Business Consolidation, Insurance and Claims FAQ

Can a Business Consolidate Inventory From Multiple U.S. Suppliers Into One International Shipment?

Answer: Yes. Send products from all your U.S. suppliers to your Shipito address, and we combine them into one international shipment. Consolidation costs $3.25 per package for paid members.

Consolidation means fewer shipments, less extra packaging, and a lower total shipping cost. It can save up to 80% on shipping.

Your Shipito for Business plan also gives you a shipping discount:

• Starter: 5% shipping discount
• Growth: 7% shipping discount
• Enterprise: 10% shipping discount

Make sure you have enough free storage days to wait for all your packages. Standard and Starter plans include 45 days of free storage, Growth includes 60 days, and Enterprise includes 90 days.

What's the Best Way for a Business To Insure High-Value Bulk Shipments Like Electronics or Designer Goods?

Answer: Choose an insurance type when you submit your mailout request, and declare the full value of your items. For valuable goods that could break, Damage Insurance gives the widest protection.

Shipito offers two types of insurance:

• Delivery Insurance: Covers the value of the contents and the shipping cost if your package is lost in transit. It does not cover packages seized by customs, refused and returned, or abandoned. It also doesn't cover damaged or missing items in a package that was delivered.
• Damage Insurance: Covers the value of items that are lost or damaged in transit, even if the package was delivered. If a damaged item can be repaired, we can pay the repair cost, up to the item's value.

Shipping fees usually aren't refunded for a package that was delivered. We may make an exception if most or all items in the shipment are damaged or missing.

Your insurance fee is based on the value you declare on your customs declaration. That value is also the most you can be reimbursed, and it can't be more than what you paid the seller. Keep the seller's invoice or receipt, because every claim needs one. Shipito service fees, like processing and consolidation, are not covered.

Important: Always select your insurance type, even if your shipping price already includes an insurance charge. Your shipment isn't covered just because an insurance charge appears in the total.

How Does the Claims Process Work if a Business Shipment Is Damaged or Lost in Transit?

Answer: Report the problem from your Shipito account, inside your carrier's claim deadline. We work with the carrier for you, and most claims are completed within 5 to 30 business days after we get all required documents.

Even with careful packing and reliable carriers, problems can happen. Here's how to report one:

• Step 1: Log in to your Shipito account.
• Step 2: Find the package you're reporting and select the option beside it.
• Step 3: Choose the issue and complete the form.
• Step 4: Submit the form. A support ticket appears in your account, and we reply there.

Claim deadlines depend on the carrier:

• USPS and Shipito Priority Parcel: Open a trace or claim after 30 days, but no later than 60 business days.
• Airmail Priority: Wait at least 60 business days, and tell us before 90 business days have passed.
• Airmail Priority to Brazil: Wait at least 90 business days, but no more than 120 business days.
• All other carriers: Tell us as soon as you notice a problem. The deadline is 30 days after the package ships.
• Damaged or missing items in a delivered package: Report within 10 days of delivery.

The sooner you report a problem, the better the chance of solving it.

How long a claim takes also depends on the carrier. For Airmail Priority, USPS, and Shipito Priority Parcel, it usually takes 30 business days after we receive all required documents. For all other carriers, it usually takes 5 to 15 business days.

Can a Business Request Photos or Quality Checks Before Multiple SKUs Are Consolidated Into One Box?

Answer: Yes. We photograph the outside of every package that arrives, and you can order photos of the items inside before we consolidate. Additional photos cost $5 for paid members.

We take 1 to 3 photos of the outside of every package we receive. You can also order photos of the contents, for example to check a product's condition or a serial number. Packages with many items, or requests that need extra handling time, may cost more. Special requests cost $15 per half hour.

If you manage many SKUs (stock keeping units, or product codes), photos help you see your incoming inventory clearly. Instead of combining everything into one box and finding a problem later, you can check what you're about to ship and make better decisions.

Is There a Weight or Item Limit When Consolidating Business Inventory Into a Single Pallet or Box?

Answer: Shipito has no fixed limit on how many items or packages you can consolidate. The final box must meet your carrier's weight and size limits, and heavy packages have a surcharge starting at $10.

Carrier limits are different for each carrier. For example:

• DHL Express: up to 70 kg (155 pounds) and 120 x 80 x 80 cm (48 x 32 x 32 inches) per package.
• UPS: up to 68 kg (150 pounds). If the length plus girth is more than 330 cm (130 inches), it's treated as a large package, and the maximum is 419 cm (165 inches).

Carriers can change these limits, so check them before you plan a large shipment.

Also remember that some products shouldn't be shipped together. Restricted items, such as products with lithium batteries, can limit which shipping methods you can use for the whole box. Keep restricted items separate when you can. Check our prohibited and limited items list before you ship.

What Happens if a Business Shipment Has an Address Error During a High-Volume Shipping Run?

Answer: The carrier may try to correct the address, which causes delays. If it can't deliver the package, the package may come back to our warehouse, and you may pay to ship it again. The best fix is to check addresses before shipments leave the warehouse.

An address mistake can cost you more than the shipping savings you planned. You may pay for address correction, return shipping, and sending the package again, and you may get delivery delays and unhappy customers.

Large carriers have systems that flag address errors. Sometimes a package is pulled out of automatic sorting so someone can check and correct the address by hand. This adds days to the delivery time.

For your business, delays mean extra work. Your team may need to check tracking, contact carriers, and explain delays to customers. You also risk canceled orders and bad reviews.

The best way to handle address errors is to catch them early. The Shipito API includes address verification, so you can check delivery addresses before shipments go out. Learn more on our API and integrations page.

For any other questions, email support@shipito.com. We're always happy to help.