When planning for your e-commerce business, a shipping strategy might not be the first thing you think of. Since eCommerce fulfillment leaves a lasting impression on your customers, it should make it into the planning session, especially if you do not understand what do shipping zones mean. According to a study by Walker Sands, 79% of consumers surveyed said free shipping would make them more likely to shop online. To get access to a target audience that requires free shipping, it’s essential that you educate yourself on how shipping is priced so that you can absorb the shipping cost while maintaining your substantial profit margin. You can also require a minimum spend from your customers if you want to offer free shipping, increasing your average order value and giving you a little more padding to cover the shipping cost. In this post, we will explain what does shipping zones mean and how they impact shipping costs.
The price of shipping is determined by shipping zones, as well as the type of service. Shipping zones are used to measure the distance a package travels. In the United States, the zones are numbered 1 to 8 and change depending on where you are shipping from. The point of origin location is always designated as zone 1. From there, you will calculate which zone your destination is in based on the distance the package needs to travel. Smaller businesses usually opt to use USPS based on price. In the case of US postal service zones and distances are calculated based on the table below. You can get a USPS postal zones domestic chart on the USPS website by entering your local 3-digit zip code.
|
Shipping Zone |
Mile Radius (from original location) |
|
Zone 1 |
50 miles |
|
Zone 2 |
51 – 150 miles |
|
Zone 3 |
151 – 300 miles |
|
Zone 4 |
301 – 600 miles |
|
Zone 5 |
601 – 1000 miles |
|
Zone 6 |
1001 – 1400 miles |
|
Zone 7 |
1401 – 1800 miles |
|
Zone 8 |
1801+ miles |
Shipping Zones Outside the US
9 to 13 are USPS shipping zones for international locations. These include locations outside the contiguous United States, US Territories, and in cases where you are shipping to a military base or diplomatic location. These will be referred to as APO, FPO, or DPO addresses.
Calculating Zoned and Unzoned Services
Shipping carriers calculate the rate for different services according to the zones they need to ship to. US post office zone services are Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Retail Ground, and Bound Printed Matter. The greater the zone, the higher the cost of the zoned service. Some services have a flat rate and cost the same regardless of where in the United States you ship to. USPS unzoned services are First-Class, USPS Marketing, Library, and Media Mail.
Weight and Dimensional Weight
All packages are affected by distance and service, but weight and dimensions also affect the cost of shipping packages across the country. The weight of a package will significantly affect the price of shipping it to any zone. The heavier the package, the more dramatically it will affect the price increase when shipping it.
In the case of dimensional weight, shipping carriers estimate the weight calculated from the package’s length, width, and height, measuring the longest point of each. The final shipping cost is based on whichever weight calculation is more significant: the actual or dimensional weight. For this reason, it is important to put packages in the correct size boxes so you don’t overpay because your packaging takes up too much space.
How to Reduce Shipping Cost and Time
You will have more flexibility regarding your fulfillment location if you outsource your eCommerce fulfillment. Depending on where you have your nexus, this can reduce the distance your products will have to travel to reach your customers. Most 3PLs (third-party logistics providers) or fulfillment providers will have multiple strategically located warehouses, giving you a geographic footprint that a single eCommerce company can rarely attain when doing self-fulfillment. This enables you to split your inventory and send it to different locations.
Consider where most of your customers are when allocating inventory to nationwide warehouses. A good 3PL will use sophisticated algorithms to automate fulfillment and route your orders to the closest or most cost-effective fulfillment center. Not only will it be cheaper to ship your products, but it will also reduce shipping time, getting your products to customers faster. With multiple fulfillment locations, you can offer faster shipping, such as guaranteed two-day shipping via ground in more regions, instead of defaulting to expensive air shipping to get the order to your customer on time.
FAQs
What does zone mean in shipping?
In shipping, a zone refers to a geographic area used by carriers to calculate shipping rates and delivery times. Shipping zones are determined based on the distance between the origin (where the package is shipped from) and the destination (where it’s being delivered). The farther the destination is from the shipping origin, the higher the zone number. For example, Zone 2 is closer to the origin, while Zone 8 is much farther.
How do I find my shipping zone?
Using a carrier’s online zone lookup tool, you can determine your shipping zone. Most major shipping carriers, like UPS, USPS, and FedEx, provide zone charts based on your zip code. Simply enter your origin and destination zip codes, and the system will tell you which zone the shipment falls into. You can also reference the official USPS Zone Map or carrier-specific resources for more details.
How long does Zone 2 shipping take?
Zone 2 shipping typically takes 1 to 2 business days for domestic ground shipping in the U.S. This is because Zone 2 represents a shorter distance from the shipping origin, making it one of the fastest standard shipping options. However, the delivery time may vary based on the shipping carrier, service type (e.g., ground vs. express), and any delays due to weather or high shipping volumes.
How do UPS shipping zones work?
UPS shipping zones are determined by the distance between the package’s origin and destination zip codes. Each UPS zone corresponds to a specific mileage range, which helps calculate shipping rates and estimated delivery times. UPS uses these zones to determine the cost of services like UPS Ground, UPS 2nd Day Air, and UPS Next Day Air.
For example:
- Zone 2 = Short distance, typically 1-day delivery
- Zone 5 = Medium distance, typically 3-4 days
- Zone 8 = Longest distance, typically 5-7 days
You can use UPS’s Zone Lookup tool on their website to find out what zone your shipment falls into based on your zip code.