subject: Is There Room For Negotiation On Shipping Rates? [print this page] In many different lines of business there is always a certain amount of room for negotiation when it comes to the pricing structure that the company might place on their goods or services. As such, it is perfectly natural for people to wonder if their Boston courier service will negotiate on their courier rates. Every company is going to set their own rules as far as negotiations go, and in this case it's always better to speak to the manager or the owner of the courier company, as many employees won't have the authority to negotiate.
The amount that you ship is going to have an effect on how successful any attempt at negotiations is likely to be. If you only ship something with a give courier once ever few weeks, they aren't going to see anything that is likely to benefit them in the deal; something which is critical to a successful negotiation in any industry, there has to be a benefit for both parties. However, if you ship a great deal, your promise of continued business can go a long way towards greasing the wheels of a negotiation.
The smaller the courier company, and the larger your shipping needs are in proportion to that company, the better chance you have at a successful negotiation. If your business represents a large account to them, it offers more potential profit to them to offer you a small discount than to deny you that and risk losing your account altogether. That is why it can be much more difficult to negotiate with the internationally sized courier companies.
Another thing to remember is that most discounts from courier companies come in the form of some kind of consistent corporate rate. Remember that if you ship a great deal, even getting a very small discount in this form can really add up for your company over the long term, and larger savings should be the goal rather than simply getting what seems like a huge discount on a single order.
There is no way to know if you can negotiate with a courier until you try. It is essential that you do so, because you risk nothing by asking if there is any room for negotiation but you stand to gain a great deal. Any business situation you encounter of that nature is essentially a win-win situation, and you should be sure to try and take advantage of it.
