Let’s talk about shipping & handling. Your software system should be able to natively support comprehensive shipping & handling rates and fees on its own without costing you more time or money. This support should be in place in the base package. If you have the right system in place, you will be able to sell and ship your products quickly, without having to worry about extra shipping fees or unexpected costs.

In the following videos, Jerry Reynolds, President of Trinity Software, will give detailed MLM shipping functionality definitions and discuss the specific needs for shipping management systems in the Direct Selling (MLM) space.

Why Do I Need Shipping Management?

When you sell a physical product, you will need to ship it. But the rates you charge vs. what you have to pay for shipping can be complex and ever-changing, making shipping & handling a headache for most direct selling companies. Apart from the standard shipping & handling best practices, direct sellers often require more customization and flexibility when it comes to shipping & handling rates. That’s why we built our system with the robust features and capabilities to keep up with these changes and enable you to leverage them to offer more competitive and cost-effective shipping prices for your customers.

How are Shipping Costs Calculated?

Shipping costs can be calculated in many different ways, but they are generally determined by total weight, dimensional size, or the value of the order.

Flat Rate Shipping refers to the single, uniform fee charged to ship a package, regardless of its weight or value.

Threshold-Based Shipping refers to setting a shipping rate based on the total value of the order. The value calculation can be based on Retail or Wholesale pricing. Example: Thresholds can be configured for orders that cost $1-$10 would be $5 to ship, orders totaling $11-$20 would be $10 to ship, and so on. Thresholds can be defined down to the penny, and you can have as many or as few as you desire. (Ever hear of something like “Buy at least $25 in product and get free shipping”? Thresholds are how this is accomplished!)

Per-Product Flat Rate Shipping refers to giving certain products special shipping pricing due to extraordinary requirements to ship that product. A given product may be low in cost, but high in weight. Or, conversely, it could be extremely lightweight, and you want to set a minimum charge for each lightweight item.

Example: a relatively inexpensive product that is a liquid (like shampoo), could carry a hefty shipping rate simply because of its weight (liquid). In a per-product format, you would be able to charge more for those liquid items based on weight rather than cost of the product.

You must also have the ability to specify a minimum and a maximum (caps) shipping charge on the order. This will prevent a shipping charge from being excessively large or small.

But no matter how you decide to assign your shipping rates, having the right MLM Software system that is configurable to several key shipping variables is key.

Handling Fees

A great capability that you should look for in regards to MLM Software shipping management capabilities is the ability to assign handling fees. A handling fee covers the cost of expenses related to fulfillment, such as shipping cost, warehouse storage cost, packaging cost, or any extra handling costs your business incurs during the shipping process. Your system should be able to assess the handling needed for each product and automatically add the handling charge to each order.

A Configurable Shipping & Handling System

Making sure that your system has configurable shipping engines can save you a lot of programming headaches down the road. When shipping issues come up or shipping rates change, your system should be able to go with the flow without the need for custom coding or extra programming by simply configuring those changes in the software.

Easy to Use, Easy to Change

Making changes to your shipping rate setup on MLM Software systems should be simple and easy to change as needed. If shipping rates go up after you’ve configured your system, it is very easy to change and update your shipping preferences by implementing new shipping rates. If you have the right system in place, you can configure your shipping & handling fees to calculate automatically so you can recoup your actual costs for shipping any product out of your warehouse.

At Trinity Software, we save you time and money on shipping costs by giving you the advanced capabilities you need to address the needs of the Direct Selling industry! To learn more about MLM shipping management, contact us today at sales@trinitysoft.net or call one of our knowledgeable sales associates at (817)394-5401.

We’re here to help you grow your business through the most advanced sales tools with fair prices and zero limitations. Want your business to grow? Contact us today.

– Trinity Software