Shipping goods by air enables you to fulfill your customer’s orders quickly. However, air freight rates may hinder your success. The reason is simple — air freight rates are typically high.
But don’t fret. You can cut corners by implementing practices that help save on air cargo rates. GDS Freight is a good place to start. We are a logistics company that offers holistic air freight shipping services at extremely low rates. Contact us today and start shipping affordably.
Read on to find out how you can get optimum savings on air shipping costs.
7 ways to save on air freight prices
Don’t squeeze your profits by struggling with air cargo services you’re unsure of. You want the best rates and still get excellent value. Here are seven ways to lock in the best rates for your air cargo.
Book your shipment in advance
Avoid waiting a few days or hours before the deadline to book your shipment. Instead, book a few weeks or months in advance. Booking late will cause you to pay high rates. It’s like buying a concert ticket at the gate or booking a travel ticket at the last minute. It’s always expensive.
You don’t have to provide your cargo’s exact weight and dimensions when you book your shipment. The date to which you intend your cargo to be shipped is enough. And in case your goods won’t be ready by then, you always push the date forward.
The critical thing here is to book early to save on costs.
Consolidate your shipping
If your cargo is relatively small, you can save costs by consolidating your shipment with other shipments. This simply means combining your goods with other goods from other shippers to form one large shipment.
Consolidating is cost-effective because you don’t have to pay for your own space. You and the other shipper enjoy low rates as you maximize the air freight capacity.
The challenging part about consolidating your shipping is it will add one or two steps to your shipping operations. However, using freight services like GDS Freight ensures this whole process is taken care of for you.
Use flat-rate shipping
With flat-rate shipping, you’ll only be charged for your package size and distance to be covered. The air freight cost will not be connected to the weight, size, or shape of the items to be shipped.
The flat rate allows you to use your carrier-issued packaging material. This allows the carrier to fit in the boxes as neatly and conveniently as they see fit. In the process, they can save on space, which equals shipping more and saving more money on their end. Because of this reason, they can pass on the savings to you by offering you lower shipping rates.
Reduce the weight and volume of your package
Your cargo’s dimensional weight and volume will always determine how much you’ll pay to ship. The heavier and bigger your packages, the more you’ll be charged. The vice versa is also true.
To help you cut down on the weight and volume of cargo, consider the dimension of your products first and then pick the most appropriate packaging box.
Make use of discount programs
Most air carriers offer shipping discounts to their shippers. Joining these discount programs can be a great way to cut down on shipping rates.
For example, FedEx offers up to 32% off on FedEx Express services, while DHL offers up to 45% off on international business shipping.
To benefit from these discounts, create an account with your carrier, and you may be required to have reached a certain set revenue threshold to qualify.
Increase your delivery time
In the world of shipping, speed is directly proportional to costs. The faster you deliver your goods to customers, the more you’ll pay for delivery costs.
While you may have opted for air freight services mainly because of speed, extending your delivery times can prove to be a cost-saving tip. For example, instead of opting for a single flight which can be expensive, you can use a service that has one or more stops but is cost-saving.
Additionally, your customer’s priority may not be to receive the goods quickly. They may be willing to wait a little longer to also save on shipping costs on their side.
Choose your air freight transit option wisely
Choosing the right days and shipping methods can save you a lot of money. For example, if you ship during the weekend, you can pay lower rates than when you ship during the weekday.
This is because most businesses ship during weekdays, specifically on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so they are fully stocked by the weekend, as most people buy things during the weekend. If you ship on Fridays, there’s less shipping demand, which means lower rates.
Also, shipping during the fourth quarter can be expensive. During this time, you may save money by shipping using passenger planes.
What’s more, shipping during a carrier’s backhaul is also cost-effective. Backhaul simply means the return trip. During the return trip, most carriers have less cargo to ship, so they tend to charge less.
The takeaway? Aim to ship during the weekend and use a backhaul trip to get lower shipping rates.
Start saving on air freight rates
Air freight is the fastest and most convenient way of shipping goods. However, it’s also the most expensive shipping method.
Good thing there are practices you can implement to cut down on shipping rates. You can book your shipment in advance, consolidate your shipment, use flat-rate shipping services, and reduce the weight and volume of your packages.
What’s more, you can join carriers’ discount programs, increase your delivery time and choose cost-effective air freight options.
While you can do all these on your own, it’ll take you so much time to implement and see significant changes in the rates you pay. And that’s why you should consider consulting an experienced logistic team like us at GDS Freight to handle all your air freight needs.
Get a quote now and experience our world-class shipping services.