Hey r/ecommerce — first post here. I run BoxHero Logistics in Brooklyn, NY. We do fulfillment, returns processing, and last-mile delivery for small and growing Shopify and DTC brands.
I want to share a real result because I think it's more useful than a pitch.
A brand called Tiny Jams came to us from another 3PL. They weren't getting terrible service — but they were overpaying on shipping and nobody at their old 3PL was looking at their carrier mix or their zones.
We audited their shipping profile, rerouted their volume through alt-carriers, and applied zone skipping on their cross-country packages. They saved 16% on shipping costs. Same delivery speed. Same customer experience. Just a smarter carrier mix.
A few things we looked at that most 3PLs don't touch:
Zone skipping — if you're shipping from the East Coast to customers in California and the Southwest, you're paying Zone 7 and 8 rates on every package. We consolidate and inject closer to the customer. Zone 8 from Brooklyn is $7. Zone 1 from a closer injection point is $4.80. That's 31% cheaper per package.
Carrier mix — we route through alt-carriers like UniUni and SpeedX for lightweight residential packages. No fuel surcharges. No residential surcharge stack. Rates already under $4 on most packages.
Dim weight audits — most brands are shipping air. Boxes slightly too big for what's inside. FedEx and UPS bill you for the box size not the weight. Right-sizing packaging alone saves some brands thousands per year.
We're not a giant warehouse. We're owner-operated, Brooklyn-based, and we're on the floor every day. If you're a Shopify brand doing 50 to 3,000 orders a month and you feel like you're overpaying on shipping — happy to answer any questions here or in DMs.
Not here to sell anything. Just sharing what worked for one brand in case it helps someone else figure out where their money is going.