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Brian Gibbs

FedEx Agreements: Part 3 – How Do Minimums and Surcharges Work?

In the final part of a three-part series, Refund Retriever unveils the intricate details of a FedEx transportation services agreement. Our goal is to break down the general outline of FedEx agreements to make understanding them more manageable. Therefore we will cover FedEx surcharge reductions and FedEx minimum charge reductions. Earlier in part one, we reviewed…

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Amazon FBA Returns: Issues and Solutions

Amazon FBA returns can eat away at profits and time, and returns can threaten your company’s profitability in the long run. Also, too many returns or defective items can negatively impact your Seller Rating. Amazon’s Buyer Return Policy All customers have the right to open a product, try it and…

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How to Avoid LTL Accessorial Fee Mistakes

LTL accessorial fee mistakes are not uncommon. Unexpected accessorial charges for LTL services performed by freight carriers can be costly. You cannot prevent all of these charges, but you can take steps to reduce them. Let’s discuss some commonly charged LTL accessorial fees and how you can avoid them. Limited…

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Covid-19 Late Package Report

The world as we know it has changed forever. COVID-19 has and will continue to change the way people consume products. This change has caused a disruption in supply chains and logistic principles that we have followed for many years. Until now, FedEx and UPS have experienced surges in shipping…

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Get More Amazon Reviews: Do’s and Don’ts

Retail is shifting from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce faster than ever. Amazon is the leading online shopping platform, which makes Amazon product reviews very important. Shoppers rely on millions of Amazon reviews for each purchase. As Amazon continues its rapid growth, consumers depend more on consumer reviews than ever. Reviews are…

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What is IPI? Amazon’s Inventory Performance Index

Amazon Inventory Performance Index (IPI) is a number between 0-1000. This number measures FBA inventory health. Amazon IPI captures low inventory and excess inventory levels of your FBA SKUs. Amazon’s IPI can benefit both you and Amazon. Amazon’s inventory performance index score combines the preceding three months of sales, inventory…

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FedEx Saturday Delivery and Saturday Pickup Charges

FedEx Saturday delivery and FedEx Saturday pickup are available in most cities across the United States. These fees apply to most express services. Conversely, Home Delivery includes Saturday delivery at no cost to most of the U.S. FedEx Saturday Delivery Charges Saturday delivery is available for domestic package shipments with…

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Remove inventory from Amazon FBA

Amazon FBA sellers sometimes find themselves in a position of needing to reduce inventory. But, returning or disposing of products from Amazon FBA centers isn’t free. If the merchandise is not selling, it might be beneficial to avoid long-term storage fees. We will discuss why removal could be helpful and…

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2021 UPS Rate Increase Impact Study

Every year shipping prices go up and many businesses just absorb the cost without really realizing the impact. What does the 2021 UPS Rate increase really mean? We will look at the 2021 UPS Rate Increase Impact for a single shipment and compare it to that of 2020. UPS rates…

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How Much Does It Cost To Sell On Amazon?

Starting up an Amazon storefront has to be easy, right? You have to sign up and start selling your product simply… However, the reality is that selling on Amazon is not quite that simple or affordable. Amazon FBA fees are vital to profitability. Amazon is booming; everyone wants to be…

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FedEx & UPS Late Fees

As with all vendors, FedEx and UPS want to be paid promptly. Since 2003, there has been a 6% UPS late fee penalty, and now, there will be a FedEx late fee penalty that matches UPS. We are now seeing the implementation of the FedEx late fee charge. When do…

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Amazon Vendor Central: What you need to know

What is Amazon Vendor Central? There are only two ways to get your products on Amazon: a seller (third-party or 3P) or a vendor (first-party or 1P). Vendor Central sellers are known as first-party or 1P because when a sale is made to a consumer, it’s sold by Amazon themselves…

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What is an Amazon ASIN??

ASIN and FNSKU are two essential terms all Amazon FBA sellers should know. Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) is a unique set of ten-digit letters and numbers identifying items. No two products will ever have the same ASIN. ASINs are meant to keep everything in order. The FNSKU stands for…

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Fraudulent Amazon Returns: What you need to know

As an online seller, there is nothing more frustrating than fraudulent returns. On Amazon specifically, a buyer has precisely 30 days to return a product, but sometimes the buyer will get a refund before sending it back. This leaves the seller out of a sale and inventory. It’s no secret…

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FBA Stranded Inventory: What You Need To Know

Many FBA sellers might not be aware of stranded inventory within seller central. But, it is an issue that all sellers must address regularly. Stranded inventory prevents your products from being sold and affects your IPI. Therefore, let’s dive into this issue. What is stranded inventory? Stranded inventory is a…

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FedEx One Rate Price Increase

COVID-19 has stimulated an increase in residential deliveries across the U.S. As a result, FedEx is experiencing extremely high demand and increased operating costs. Therefore, you will see a rate increase on FedEx One Rate pricing effective May 2, 2022. The new FedEx One Rate 2022 price increase base rates will…

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FedEx Priority Alerts: What You Need to Know

What is a FedEx Priority Alert? Every minute counts when you must deliver time and temperature-sensitive shipments in perfect condition. FedEx offers peace of mind for global customers who require the highest level of reliable monitoring for these types of shipments with FedEx Priority Alert. FedEx Priority Alert packages are…

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How has COVID-19 changed shipping?

COVID-19 changed the way the world interacts. The pandemic has changed shipping and the parcel delivery landscape. Naturally, more people are having packages delivered. Brick-and-mortar stores have limited hours, declaring bankruptcy or just halting operations altogether.  Therefore, here is some data to show how this shift has affected one of the…

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Regional Parcel Carriers: What You Need To Know

When shipping a package, typically, you think of the big guys. FedEx, UPS, and USPS. If you haven’t considered or implemented regional parcel carriers, you might leave money on the table. A regional parcel carrier is a package delivery company that is usually cheaper, more flexible, and more responsive than…

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UPS Girth: Why is it important?

There are shipping terms the carriers use that often cause the most experienced shipper to pause and think. One of these terms that I regularly forget is girth. So today, we are going to explain the girth of a package and why it is crucial. Girth is essentially the circumference…

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UPS Delivery Change Options

Last-minute changes and mistakes happen when shipping and shopping online. At some point, a package will go out with an incorrect address, or you may need to stop the parcel from being delivered. This is why UPS offers delivery changes and intercepts. Therefore, what are these options, and how do…

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FedEx SmartPost: What You Need to Know

Previously, we learned that the last mile or final delivery of packages, regardless of distance, is truly where costs add up. Coincidentally, that last mile varies from a few blocks to hundreds of miles. This is where UPS SurePost and FedEx SmartPost (FedEx Ground Economy) can help. SmartPost is a…

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What is a UPS SurePost package?

UPS SurePost

The last mile or final delivery of a UPS package voyage is where costs add up regardless of distance. The last mile varies from a few blocks to 100’s of miles, which is where UPS SurePost can help. Consequently, reducing shipping bills and realizing viable cost savings start with last-mile…

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How To Handle Shipping Delays: 4 Simple Tips

Online shippers face many obstacles in today’s complicated multi-channel world. Knowing how to handle shipping delays will turn customer service issues into a competitive advantage. Shipping delays before and during transit are two of the most frequent problems online business owners experience. Buyers do not like shipping delays; however, it…

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FedEx Sunday Delivery: What You Need To Know

Finally, FedEx Sunday delivery is here. Today’s customers want to receive their purchases every day. In light of this, Saturday and Sunday delivery are standard for Home Delivery residential shipments at no additional cost. Correspondingly, Amazon and USPS have been delivering seven days a week for a long time. In…

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How late were FedEx and UPS holiday deliveries?

Here at Refund Retriever, we audit FedEx and UPS invoices for late deliveries and billing mistakes, we know data. Especially data relating to FedEx and UPS peak season deliveries. So how late were FedEx and UPS this holiday season? Many shippers were even removed from Amazon because of the delays…

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Protect your UPS account against security breaches

Shipping is a fundamental part of all e-commerce companies and most other industries. As a result, what would happen if your UPS account was hacked? A UPS security breach could be disastrous for any company. Let’s examine some best practices to limit unapproved UPS access by hackers attempting a brute-force…

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Shipping Firearms with UPS

Shipping Firearms with UPS might appear daunting, but it is not that difficult as long as you know some essential rules. It is easy to ship firearms through UPS; be sure one of the parties in the transaction has an FFL license. A Federal Firearms License (FFL) is a license…

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Online Retail and Porch Pirates: How to Keep Customers Happy

Online retail has improved how we shop and open us up to convenience and accessibility. But with this development comes the risk of Porch pirates. You’re probably wondering, ‘What are porch pirates?’  Porch pirates are individuals who steal packages delivered to the doorstep of your customers. Addressing porch pirates’ concerns…

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UPS Audit Fee: Shipping Charge Correction Audit Fee

In June 2018, UPS increased a few surcharges and announced a new shipping charge correction audit fee. A UPS audit fee will be charged when the average shipping charge correction during a week exceeds $2.00 per package, subject to a shipping charge correction. This Shipping Charge Correction Audit Fee does…

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Damaged Package Claims Process: UPS

The UPS damaged package claim process is easier to navigate than shippers believe. Recently, a valued customer of Refund Retriever contacted us with a question about damaged packages. UPS notified the shipper that they damaged a package during transit and discarded it. UPS never delivered the item to the customer….

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How to reach more shoppers with fast shipping

The eCommerce industry is growing each year. That’s a lot of sales, a lot of customers, and a lot of competition. Reaching online shoppers before competitors is crucial to your future success. Fast shipping can help you reach more customers, convert sales, and drive more profits.  Why fast shipping reaches…

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What UPS Next Day Air Service Options are available?

With the demand for fast shipping rising, shippers and e-commerce businesses need to look at more options for speedy delivery. UPS offers three different next-day or UPS overnight services. As a result, companies can ensure delivery to compete with services like Amazon Prime.  UPS Next Day Air Early  UPS Next…

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What Is a FedEx Third Party Billing Surcharge?

Third-party and drop shipping is a huge part of today’s e-commerce landscape. As a result, it is vital to understand this fee and know how it affects your daily shipping costs. The FedEx third party billing charge applies to express and ground services. Currently, the FedEx 3rd party billing fee…

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What Is a UPS Third-Party Billing Fee?

Third-party shipping is a huge part of today’s e-commerce landscape. Therefore it is vital to understand this fee and know how it is affecting your daily shipping costs. Beginning in 2016, UPS began charging a third-party billing fee of 2.5% of the total shipping charge billed to the Third Party….

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What is FedEx One Rate flat rate shipping?

FedEx One Rate is a flat rate shipping pricing option that more large-volume shippers are exploring. FedEx One Rate was introduced in 2013 and is available for qualifying FedEx Express U.S. shipments in FedEx Express packaging. One Rate pricing is an alternative to FedEx Standard List Rates, account-specific rates, or…

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FedEx Oversize Charge

The FedEx oversize charge for many shippers is a shipping expense that cannot be avoided. Many shippers do not know what these are until the charge is on a FedEx invoice. Let’s look at the definition of the FedEx oversize charge, the price of the FedEx oversize charge, and FedEx peak season…

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FedEx Ship Manager For Your Business Operations

FedEx Ship Manager FedEx Ship Manager is the shipping software that can be used to automate and make your shipping more straightforward. It ultimately helps high-volume e-commerce companies to access forms, prepare and arrange shipping labels and documents using databases of addresses and commodities, monitor the status of the shipments…

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How To Handle Your Lost Packages

Who lost your package:  UPS      DHL       FedEx      USPS         Amazon Most packages make it to their destinations intact and on time. But what do you do when a package is lost in transit? Your lost packages could sit “in transit” for over…

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Combatting Dreaded Porch Pirates With UPS My Choice

So it’s that time of year again, time to embrace UPS My Choice. Millions of shoppers are adding gifts to electronic shopping carts and having everything conveniently delivered to their doorstep. Let’s face it, it is so much more convenient to have items delivered. Who has time to battle for…

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Understanding Your FedEx Invoices: FedEx Zones

Last year we published a blog on where exactly to find specific zone charts for your location.  FedEx zones are critical to know for all FedEx shippers in an everyday application and each time you negotiate a new agreement with the carrier. Here is a list of all the FedEx zones…

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3 Not to Ignore Resources for Online Sellers

Selling online is a dynamic, exciting way to deliver goods to consumers without ever having to engage in traditional conversations. Make no mistake, however… engaging is a key component to online selling success. In fact, successful e-commerce operators know that leveraging the strengths of others is often the key to…

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5 Ways to Get More Shipping Refund Credits

Shipping refund credits are a huge part of how Refund Retriever’s shipment auditing clients save money on yearly shipping costs. Small parcel shippers contact Refund Retriever when their current auditing company isn’t doing the job. The rate of late delivery credits fluctuates from week to week. But there are ways…

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Simple Ways To Reduce E-commerce Costs

While Alibaba and Amazon dominate the marketplace industry, it’s not just these two online giants that capture consumer dollars. In addition to helping strengthen the parcel business along the way, it’s fair to say that the shipping business has been dramatically influenced thanks to marketplace sales. As a result, ways…

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What is ASD Market Week & Why You Should Attend

The much anticipated biannual ASD Market Week trade show will be held on March 22nd to March 25, 2020, at the Las Vegas Convention Center with Refund Retriever located in the central hall lobby participating in the Independent Retailer Conference. Ever wondered about the history of ASD Market Week? ASD…

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5 Quick Tips to Excel In E-Commerce Shipping

When it comes to e-commerce shipping, shipping information has a significant influence on consumer purchases. BigCommerce reports that shipping cost and speed influence 80% of U.S. customer decisions, while 87% of customers are influenced by price 71% by discounts or promotional offerings. Consider how your e-commerce business can be strengthened…

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FedEx SmartPost vs Home Delivery

Many shippers look at FedEx SmartPost (FedEx Ground Economy) vs. Home Delivery with a confused look. With FedEx rates rising yearly, we help many small parcel shippers evaluate current contracts and discount rates. One of the most commonly asked questions, “Would Smart Post be an option to lower shipping costs?”…

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Refund Retriever at Print & Ship Symposium

Refund Retriever is joining FotoZoomer and RS Associates for Print & Ship Symposium in Las Vegas from March 18-19. All matters are covered from print operations, print management software, shipping prep, point of sale entry, accounting, production techniques, hardware care and more marketing than most people can handle. Join us…

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Top 4 Inventory Management Strategies

One of the most important things you can do as an Amazon seller is master inventory management — without a solid strategy in this area, your business simply won’t grow. Instead, you run the risk of an Amazon stockout, could lose the Buy Box and/or your Amazon SEO rank, or…

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10 Shipping Facts You Need to Know

Let’s face it… without shipping, the world economy would be a much different place. Thanks to shipping, however, small and large businesses can connect with suppliers and consumers faster than ever. Here are ten interesting shipping facts. Parcel delivery has come a long way since the days of horseback delivery….

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What is UPS Hundredweight?

If you’re shipping multiple packages to the same place on the same day, save time and money using the UPS Hundredweight Service (CWT). CWT stands for centum weight. UPS Hundredweight offers a guaranteed, cost-effective delivery for non-palletized, multiple-package shipments weighing between 100 and 500 pounds. Who can use UPS Hundredweight? UPS Hundredweight…

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UPS Pickup Options

UPS provides various UPS pick-up options depending upon a shipper’s needs. Every shipper is different, so knowing all the options available to busy UPS shippers is helpful. UPS is the only carrier that can pick up all package types (Ground, Air, and International) with a single driver and charges per…

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Wanna Cry? No tears here!

You may have heard about the large cyber attack that affected computers all over the world on May 12, 2017, known as “Wanna Cry” (also known as “Wanna Crypt” and by other names). This affected universities, hospitals, and companies large and small all over the world (including our friends over…

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Understanding UPS & FedEx shipping zones

Understanding UPS & FedEx shipping zones

What is a shipping zone? UPS & FedEx shipping zones are crucial for each package you send. Shipping contracts are divided into zone pricing. Each package price is based on the destination zone. You cannot get away from zones, so investigate what a zone is and how to determine your…

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Share a refund with a friend

Looking for the perfect gift for that business partner that is just so hard to shop for? Why not share a refund in the form of helping them save money on FedEx and UPS costs? Shipping is expensive. Help a friend lower their costs and earn $100 credit at the…

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Freight Retriever Rate Comparison

Refund Retriever has teamed up with Freight Cowboy to make LTL and truckload freight as easy as shipping a FedEx or UPS package. In just a few easy steps you can see a savings of 15-25% off your current rates by assessing our negotiated contract rates based on a billion…

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Make America Freight Again!

As your business grows, so should freight costs. Above-average increases in freight costs could indicate your expenses are cutting into your bottom line. When freight spending becomes a large percentage of total revenue, it has a negative impact overall.   Refund Retriever is proud to introduce Freight Retriever. Our new…

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What Happens If My Packages Are Stolen?

In today’s world, there is guaranteed to be an increase in packages stolen from your doorstep. Porch Pirates will closely follow a delivery truck and take merchandise as soon as the driver is out of sight. A report from August Home Inc. found nearly 11 million U.S. homeowners have had…

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Get To Know 3dcart

For nearly two decades, 3dcart has been the engine thousands of online stores use to build, market, and grow their online retail brands. The e-commerce software suite was designed from the very beginning to be customizable to the unique needs of different stores and easy to use for beginners through…

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How to Void Unused UPS Shipping Labels Online

UPS charges for each shipping label generated on your UPS account. Therefore, it is essential to void unused UPS shipping labels. You pay for the label even when a third party creates an unused label billed to your UPS account. And while the shipping labels can be voided, only the…

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