01
Dim-weight punishes poly mailers
A 6-ounce shirt in a poly mailer gets billed by dim, not weight. The default divisor is set against denser goods.
Industries · Apparel & Fashion
Soft-pack rates, return loops, returns-eats-margin math.
Most apparel parcels are light, dimensional, and have a 25%+ return rate. That combination should pull specific concessions out of every carrier. We negotiate for the soft-pack profile, audit the returns, and route to whichever carrier wins each weight band.
Where the money leaks
Three problems we see in every apparel audit.
02
Return labels are a separate cost center
Most brands eat return shipping. Without a negotiated return rate sheet, returns are billed close to retail.
03
Peak season margin disappears
Q4 surcharges plus return season in January destroy two quarters of margin if uncapped.
Our playbook
Four levers, specifically for apparel.
01
Soft-pack dim renegotiation
We pull your actual mix of mailers and renegotiate dim divisors against the data, not against denser goods you don't ship.
02
Return label rate parity
Inbound returns priced at the same tier as outbound. Stops the carrier from billing returns at retail.
03
USPS for the long-tail weight band
Most apparel sits under 1 lb. USPS commercial wins that band cleanly when it's wired into the rate-shop.
04
Peak surcharge caps
Caps or eliminations on the seasonal lift before Black Friday. Critical for any apparel brand running 40%+ of revenue in Q4.
Best fit if you are
- ✓DTC apparel brands past $1M GMV
- ✓Multi-channel apparel (Shopify + Amazon + wholesale)
- ✓Brands with heavy return rates
- ✓International cross-border apparel shippers
Probably not for you if
Single-store brands under $10K/mo shipping — return automation and rate-shopping need real volume to justify.
Other industries
Different verticals, same audit-first approach.
E-commerce & DTC
Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, multi-channel — we cover the full carrier stack you're juggling.
Open playbook →Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Carrier rates are the second-biggest line on your bid sheet. We negotiate them as one consolidated book.
Open playbook →Distribution & B2B Wholesale
B2B parcel is a different problem from DTC. We treat it that way.
Open playbook → Want the apparel playbook on your invoices?
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