A surcharge will be levied on brands selling through CREOATE for Over-dimension/heavy-weight orders. While most shipments will not be affected by this, a small number of brands shipping larger or heavier packages will be subject to the over-dimension/heavy-weight surcharge. The surcharge will be calculated automatically and deducted from your order payment.
What is the definition of Over-dimension/Heavy-weight surcharge?
An over-dimension shipment is defined as a shipment which weighs more than 25kg. The weight here is a maximum of volumetric weight of the shipment (aka size or dimensions of the shipment), or the ‘actual’ weight (aka dead weight) of the shipment.
How much is the surcharge:
For shipments with weight less than 50kg, we charge £1 (or $1.3 for EU and $1.3 for US based Brands) per 1kg increase in the weight (higher of dead and volumetric weight) of the shipment above 25kg. So a shipment weighing 30kgs would incur (30 - 25) X £1 = £5.
For shipments with weight over 50kg, we charge £1.5 (or $2 for EU and $2 for US based Brands) per 1kg increase in the weight (higher of dead and volumetric weight) of the shipment above 50kg.
Guidelines on how to minimize the over-dimension/heavy-weight surcharge
We understand that it might be surprising to see over-dimension/heavy-weight shipments at the time of creating the shipping label. are significantly more expensive for us and our carrier partner
An over-dimension shipment is defined as a shipment which weighs more than 25kg. The weight here is a maximum of volumetric weight of the shipment (aka size or dimensions of the shipment), or the ‘actual’ weight (aka dead weight) of the shipment. A breakdown of the calculation will be shown at the time of booking the relevant shipments.
What is the volumetric weight of the shipment and how you can optimize it:
The formulae to calculate volumetric weight of the shipment is Length X Breath X Height ÷ 5,000.
If the volumetric weight is higher than the dead weight then you have to be creative to reduce the size of the boxes you are using to bring the volumetric weight down. Some ways you can do this:
- Choose boxes that closely fit your items, reducing excess space
- Use adjustable boxes: Boxes that can be resized to fit your items better can save space
- Use efficient padding and cushioning to protect items without increasing box size
- Eliminate empty space: Fill any gaps with void fill materials like bubble wrap or packing peanuts
- Evaluate your products: If possible, design products or packages that are smaller and more space-efficient
- Repackaging: Consider repackaging the products into smaller, more compact containers if possible
- Custom packaging: Invest in custom packaging solutions that are specifically designed to maximize space utilization
- Vacuum sealing: For items like clothing or soft goods, vacuum-sealing can reduce the volume they occupy
- Stacking or nesting: Choose items that can be stacked or nested together to reduce the overall volume
What you can do about the dead weight of the shipment:
Whilst for most cases, the surcharge levied is going to be small, it starts to get significant when the total weight of the shipment goes beyond 50kgs.
Whilst, you cannot do much about the dead weight of the shipment once an order is placed. You should review the price point and quantity of products in stock. If you feel the price of some of your products is low and an order with large number of such products would result in a Over-dimension/Heavy-weight surcharge and hence a small margin. It may be a good idea to reduce the stock quantity of such products.
Note:
- The length, breath, and height are in CM to calculate volumetric weight
- To calculate dead weight and volumetric weight of an order with multiple boxes: separately calculate the dead and volumetric weight of each box and then sum them together