For many businesses, shipping costs feel like a fixed expense — something that goes up once a year and then stays stable.
In reality, shipping costs don’t rise once a year.
They rise quietly and continuously.
Between carrier GRIs, surcharge updates, zone changes, and shifting service rules, businesses that ship often end up paying far more than expected — without ever realizing where the increases are coming from.
That’s exactly why more companies are rethinking how they manage shipping in 2025.
Most businesses focus on negotiated carrier rates when reviewing shipping spend. While rates matter, they’re only part of the picture.
The real drivers of rising shipping costs include:
General Rate Increases (GRIs)
Residential delivery surcharges
Additional handling and oversized fees
Delivery area surcharges (DAS)
Service-level mix changes
Missed late-delivery refunds
These costs often change multiple times per year — not just during contract renewals.
As a result, many businesses see their effective shipping rate increase climb well above the headline GRI.
Shipping is still treated as a background function at many companies. Once a contract is signed, it’s rarely revisited until the next renewal.
That approach worked years ago — but today, it leads to:
Unnoticed cost creep
Missed refund opportunities
Poor visibility into carrier performance
Difficulty forecasting shipping spend
When shipping data isn’t actively monitored, businesses lose control of one of their largest variable expenses.
Carriers often highlight strong on-time delivery performance — especially during peak seasons. While reliability is critical for customer satisfaction, it doesn’t always tell the full story.
A shipment can arrive on time and still:
Carry unnecessary surcharges
Be routed through a more expensive service
Include avoidable fees
Erode margins quietly
Smart shipping strategies look beyond delivery performance and focus on cost transparency and optimization.
Businesses that consistently control shipping costs take a more proactive approach. Instead of reacting to invoices or annual rate hikes, they focus on ongoing visibility and optimization.
This includes:
Monitoring shipping data continuously
Identifying hidden cost drivers early
Recovering missed carrier refunds
Understanding how changes in volume, zones, and service mix impact spend
Adjusting strategy before costs spiral
In short, they treat shipping as a strategic lever — not just an operational necessity.
ShipPlug was built for businesses that ship and want clarity, control, and confidence in their shipping strategy.
By leveraging data-driven insights and proprietary software, ShipPlug helps businesses:
Understand what they’re actually paying for shipping
Identify where costs are rising — and why
Recover missed refunds automatically
Monitor carrier performance and fee changes
Avoid overpaying as volumes and rules change
There are no upfront fees, and businesses can cancel anytime. If ShipPlug doesn’t find savings, there’s nothing to lose.
Carrier pricing is becoming more complex — not less. As e-commerce, residential delivery, and customer expectations continue to evolve, shipping costs will only become harder to manage without the right tools.
Businesses that succeed in 2026 will be the ones that:
Stay informed
Monitor continuously
Adapt quickly
Protect margins proactively
Shipping isn’t just about getting packages delivered anymore.
It’s about making sure every shipment supports growth — not unnecessary spend.
If your business ships, visibility is no longer optional.
When you know your shipping, you can control your costs — and make smarter decisions that support long-term growth.