet-friendly options like Full Truckload services (FTL). With their own fleet and a network of reliable partners, they’ve got India mapped out for speedy, safe deliveries. 

Whether it’s your regular shipments or those seasonal rushes, Delhivery knows how to handle it all. They are experts when it comes to moving heavy goods efficiently and keeping costs down. So, if you’re a business with big shipping needs but want to keep things affordable and reliable, Delhivery may be a good option.

FedEx

FedEx is a renowned shipping partner and an excellent choice for affordable heavy shipping in India. Their shipping solutions are pretty cost-effective and can range from 68 kg to 1,000 kg. Moreover, if you want your shipment delivered within 3-4 business days, you can go for their premium air freight shipping option. 

With FedEx, customers are at ease as they can trust the expertise they’ve been exhibiting since 1973, making it a preferred choice for businesses looking for efficient and economical transportation of heavy shipments across the country.

DTDC

DTDC is among the leading names when it comes to large parcel delivery in India, with their Express Parcels Vertical extending many solutions under the domestic shipping umbrella, from important documents to hefty parcels and even part-truck load shipments, to C2C or B2B business. They’ve got a bunch of heavy shipping solutions, including time-sensitive express services and affordable ground express solutions customised for different business requirements.

Plus, DTDC ground services take good care of those heavy shipment couriers with a fleet of 1500+ trucks ready to roll. They offer Standard and Premium ground services, with Standard being the budget-friendly choice for those bulky, high-volume loads. By mixing up multi-stop and direct trucking, DTDC has cracked the code for shipping big items across India without breaking the bank. It’s pretty much the trifecta of shipping by being efficient, flexible, and affordable.

Amazon Shipping

With over a decade of shipping experience in India, Amazon Shipping is one of the preferred and affordable choices for shipping large parcels. Their extensive logistics network allows them to organise seamless parcel pickups and make deliveries the whole week.

Amazon shipping efficiently caters to businesses of all sizes. The applaudable features of this shipping company’s services include delivering to more than 14,000 pin codes, a remarkable success rate in meeting promised delivery dates, and world-class customer support, which offers much convenience and satisfaction to their users.

Aramex

Aramex is another top-notch, reliable, affordable heavy package courier option in India. They assure timely door-to-door delivery across the nation or within cities with their solutions for time-sensitive packages. You’ll get hassle-free delivery and pickup services within the promised timelines.

Aramex also gives its customers the comfort of tracking their shipments online, harbouring transparency and peace of mind in the shipping process. Plus, they go easy on your pockets and even offer sustainable logistics that helps the environment, your bottom line, and community.

Leveraging Shiprocket Cargo for Your Heavy Shipping Needs

With Shiprocket Cargo, you unlock the unmatched bulkier advantage as we move your bulk shipments with reliable and efficient global logistics operations. Here’s what your shipping experience will look like with us:

Speed’s the name of the game:

• Quick quotes
• Pickup within a day
• Digital Workflows – so no paper headaches.
• Transparency’s our middle name:
• Track your shipment every step of the way with our advanced tracking and analytics tools.
• Crystal clear invoices 
• Easy Documentation 
• No hidden charges – what you see is what you pay.
• Reliability is our superpower:
• No weight restriction
• Massive courier network 
• Unrivalled dispute management – We’ve got your back if things go sideways.

Let’s take you through what you can achieve with us:  

• We hit our delivery promises 90% of the time. That’s reliability you can count on.
• Going global? We’ve got you covered in over 100 countries.
• And here’s the cherry on top – you can pick your timeline, stick to your budget, and we’ll take care of the ‘heavy’ part in heavy-item shipping.

Shiprocket Cargo is not just moving boxes; we’re moving mountains to make your heavy shipping a walk in the park. Ready to give those bulky shipments the VIP treatment? Sign up with Shiprocket Cargo.

Conclusion

When it comes to shipping those hefty items across India, you’ve got to put your thinking cap on and find a courier service that won’t let you down. At the end of the day, what we’re all after is getting our big, bulky shipments from A to B without breaking the bank or biting our nails off worrying about it. 

The good news? With the right shipping partner, sending those oversized shipments doesn’t have to be a headache. So, before you choose one, weigh all your options thoroughly. Think about what matters most to you – is it speed, price, or maybe a bit of both? Then, pick a courier that ticks all your boxes.