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Shipping Your Orders: Packing, Couriers and Costs

Posted on 5th Oct 2026 12:25:19 in Digital Growth Tips

Tagged as: shipping orders, packing tips, couriers, shipping costs, small business tips, festive season

Festive season does something interesting to a small shop: orders start arriving from outside the neighbourhood. A customer who found you on Google, moved to another city, or saw your Instagram post wants an item delivered to their door. For a shop owner who has only ever sold across the counter, that first parcel is where online selling starts to feel like a different business - packing, couriers, weight, and a buyer checking a tracking link every few hours.

Shipping is simpler once you understand the four things that decide everything: how the parcel is packed, which service carries it, what it costs by weight and distance, and how the customer is kept informed along the way. This guide walks through all four, with the rules that apply to Indian shops right now.

Pack the order so it arrives safe

Most damage in transit is caused by movement inside the box, not rough handling outside it. A few habits prevent both.

  • Pick the right container. Corrugated boxes are the workhorse of online selling - sturdy, light and easy to recycle, and double-walled boxes add real strength for heavy or fragile items. Soft goods such as clothes and linen travel well in padded envelopes or mailers, which cost less than a box.
  • Cushion on all sides. Wrap the item first, then fill the empty space so nothing shifts when the parcel is shaken. Bubble wrap for fragile pieces, crumpled paper for everything else - the goal is a parcel that feels solid when you press its sides.
  • Seal it properly. Tape every seam, including the bottom flaps. During the festive weeks a parcel passes through many sorting hubs; if rain is around, wrap the box in a plain poly bag or use a water-resistant outer.
  • Keep the outside plain. Do not write what is inside on the box. A carton that announces a valuable item is exactly the one that goes missing.
  • Weigh and measure the packed parcel. You need both numbers - the weight on a scale and the box dimensions - before you can compare any rate. More on why in the cost section below.

Choose how to send it: post, courier or aggregator

India has four practical ways to move a parcel, and each one wins in a different situation.

  • India Post. The most far-reaching network in the country. Its 24/48 Speed Post service offers real-time tracking, next-day or two-day delivery between major cities, delivery all seven days of the week, an OTP check at handover, and a money-back guarantee if delivery runs late. For light parcels, postal services are often the cheapest tracked option, and a post office counter is never far away.
  • Private couriers. Blue Dart, Delhivery, DTDC and similar companies pick up from your shop, move fast between metros, and handle the paperwork. They cost more per parcel than the post, which is fine once your order volume is steady. Many shops start with one phone call or WhatsApp message to the local branch.
  • Aggregators. Platforms such as Shiprocket work as a single window over many courier companies. One account gives access to 42+ courier partners covering over 19,000 pin codes, automatic pickup booking, cash-on-delivery collection and one dashboard for tracking every parcel you send. For shops shipping more than a handful of orders a week, this is usually the simplest upgrade.
  • Local delivery. For customers inside your own city, nothing beats your own delivery person or a bike rider - same-day, cheapest, and the customer often becomes a regular visitor. Keep this option for nearby pin codes and save couriers for the rest.

If you sell on marketplaces, the platform layers its own choices on top. On Amazon, for example, Easy Ship means it collects the parcel from you and delivers it to the buyer for a per-shipment fee; Fulfilment by Amazon means you send stock to its warehouse in advance; and Self-Ship means you arrange delivery yourself through a courier of your choice and bear that cost directly.

What shipping really costs

Courier charges are rarely one flat amount. Four factors drive the number.

  • Chargeable weight. Couriers bill on the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight - the space your parcel takes up. The standard formula multiplies length x width x height in centimetres and divides by 5,000 (the higher of the two weights is used for pricing). A large, light box can weigh 2 kg on the scale but bill as 6 kg, which is why generous packing can quietly double the price.
  • Distance. Rates are quoted by zone: a local rate inside the same city, a regional rate within the same part of the country, and a national rate across regions. Amazon's seller fee page gives a published example: a 700 g book sent between two cities in the same region ships for Rs 54.
  • Weight slabs. Pricing moves in steps, usually every 500 g for light parcels. In the same published examples, a 350 g headphone costs Rs 55 to ship, while a 3.5 kg electronic item crosses Rs 180 - same journey, one heavier box. The weight handling fee on Amazon's own shipping starts at Rs 37 per item and varies with size and distance.
  • Cash on delivery. Offering COD usually adds a fee per order and a wait before the collected cash is settled to you. It wins orders, but price it in - and confirm high-value orders by phone or WhatsApp before dispatch, because a refused COD parcel comes back to you, often at your cost.

Packaging material is the invisible cost: box, filler, tape and poly bag add up on every order, and festive demand raises their prices too. Count them once on a real parcel, then build them into whatever shipping rule you use - a flat fee, a zone-wise charge, or free shipping above a minimum order value. Write the rule down and put it on your website and catalogue so customers see it before they ask.

Keep the customer informed

Most "where is my order" calls happen because the customer is guessing. A few small updates prevent them.

  • Share the tracking link the day you book. The post, couriers and aggregators all provide a tracking number that works online. Send it on WhatsApp with the expected delivery date.
  • Use a simple update format. "Your order [number] has been handed to the courier. Tracking: [link]. Expected delivery: [date]. Thank you for your order." One message, sent once, saves many follow-up calls.
  • Flag delays before the customer notices. If a parcel gets stuck in another city's hub, tell the buyer first. An honest update keeps trust; silence loses it.
  • Keep a small register. Order number, customer name, courier, tracking number, COD amount. A notebook is enough, and it settles any dispute in minutes.
  • Photograph the packed parcel before dispatch. If a question ever arises about what was inside, the photo and the weight receipt settle it quickly.

Get ready for the festive rush

From Navratri through Diwali, courier networks run at full capacity. A little preparation saves big frustration.

  • Stock boxes, tape, filler and mailers a few weeks early - prices rise and stock runs out when everyone packs at once.
  • Check that your courier or aggregator service covers your most important pin codes before you promise delivery dates.
  • Add a buffer day to every promised date. Under-promise, over-deliver.
  • Book pickups earlier in the day; hubs slow down as volumes peak.
  • For high-value gift orders, choose the tracked, faster service and keep your receipt - declared value is what supports a compensation claim.

A simple shipping routine to start with

Pack it, weigh and measure it, book the service that fits, share the tracking link, and file your proof. Five steps, a few minutes, and the parcel is out of your door - with the customer relaxed because they know when it will arrive. Run those five steps twice and they become habit; run them through the festive season and shipping stops being a worry and becomes one more reason customers buy from you again.

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