By Paul Kalra, Founder, Part n Parcel
Quick answer: eShipper sells you carrier labels at its own discounted rates, paid from a prepaid wallet or on invoice. Part n Parcel opens carrier accounts in your business’s name at enterprise rates, set up in your shipping software. Once you ship every day, the label price is the biggest number in your shipping. On eShipper, eShipper sets it.
We make money when you move your shipping to accounts we manage. Our markup is shown to you before you commit. Check our numbers the way you would check anyone’s.
What is the difference between eShipper and Part n Parcel?
eShipper is a shipping platform. Signing up is free. You pay for labels from a prepaid wallet (money you load in advance) or on invoice, at eShipper’s discounted rates.
Part n Parcel is a managed shipping economics company. We open direct accounts in your business’s name with carriers such as FedEx, UPS, Purolator, Canpar and regional carriers (carriers that serve one part of the country), using the collective volume of 240+ Canadian brands. We set up your software and keep the rates working.
The Bring-Your-Own-Account Test: before you compare features, ask two questions. Is the carrier account in your business’s name, so the carrier knows who you are? And who sets the price on every label you print?
Whose customer are you on eShipper?
eShipper’s. A platform can print your business name on the label and still keep the account. When you buy eShipper’s own labels, you are eShipper’s customer. If a parcel goes missing or a charge looks wrong, the carrier deals with eShipper and may not know who you are. On an account in your business’s name, you are on the carrier’s books, and we take the problem to the carrier for you.
A company whose product is your rate will price your rate to its business. I negotiate rates with carriers all the time. In my experience, a carrier will not set up a platform to undercut its own sales team, so it is careful about the rates it lets any platform sell online. On its own account, your business can often earn a lower rate.
You cannot see what other stores pay. Carriers do not publish what they charge each business, and a platform’s price is the one it chose for you today. On an account in your name, your rates are in your carrier agreement and you see every line. We price your parcels on the rates the collective volume of 240+ Canadian brands earns, and show you the gap line by line.
What eShipper customers say when it goes wrong: one wrote in July 2026 that “charges are being made without warning and well after the package has been sent, meaning the cost cannot be passed on to the receiver” (Trustpilot). Another, also in July 2026: “our package grew 50lb two weeks after it was sent. So they automatically charged my card $170” (Trustpilot).
What does the gap look like?
We looked at 22,353 parcels shipped within Canada by 11 merchants from January to May 2026. The median (middle) parcel cost $15.84 on what the merchant paid and $11.03 on a Part n Parcel managed account, a 30.4% gap, taxes and duties excluded (benchmarks). At 10 parcels a shipping day over 250 shipping days, $4.81 a parcel is $12,025 a year. At 100, it is $120,250.
Those are benchmark medians, not eShipper invoices. One eShipper invoice shows your own number.
Want this number for your own parcels? Send one eShipper invoice and your savings report comes back line by line. Free, no call.
What do eShipper’s terms say about adjustments and refunds?
Three things are worth knowing before you load a wallet.
First, eShipper may take carrier adjustments out of your wallet as they come in. An adjustment is the extra charge a carrier adds after it re-measures your box.
Second, you have 30 days from the invoice date to question a charge. After that, eShipper’s terms treat the charges as final. That is a short window if nobody on your team reads every line of every invoice.
Third, wallet balances are non-refundable under normal use. If you close your account, you can ask for a refund in writing, and a 3% fee applies if it goes back to a credit card. The terms also list a 3% late fee on unpaid invoices and a 1.5% fee on Amex payments.
Do this now: pull last month’s wallet deductions that were not labels and send them with your invoice.
Who sets your price and your carriers on eShipper?
eShipper does. When a platform sells you its own rates, it controls the price, its margin and which carriers you see, and it can change them. That is how selling rates works at every company that does it.
Shipping is often one of your biggest costs. On accounts in your name, no platform sets a margin you cannot see, and you choose which carrier runs which lane. A lane is a route, such as Toronto to Calgary. Carriers get better and worse, most of all at peak season and with smaller carriers. When Canada Post stopped work from November 15 to December 17, 2024, merchants with one carrier had nowhere to go. Being able to move a lane by changing one automation rule is how you protect your customer’s delivery.
Pickups work the same way. On accounts in your name, the carrier picks up from your door on a schedule you agree with them. Once you ship every day, nobody on your team should be driving parcels to a depot. It is the easiest job in your business to delete.
How do you avoid costly mistakes when you switch?
We know the carriers and the software, so we help you avoid costly mistakes. We have seen merchants test a new carrier on their own. Their customer service issues skyrocketed. Their accountant had far more billing questions. Their own time went to backtracking. We set it up right so you avoid that.
Before you move anything, read any contract you have with eShipper, and check your wallet balance, since eShipper’s terms say it is non-refundable under normal use.
When should you stay on eShipper?
Stay while you are still finding product-market fit, the stage where you are proving people want what you sell. Your early customers buy on the value of your product, and we do not want to distract you from that. Once shipping is a real cost, test us.
How do you test it without leaving eShipper?
Send one recent eShipper invoice or wallet export. You are probably thinking a switch means a week of setup in your busy season, and a call you did not want. It does not. We price your actual parcels on accounts in your name first, with insurance counted on both sides. If the gap is small, stay where you are, and it cost you one email.
How it works:
- Send one eShipper invoice. Not sure which file? Let ChatGPT or Claude find it.
- Your savings report comes back line by line: every parcel priced on accounts in your name.
- If the number is worth it, we set up the accounts. If it is not, you stay where you are.
Free. No call. If we cannot meaningfully improve your rates, we will tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Is shipping cheaper on my own carrier account than on eShipper?
In my experience, often yes. A carrier will not set up a platform to undercut its own sales team, so on its own account your business can often earn a lower rate. In our benchmark of 22,353 parcels, the median parcel cost 30.4% less on a Part n Parcel managed account than what merchants paid. One eShipper invoice shows your own number.
Can I test Part n Parcel without leaving eShipper?
Yes. Send one recent eShipper invoice or a wallet export. You keep shipping on eShipper while we price your parcels. Not sure where to find the file? Let ChatGPT or Claude find it.
What happens to my eShipper wallet balance if I switch?
eShipper’s terms say wallet balances are non-refundable under normal use. If you close your account, you can ask for a refund in writing, with a 3% fee if it goes back to a credit card. See your savings report first, then plan the move around your balance.
Do I have to sign anything to get my savings report?
No. The report is free and needs no call. If the number is worth it, we set up the accounts. If it is not, you stay where you are.
Will my store or shipping software change?
Your store stays the same. Labels print on your accounts in shipping software such as ShipStation, which connects to Shopify and most other online stores. We do the setup. One Ottawa apparel and wholesale brand moved to accounts in its own name in 14 days (case study).
Whose name is on the carrier account?
Your business’s. The carrier knows who you are, your rates are in your carrier agreement, and when something goes wrong we take it to the carrier for you.
Sources
- eShipper terms and conditions, eshipper.com/terms-and-conditions/, checked Oct 28, 2026.
- Part n Parcel, Canadian e-commerce shipping cost benchmarks, January to May 2026 data.
- Part n Parcel case study, Ottawa apparel and wholesale brand, partnparcel.com/case-study/canadian-apparel-fashion-shipping-optimization/.
- Part n Parcel sales records, 2021 to October 2026. Merchants anonymized.
Related: Part n Parcel vs ShipStation, How to audit your shipping invoice.
