{"id":7770,"date":"2019-02-19T22:20:16","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T22:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/amazon-fulfillment\/shipping-zone-guide\/"},"modified":"2024-01-02T17:05:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T01:05:51","slug":"shipping-zone-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Shipping Zone Guide: How Distance can Affect Fulfillment Costs  &#038; Transit Time for Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shipping zones are an \u00a0important aspect of fulfillment and logistics, as it can affect fees, time, and efficiency. Yet many sellers struggle to understand how to navigate shipping zones and how they can affect their bottom line.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Common FAQs about shipping zones in the US<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<h3><b> What is a shipping zone?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shipping zones are numbered geographical areas that carriers ship to, named numerically, ranging from Zone 1 to Zone 8 for all domestic shipments in the US. Shipping carriers utilize zones to measure the distance a package travels, not based on miles but instead on groupings of zip codes, from the origination point to the package destination.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The location where an order ships from is the point of origin, and is categorized as Zone 1. The location it is shipped to is referred to as the destination zone. The destination zone will depend on how far it goes from the point of origin. A shipping Zone of 8 will be the furthest destination.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How are shipping zones calculated?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zones are calculated dynamically based on where a package is shipped from. This means that two separate points of origin that are shipping to the same destination can often be shipping to different zones.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, if you ship from San Francisco, California to Kansas City, Missouri, You are shipping to Zone 7. However if you ship from Austin, Texas to Kansas City, Missouri, you are shipping to Zone 4.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tools for determining shipping zones for your orders:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/Users\/michaelbrumm\/Local Sites\/dclcorp-phase-2-launch\/app\/public.ups.com\/us\/en\/shipping\/zones-and-rates\/48-contiguous-states.page\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">UPS Zones and Rates for the 48 Contiguous States<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enter your zip code of origin and download zone charts to a spreadsheet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/postcalc.usps.com\/DomesticZoneChart\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">USPS Domestic Zone Chart<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Go to the tab \u201cGet Zone for ZIP Code Pair.\u201d Then enter the zip code you\u2019re mailing from and the zip code you\u2019re mailing to, and you will get the shipping zone for your destination<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How do shipping zones affect costs?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shipping carriers utilize zones to calculate rates for certain services that they offer. Some, like the USPS, offer a flat rate option that lets you pay the same price no matter which zone the destination is located in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pe.usps.com\/businessmail101?ViewName=Distance\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USPS<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> website lays out which services are not zoned <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(First-Class Mail, USPS Marketing Mail, Library Mail, and Media Mail), and which ones fall under zoned pricing (Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Retail Ground, and Bound Printed Matter).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For services that fall under the zoned category, in most cases the greater the zone the greater the shipping cost will wind up being.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How does shipping weight affect the cost by zone?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides the origination and destination zip codes, as well as the carrier and service that is being used, exact shipping costs will depend on the dimensions and weight of the order being shipped.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For anything what weighs less than one pound, there won\u2019t be much cost savings. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For shipments that weigh over one pound, the cost will be decreased if it is shipped from a location closer to the customer destination.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How can sellers afford to offer free shipping?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offering free shipping can seem counterintuitive when it can be expensive to send orders to zones that are further from the origination. In order to offer free shipping sellers have to be strategic with their pricing strategy so it makes sense from a fiscal perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typically, this is accomplished using one of the options below<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Requiring a minimum dollar amount per order which helps increase the order value<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shipping orders that weigh under one pound so zones aren\u2019t used in calculating cost<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They factor the cost of shipping into the actual product price<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They reduce the number of zones that they are willing to ship to<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How do shipping zones affect speed of delivery?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a package is sent close to the point of origination (Zone 1 or Zone 2) it will usually arrive in fewer days that a package that is sent further away (Zone 7 or Zone 8). Cutting down on transit time is important because slow shipping can cause a seller to lose customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If all of a seller\u2019s inventory is fulfilled from a single location, for example out of New York as seen in the map below, it can take 5-6 days to a arrive at a customer in parts of California.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of this, it is not surprising that same-day shipping and delivery can only ship to the closest zone(s).<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How can you reduce shipping zones by choosing the best location to fulfill orders from?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a seller outsources their fulfillment, as opposed to self fulfilling orders they will have much more flexibility over choosing the location an order is fulfilled from. The best location that orders should be shipped from is near your customers, which can be determined by analyzing past order history.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your customers are spread out geographically, <\/span><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/fulfillment\/outsourcing-order-fulfillment-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">outsourced order fulfillment<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with a 3PL that has warehouses in large cities can help to reach more customers faster. If you are shipping from a less densely populated area, it hurts your ability to efficiently reach as many customers as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How does increasing the number of fulfillment centers affect shipping zones?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a seller splits their products across multiple fulfillment centers that are geographically close to their customers, they can reduce the amount of time in transit for many of their orders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"9\">\n<li>\n<h3><b> How can a 3PL automate fulfillment to help optimize shipping zones?<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/3pl\/guide-third-party-logistics-3pl-fulfillment-providers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A third-party logistics (3PL)<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provider can help improve fulfillment by providing strategically located warehouse facilities that many sellers could not afford to own and operate by themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the <\/span><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/technology\/benefits-of-technology-focused-3pl-order-fulfillment\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3PL is technology focused<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> it can automate the order fulfillment process using powerful analytic tools that help route each order to the fulfillment center that is closest to the end destination. This can allow for the tracking information and each step along the shipping process to be sent to the seller and then shared with the customer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Summary<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a seller understands zone shipping, they can improve their order fulfillment strategy to meet customer expectations around affordable and fast deliveries. This can help improve efficiency by cutting down the distance and time shipments take in transit, and can also help improve your bottom line by generating more sales and decreasing the cost of shipping.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must effectively use zone shipping to your advantage to keep the cost of shipping down and ensure that your customers are completely satisfied with the time in which they receive their orders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many benefits to working with a<\/span> <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/3pl\/guide-third-party-logistics-3pl-fulfillment-providers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">third party logistics company<\/span><\/a><\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(3PL), if you are seeking logistics support we\u2019d love to hear from you. You can read<\/span> <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/services\/ecommerce-fulfillment\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DCL\u2019s list of services<\/span><\/a><\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to learn more, or check out<\/span> <span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/resources\/integrations\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the many companies we work with<\/span><\/a><\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to ensure great logistics support<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/company\/contact-us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send us a note<\/span><\/a><\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to connect about how we can help your company grow.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shipping zones are an \u00a0important aspect of fulfillment and logistics, as it can affect fees, time, and efficiency. Yet many sellers struggle to understand how to navigate shipping zones and how they can affect their bottom line. Common FAQs about shipping zones in the US &nbsp; What is a shipping zone? Shipping zones are numbered [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shipping"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.5 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>All About Shipping Zones &amp; How They Affect Shipping Cost | DCL Logistics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn everything about shipping zones, how shipping zones are calculated, &amp; how a distributed fulfillment strategy can help lower overall shipping costs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shipping Zone Guide: How Distance can Affect Fulfillment Costs &amp; Transit Time for Businesses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn everything about shipping zones, how shipping zones are calculated, &amp; how a distributed fulfillment strategy can help lower overall shipping costs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DCL Logistics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DCLLogistics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-19T22:20:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-03T01:05:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hadleigh Reid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@dcl_logistics\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@dcl_logistics\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hadleigh Reid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"All About Shipping Zones & How They Affect Shipping Cost | DCL Logistics","description":"Learn everything about shipping zones, how shipping zones are calculated, & how a distributed fulfillment strategy can help lower overall shipping costs.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shipping Zone Guide: How Distance can Affect Fulfillment Costs & Transit Time for Businesses","og_description":"Learn everything about shipping zones, how shipping zones are calculated, & how a distributed fulfillment strategy can help lower overall shipping costs.","og_url":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/","og_site_name":"DCL Logistics","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DCLLogistics\/","article_published_time":"2019-02-19T22:20:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-03T01:05:51+00:00","author":"Hadleigh Reid","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@dcl_logistics","twitter_site":"@dcl_logistics","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Hadleigh Reid","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/"},"author":{"name":"Hadleigh Reid","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#\/schema\/person\/da6717f42cf9f668559023de5ff93aa6"},"headline":"Shipping Zone Guide: How Distance can Affect Fulfillment Costs &#038; Transit Time for Businesses","datePublished":"2019-02-19T22:20:16+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-03T01:05:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/"},"wordCount":1150,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Shipping"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/","url":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/","name":"All About Shipping Zones & How They Affect Shipping Cost | DCL Logistics","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-02-19T22:20:16+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-03T01:05:51+00:00","description":"Learn everything about shipping zones, how shipping zones are calculated, & how a distributed fulfillment strategy can help lower overall shipping costs.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/shipping\/shipping-zone-guide\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Shipping Zone Guide: How Distance can Affect Fulfillment Costs &#038; Transit Time for Businesses"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#website","url":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/","name":"DCL Logistics","description":"Logistics and Fulfillment Experts","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#organization","name":"DCL Logistics","url":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DCL-Icon-Transparent.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/DCL-Icon-Transparent.png","width":153,"height":153,"caption":"DCL Logistics"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DCLLogistics\/","https:\/\/x.com\/dcl_logistics","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dcl\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#\/schema\/person\/da6717f42cf9f668559023de5ff93aa6","name":"Hadleigh Reid","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c5013befad8eff04fe16ec86f138a6ce6ad76a1e7ead9470408af4a80a6e5da6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c5013befad8eff04fe16ec86f138a6ce6ad76a1e7ead9470408af4a80a6e5da6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Hadleigh Reid"},"description":"Hadleigh is the Content Manager at DCL Logistics. He drives the content marketing strategy and writes articles to help ecommerce businesses understand the 3PL and fulfillment world and grow and improve their strategy. Feel free to reach out at hadleighr@dclcorp.com","url":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/blog\/author\/hadleigh\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7770\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaeljbrumm.com\/dcl-v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}