Book a 15-min call →
Show Me Savings
FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Part n Parcel is a Canadian shipping optimization service that pools shipping volume from 240+ e-commerce businesses to unlock enterprise carrier rates, without you changing your platform or becoming a reseller. Each member gets their own direct carrier accounts in their business name, with full pricing transparency and the ability to take those accounts with them if they ever leave.

Most members see reduced rates immediately after setup. Implementation typically takes 7–14 days depending on your current platform and carrier setup.

You need to ship at least $10,000 annually in carrier costs. Below that threshold, we’d encourage you to stay focused on product-market fit. Shipping optimization is a competitive advantage, but it’s most valuable once your core business is working and volume is consistent. When you’re ready, we’ll review your current shipping invoices to identify your exact savings potential before you commit to anything.

No. Part n Parcel works across platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, Etsy, and beyond. ShipStation is our preferred integration because it centralises multi-carrier shipping in one place, but we can work with your existing setup regardless of where you sell. Your customers won’t see any changes to their experience.

Yes. We can optimize your existing ShipStation setup with better carrier rates and automation rules. You keep your current workflow while improving costs and efficiency.

There are three realistic options, each with a different ceiling.

Aggregators like Stallion Express or ClickShip are the natural first step. Easy setup, no volume commitment, and meaningfully better than retail. They make sense while you’re finding product-market fit and shipping isn’t yet a competitive variable. The limitation is that you’re on their carrier account with markup built in, and general rate increases from carriers pass through to you with limited protection over time.

Negotiating directly with carriers becomes possible at higher volumes, but it requires more than size. It requires technical expertise. Fuel adjustment factors, dimensional weight rules, residential surcharges, and annual general rate increase (GRI) negotiations are specialised knowledge. Without it, whatever rates you negotiate erode quickly and you won’t know why.

A collective buying group like Part n Parcel pools volume across 240+ businesses to access enterprise rates, with the carrier negotiation expertise built in. You own your direct carrier account, pricing is transparent, and as your volume grows you’re building a carrier relationship, not a dependency on someone else’s platform.

Pricing & Savings

Member savings typically range from 15% to 40%. The exact amount depends on your current setup, shipping volume, and package characteristics. In practice, results vary by carrier mix and package profile. A Vancouver luxury fashion brand reduced costs by 57%. An Ottawa apparel business cut shipping spend by 42.5% in their first quarter. Your free analysis will show your specific numbers before you commit to anything.

No. There are no monthly fees for the optimization service itself.

Part n Parcel earns its fee through the carrier rate structure. There’s no separate monthly or setup charge. You’ll see your exact cost breakdown in your free shipping analysis before committing to anything.

Part n Parcel invoices on Monday, collects payment on Wednesday, and pays carriers on Friday. You receive CSV invoices for easy reporting and analysis.

We show projected savings through data analysis before you commit. If our carrier rates don’t beat your current costs, we’ll tell you upfront.

Yes. Part n Parcel works with members shipping from $10,000 to over $1 million annually. Our enterprise carrier agreements scale with your business.

Carrier Relationships

Part n Parcel’s primary carriers are FedEx, UPS, Canpar, and Purolator. We also integrate with local carriers for same-day and next-day delivery in specific regions.

Yes. You receive direct carrier accounts in your business name. These are not reseller accounts. If you ever leave Part n Parcel, your carrier accounts stay with you.

Carriers have approved a small number of private buying groups for enterprise pricing, and Part n Parcel is one of them. By combining volume from 240+ businesses, we meet the carrier thresholds required for those agreements, while each member keeps their own direct carrier account and relationship.

Getting the rates is one part of it. Keeping them is the other. Carriers regularly increase costs through mechanisms most businesses don’t track closely: annual general rate increases (GRI), peak season surcharges, fuel adjustment factors, and residential delivery fees. These stack up quietly and erode whatever savings you negotiated. Part n Parcel monitors and manages these proactively, so your rates stay competitive over the long term, not just at onboarding.

Yes. Joining Part n Parcel adds new direct carrier accounts under our collective agreements. It doesn’t replace or disrupt what you already have. You end up with more carrier options and better rates, not a forced migration. If an existing account is already competitive, keep using it. We’ll show you exactly where the savings are in your free analysis so you can make that call with real numbers.

Part n Parcel will analyze whether our rates beat your current setup. Many businesses think they have competitive rates until they see what’s actually available through collective buying power.

Service & Support

You can contact Part n Parcel for support or go directly to your carriers. You get access to enterprise customer service lines, not standard small business queues.

Part n Parcel’s enterprise agreements include priority handling during busy periods. You get the same service level as major retailers.

Yes. ShipStation provides 60-day trial access with a dedicated support rep. Part n Parcel also provides one-hour onboarding and ongoing optimization guidance.

Carriers provide standard $100 product coverage. You work directly with carriers for claims since you own the account relationship.

Operations & Technology

ShipStation is a multi-carrier shipping platform that connects to your e-commerce store, compares carrier rates automatically, and prints labels in bulk. It’s our preferred integration because it centralises your shipping operations and enables the automation rules that deliver ongoing savings. Part n Parcel configures it with your optimised carrier accounts and automation rules, though we can work with your existing setup if ShipStation isn’t the right fit.

Part n Parcel configures ShipStation with custom rules that automatically select the optimal carrier based on destination, weight, package dimensions, and your service requirements.

FedEx and UPS provide worldwide shipping capabilities. Part n Parcel optimizes rates for Canadian businesses shipping to the US and other international markets.

Yes. ShipStation shows real-time rates from all your carriers. The automation just eliminates the need to check every shipment manually.

Business Requirements

Part n Parcel works with Canadian e-commerce businesses shipping physical products. Our members include apparel, health products, food, home goods, and many other industries.

No. Part n Parcel requires no long-term contracts. Our multi-year carrier agreements protect you from rate increases, but you’re not locked in.

Yes. Many Part n Parcel members have seasonal businesses. The carrier agreements and automation handle volume fluctuations efficiently.

No. Part n Parcel focuses exclusively on Canadian businesses. This specialisation helps us understand Canadian shipping complexities that US-based platforms miss.

Yes. Part n Parcel can configure ShipStation to handle multiple fulfilment locations with appropriate carrier selection for each.

Competitive Comparisons

Aggregators like Stallion Express or ClickShip are a reasonable starting point. They’re easy to set up, require no volume commitment, and get you better rates than retail quickly. For a business finding product-market fit, that’s often exactly what’s needed.

The ceiling appears when shipping becomes a competitive line item. Aggregator rates include a markup on top of their carrier costs, and general rate increases from carriers pass through to you without much buffer. You’re also on their account, which means you have no direct carrier relationship, no ability to negotiate your own surcharge structures, and no leverage as your volume grows.

Negotiating directly with carriers is an option, but it requires both significant volume and the technical expertise to navigate fuel adjustment factors, residential delivery surcharges, dimensional weight rules, and annual GRI negotiations. Most SMBs don’t have a dedicated carrier relations function.

Part n Parcel sits in between: you get enterprise rates through pooled volume from 240+ businesses, your own direct carrier account in your business name, and the negotiating expertise handled for you. When shipping becomes a competitive difference, you’re positioned to use it as one.

Negotiating directly with carriers requires two things most e-commerce businesses don’t have together: significant volume and specialised expertise. Volume alone isn’t enough. Carriers negotiate through complex rate structures (fuel adjustment factors, peak season surcharges, dimensional weight rules, residential delivery fees), and if you don’t understand how these work, whatever rates you negotiate get quietly eroded through annual general rate increases (GRI) and fee adjustments you didn’t anticipate.

Part n Parcel gives you both, plus the end result you’d be working toward anyway: your own direct carrier account in your business name. Your volume pools with 240+ other businesses to meet carrier thresholds, our expertise covers the mechanics carriers use to raise costs over time, and we manage that proactively so your rates stay competitive long-term, not just at the point of negotiation.

Canada Post works for some shipments, but relying on one carrier limits your options and rates. Part n Parcel helps you optimize across multiple carriers for the best combination of cost and service.

Not typically. Carriers have approved only a small number of private buying groups for enterprise pricing. Even with significant volume, individual businesses rarely access the programs Part n Parcel has secured.

Process & Implementation

You provide your current shipping invoices. Part n Parcel’s analyst reviews your data and shows exactly where you can save money by testing different carrier combinations and service levels.

Most implementations complete in 7–14 days. This includes carrier account setup, ShipStation configuration, and team training.

No. Part n Parcel configures everything before you switch over. Many members run parallel systems briefly to ensure everything works correctly.

Your current shipping invoices from the past few months. These show your package weights, dimensions, destinations, and current costs.

Part n Parcel sets up your carrier accounts, configures ShipStation with optimization rules, provides training, and begins weekly billing. You start shipping with better rates immediately.

About Part n Parcel

10 years. We’ve built deep relationships with all major Canadian carriers and proven our model with 240+ member companies.

Part n Parcel was co-founded by Paul Kalra and Julie Dumencu. Paul’s background includes consumer goods at Procter & Gamble and founding Hospital Connection, a fulfilment company, where shipping became his largest cost. Julie brings extensive experience scaling e-commerce businesses and mastering cross-border shipping and fulfilment operations. Together they built Part n Parcel to solve the shipping problem they’d both lived firsthand.

240+ Canadian companies across diverse industries. This collective volume gives us negotiating power while each member owns their direct carrier relationships.

No. We’re an independent company that negotiates on behalf of our members. This independence lets us secure the best possible terms.

Part n Parcel is headquartered in Toronto and serves Canadian e-commerce businesses coast to coast.

Book a free shipping analysis. We’ll review your current invoices, show you your projected savings across carriers, and walk you through the setup process. There’s no commitment required to see your numbers.