Guesstimating Shipping Part 1 – Barricade Lights

It’s impossible to predict how much something will cost to ship as the weights and locations vary so much, however we should be able to get close based on history.  First I am going to start with the products we ship via UPS (typically barricade lights).

The following products will fall in line with the shipping estimates I come up with below: Solar Barricade Lights and Airport Lights with Base.

We ship a lot of solar barricade lights that come from California, so let’s see where some of the numbers end up, and try to come up with an average.  I threw in some numbers for larger orders (not included in the normal shipment calculations).  As you can see the amount you save per light when you ship large quantities is pretty incredible.  Note: larger shipments typically require a pallet and a freight truck, which requires the receiver to have a forklift and/or loading dock and a business address to dodge extra fees.

——————All quotes from 2013 or late 2012—————–

East Coast

10 lights going to MA cost $31, $36

10 lights going to NY cost $36

20 lights going to NC cost $90

25 lights going to MA cost $90

With this data we can assume shipping these lights to the East Coast is going to average $4.35 per light (total cost of $283 shipping 65 lights).  We can assume about the same price for any light with a base shipping from CA to the East Coast, as most barricade/airport lights with bases weigh about the same.

Larger order: 205 lights at once going to FL cost $290 averaging $1.41 per light

Midwest

20 lights going to IL cost $84

12 lights going to IL cost $48

25 lights going to IL cost $108

12 lights going to WI cost $48

With this data we can assume shipping lights to the Midwest is going to average $4.17 per light ($288/69 lights)

Larger order: 100 lights shipped at once cost $235 averaging $2.53 per light

West Coast

13 lights going to CA cost $38

15 lights going to CA cost $38

40 lights going to CO cost $97

So we can assume a West Coast shipment will cost $2.54 a light ($173/68 lights)

Larger order: 175 lights shipped at once cost $185 averaging $1.05 per light!

South

10 lights going to LA cost $40

12 lights going to MS cost $39

12 lights going to TX cost $59

So we have $138 in shipments, 44 lights averaging $3.13 per light.

Larger order: 150 lights cost $230 ($1.53 per light)

And the final word….

With this data we can conclude you are going to spend around $4 per light going to the East Coast or Midwest, $3 going to the South and $2.50 going to the West Coast.  We can also see that shipping large quantities of 100 units or more can save you as much as 70% on shipping costs!