How to choose shipping software for an online shop
A ranked, honest comparison of ten shipping platforms for online shops, judged on carrier comparison, claims handling and fit.
A ranked, honest comparison of ten shipping platforms for online shops, judged on carrier comparison, claims handling and fit.
Late, delayed and lost sound similar but affect what can be claimed, and that's the real test of any shipping platform for a small UK business.
Detailed tracking looks reassuring, but is more tracking better when a parcel actually goes wrong? What it proves, and what still needs building.
Tracking tells you where a parcel was, not whether it will arrive, and knowing the difference is what actually protects a claim.
Sending a parcel to Australia goes wrong the way it always does: quietly, then all at once, so carrier choice needs evidence, not habit.
Most parcels to Canada that go quiet aren't lost, they're stuck in customs, and the real cost often shows up after the label price.
What to tell an angry customer when a parcel is lost, and the evidence a carrier claim actually needs to get the money back.
What to tell a customer whose parcel arrived broken, and how to turn that damage into a carrier claim instead of a silent loss.
When a parcel to Italy fails during peak season, the money is only recoverable if the evidence was gathered before the claim was needed.
Peak season doesn't just slow deliveries, it raises carrier choice lost parcel risk in ways worth checking before you commit volume.
Answers
If the answer you need is not here, email info@parcelcontrol.co.uk and a person will reply.
There is no subscription and no minimum volume. You pay for the shipments you book, and we earn the difference between the rate we buy at and the price you see. If you connect your own carrier accounts we take nothing at all on those shipments.
No. Quoting and comparing are public. You only sign in at the point of booking, because a label needs an address and a payment.
Report it from your dashboard and we file the claim with the carrier and chase it for you. Damage should be reported within 24 hours and the packaging kept. Carrier deadlines are strict, so tell us early rather than waiting.
Yes. Connect Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, UPS, FedEx, DHL Express or Parcelforce and we quote your negotiated rates alongside ours, with no margin added to yours.
It scores every service that can carry your parcel on true cost including surcharges, speed, handover and cover, then shows the winner with the reason in plain English. It never hides a cheaper option, and you can pick any service on the list.
Cash, weapons, drugs, live animals and hazardous goods among others, and some items travel only under conditions, such as lithium batteries inside equipment. The full list is on our prohibited and restricted items page, and we check what you declare at booking.
Yes. We collect the customs detail, generate a real commercial invoice and use commodity codes from the official gov.uk Trade Tariff, never invented ones.
Shopify today, WooCommerce next. Orders arrive with the recipient and parcel filled in, and booking pushes the tracking number back to the order. You can also type or import an order without any connector.