Analyze Shipping Costs vs. Charged to Customers

Shipping can significantly impact your bottom line. Understanding the difference between what you pay carriers and what you charge customers is essential for profitable operations. PayHelm helps you track shipping costs versus revenue to optimize your shipping strategy and identify profit opportunities.

How PayHelm Tracks Shipping Data

PayHelm automatically syncs shipping data from your connected platforms to provide comprehensive shipping analysis:

Shipping Costs (What You Pay):
• Actual carrier charges from ShipStation, Shopify Shipping, or other fulfillment platforms
• Real-time rate data from integrated shipping carriers
• Multi-carrier cost tracking (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.)
• Additional fulfillment costs if synced from 3PL providers

Shipping Revenue (What Customers Pay):
• Shipping charges collected at checkout from your ecommerce platform
• Free shipping promotions (tracked as $0 customer charge)
• Flat rate shipping fees
• Real-time calculated shipping rates shown to customers

Calculation: Shipping Profit/Loss = Shipping Charged to Customer - Actual Shipping Cost

This analysis updates automatically as new orders are fulfilled and shipping labels are purchased.

Viewing Shipping Cost Analysis

Method 1: Dashboard Shipping Widget

For a quick overview of your shipping profitability:

1. Go to your main Dashboard
2. Locate the "Shipping Analysis" or "Fulfillment" widget
3. You'll see key metrics:
- Total shipping costs paid - Total shipping revenue collected - Net shipping profit/loss - Average shipping margin percentage
4. Use the date selector to analyze different time periods

This view is ideal for daily monitoring and identifying immediate issues.

Method 2: Shipping Reports

For detailed shipping analysis:

Creating a Shipping Cost vs. Charged Report:
1. Navigate to Reports → Create New Report
2. Select "Shipping Analysis" from report templates
3. Choose metrics to include:
- Shipping Cost (actual carrier charges) - Shipping Charged (customer payment) - Shipping Profit/Loss (difference) - Shipping Margin % ((Charged - Cost) / Charged × 100) - Number of Orders
4. Set your date range
5. Save for regular monitoring

Group By Options for Deeper Insights:
• By Carrier: Compare profitability across USPS, UPS, FedEx
• By Shipping Method: Analyze ground vs. express vs. overnight
• By Sales Channel: See how Amazon, Shopify, eBay shipping performs
• By Product Category: Identify which product types have shipping issues
• By Geographic Region: Find profitable and unprofitable shipping zones
• By Order Value: Compare shipping economics for different order sizes

Method 3: Advanced Shipping Analysis

For businesses with complex shipping strategies:

Multi-Dimensional Shipping Reports:
1. Create a new report with multiple groupings:
- Primary: Shipping Method - Secondary: Sales Channel - Tertiary: Geographic Region
2. Add calculated metrics:
- Shipping cost as % of order value - Average shipping profit per order - Free shipping rate (% of orders)
3. Apply filters for specific scenarios:
- Orders over $50 (free shipping threshold) - International orders only - Express shipping orders

This reveals patterns like "Ground shipping to West Coast via Shopify loses money on average."

Using Custom Metrics for Shipping Analysis

Creating Shipping-Specific Metrics

Build custom calculations for your unique business needs:

1. Go to Settings → Custom Metrics
2. Click "Create New Metric"
3. Examples of useful shipping metrics:
- Shipping Subsidy Rate = (Shipping Cost - Shipping Charged) / Order Count (for free shipping orders) - Shipping ROI = ((Shipping Charged - Shipping Cost) / Shipping Cost) × 100 - Profitable Shipping Rate = Count of orders where (Charged > Cost) / Total Orders - Average Shipping Loss on Free Shipping = Average(Shipping Cost) where Shipping Charged = $0

These metrics appear across all reporting tools for consistent analysis.

Identifying Shipping Opportunities and Issues

Profitability Analysis

Profitable Shipping Scenarios: Look for combinations where customers pay more than actual costs:
• Identify which shipping methods, carriers, or regions are most profitable
• Expand these profitable scenarios through marketing or checkout optimization
• Consider offering incentives for customers to choose profitable shipping options

Loss-Making Shipping Scenarios: Find where you're subsidizing shipping costs:
• Free shipping promotions (expected loss, but measure the cost)
• Underpriced flat-rate shipping that doesn't cover actual costs
• Specific carriers or methods that are consistently expensive
• Geographic regions where actual costs exceed charges

Strategic Optimization

Adjusting Shipping Strategies Based on Data:

1. Raise Free Shipping Thresholds: If data shows small orders lose money on shipping, increase your free shipping minimum to match the order value where shipping becomes profitable

1. Carrier Optimization: Switch unprofitable routes to more cost-effective carriers while maintaining service levels

1. Regional Pricing: Implement zone-based shipping rates for expensive delivery areas instead of flat rates

1. Product-Level Adjustments: Increase product prices for heavy or oversized items that have high shipping costs relative to revenue

1. Shipping Method Restrictions: Disable expensive express shipping options for low-margin products or restrict to orders above a certain value

Exporting Shipping Data

Export to Google Sheets

For detailed financial analysis and presentations:

1. Create your shipping analysis report
2. Click Export → Google Sheets
3. Choose export schedule:
- One-time for specific analysis - Daily for ongoing monitoring - Weekly for management reporting
4. Data includes all shipping costs, charges, and calculated margins

Use exported data to:
• Create executive dashboards
• Analyze shipping trends over time
• Model different shipping strategy scenarios
• Share with logistics or finance teams

CSV Export for Carrier Negotiations

1. Export shipping data by carrier
2. Show volume and actual costs paid to each carrier
3. Use data in rate negotiations: "We spent $X with you last quarter across Y shipments"

Understanding Your Shipping Data

Data Sources and Accuracy:
• Shipping costs come from actual label purchases in ShipStation, Shopify Shipping, or directly from carriers
• Customer charges come from order data in your ecommerce platform
• Data syncs every 1-4 hours, with most platforms updating in real-time for new orders
• Refunded shipping charges are excluded from revenue calculations (configurable)

Handling Missing Data:
• If shipping cost shows $0, labels may not be synced from your shipping platform
• If shipping charged shows $0, verify free shipping settings or check for promotional discounts
• Ensure shipping integrations are connected (Settings → Integrations → Shipping)

Multi-Currency Considerations:
• All amounts converted to your base currency for consistent analysis
• Exchange rates update daily
• Historical data uses rates from the transaction date

Best Practices for Shipping Profitability

Regular Monitoring:
• Review shipping profitability weekly to catch issues early
• Set up automated reports to email shipping metrics Monday mornings
• Create alerts for when shipping losses exceed acceptable thresholds

Testing and Optimization:
• A/B test different free shipping thresholds to find the profit-maximizing point
• Experiment with hybrid strategies (free ground shipping, charge for express)
• Monitor the impact of shipping changes on conversion rates vs. shipping profit

Cost Control:
• Regularly audit carrier rates and renegotiate based on volume
• Consider switching to dimensional weight pricing if beneficial
• Evaluate 3PL or fulfillment center partnerships for volume discounts
• Use cheaper carriers for non-urgent deliveries

Customer Communication:
• Be transparent about shipping costs to manage expectations
• Offer shipping options at checkout so customers can choose their preferred speed and price
• Bundle slower, cheaper shipping with small discounts to encourage profitable options

Troubleshooting

If shipping costs aren't appearing:
• Verify ShipStation, Shopify Shipping, or carrier integration is connected
• Check that you're purchasing labels through integrated platforms (not directly on carrier sites)
• Allow 1-4 hours for shipping label data to sync
• Ensure API permissions include shipping/fulfillment data access

If shipping charges are incorrect:
• Verify ecommerce platform settings for shipping calculations
• Check for discounts or promotions affecting shipping at checkout
• Ensure taxes aren't being included in shipping charge totals
• Review currency conversion if selling internationally

If reports show unexpected losses:
• Filter by order date range to ensure you're comparing correct periods
• Check for bulk refunds or returns affecting the data
• Verify free shipping campaigns are tracked separately
• Compare to accounting records for validation

Next Steps

Once you understand your shipping profitability:
• Implement data-driven shipping strategy changes based on your findings
• Set up automated alerts for when shipping losses exceed 5% of revenue (or your threshold)
• Create monthly shipping profitability reports for leadership review
• Use insights to negotiate better carrier rates based on volume and routes
• Optimize your ecommerce checkout to encourage more profitable shipping choices