Business owners have to understand the importance of customer satisfaction. Every business decision should be reached with that in mind. When it comes to making a choice between two options, it will often be done on the basis of what suits your buyers best. With the rise of technology, more people are buying remotely within the commercial sector. Now one of the decisions will be whether to go for tracked or untracked delivery when sending out parcels to customers. Without a doubt, tracking packages or not is an important aspect of company operations that should not be taken lightly. If you are unsure of which shipping delivery option, you should choose this blog post that will help by breaking down tracked versus untracked. Having the right information and knowing which option for your business is best will ensure customer satisfaction and stress-free shipping operations.
What is an untracked service?
Untracked is the delivery option that is offered at a lower price than the alternatives. The origin of untracked services are interesting. They pre-date ecommerce and were services typically used for consumer to consumer shipments between postal operators. With the boom of ecommerce and the desire to get low-cost shipping for cross-border trade, savvy shippers started using these not so well known low cost shipping options. The postal operators have raised prices and otherwise tried to slow the growth of the services as many were sold at a loss or very low margin, but they are still a very big part of the postal network. Obviously, a big advantage of this service is the cost to send out packages. A package of 1lb or less can be shipped for $13.54. This option is more favorable to businesses that send out a high volume of parcels on a regular basis. Businesses operating on a lower budget are often attracted to this delivery option because it helps to keep overhead costs down. Packages can weigh up to 4 lbs. but must not be more than $400 in value. The maximum combined length, height, and width are 36 inches (42 inches for rolls/tubes). You will find the untracked serviced being offered by the USPS and other postal operators that offer service in the US.
What does untracked vs tracked services look like?
When you see the term “untracked” you might associate that with having zero ability of knowing where that package is. In actuality that is not true, any package leaving the U.S. will always receive several tracking notifications. The first is “label created” which means the postal carrier has not scanned your package into their system yet. The second tracking notification is typically an acceptance event and then from there several en route and facility events. Tracking ends and the shipper losses visibility when the package arrives in a foreign country. The reason for that is the foreign countries postal service begins its process of sorting the delivered packages. They separate the untracked and tracked packages into different sacks and that is why untracked packages stop at the country level. In some circumstances, certain countries do not have the ability to sort tracked vs untracked and the shipper may see events all the way to delivery (not consistent).
When is an untracked service typically used?
The untracked service is commonly used when the shipper is selling low-value goods that can be quickly replaced those goods typically hold a value of less than $40. Shippers will also lean towards the untracked service when the cost of shipping causes their product not to be competitive within the market. Types of goods shipped with the untracked service are inexpensive jewelry, low-cost apparel, and other goods that are light and low value. Shippers that have built a trustworthy relationship with their customers will use the untracked service without them worrying about customers lying and saying the package did not arrive to get a refund. Shippers have to know overuse of the service could lead to customer service complaints and in some situations negative feedback on marketplaces. Generally speaking, it is a good service to factor into a shipper’s mix of shipping options, but extensively using the product to save on shipping regardless of value or shipment type is probably not the best approach.
At GlobalPost we are full source provider of different shipping services. If you are looking for low-cost shipping and want to use an untracked service the GlobalPost Economy would be the product to use. For tracked services with faster speed then ship with GlobalPost Standard or GlobalPost Plus.
We also offer a unique untracked service through our USPS powered by GlobalPost suite of services could First Class Mail International with Merchandise option. Normally USPS First Class Mail International shipments are not allowed for ecommerce, but our unique product allows shippers to use this service when paying a surcharge and the net cost of shipping typically makes it less expensive than all other USPS options.
For a full list of rates please visit our rate page.
Tracked and Untracked Services: Finding the right product for your needs
