Shopify Shipping vs Ship Station: Which is Best for Your Online Store?

Shopify Shipping vs Ship Station: Which is Best for Your Online Store?

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Shopify Shipping Features
   • All-in-one Place
   • Faster Order Fulfillment
   • Streamline Tasks
   • In-app Tracking
   • International Options
   • Optional Shipping Insurance
3. Ship Station Features
   • Standalone Shipping Platform
   • Multichannel Support
   • Advanced Automation
   • Order Combining, Splitting, and Filtering
   • Batch Shipping
   • Proactive Alerts
4. Pricing Comparison
   • Shopify Shipping Pricing
   • Ship Station Pricing
5. Conclusion

Shopify Shipping vs Ship Station: Which is Right for You?

In this article, we will compare two popular shipping providers for online store owners: Shopify Shipping and Ship Station. While both offer similar features, it's important to understand their differences and decide which one is best suited to your specific needs.

Shopify Shipping Features

Shopify Shipping is included in every Shopify account, regardless of your subscription level. It offers a range of features that make order fulfillment and shipping more efficient for store owners. Some of the key features of Shopify Shipping include:

1. All-in-one Place: Shopify Shipping allows you to manage your daily order fulfillment, product inventory, and customers all within the same platform. This streamlines your tasks and makes it easier to handle all aspects of your business in one place.

2. Faster Order Fulfillment: With the shipping label tool, you can buy and print shipping labels right within the Shopify platform. This saves time and allows you to prepare packages ahead of time, avoiding the hassle of waiting in line at the post office.

3. Streamline Tasks: Custom design your shipping setup with features like bulk order fulfillment, USPS scan forms, scheduled pick-ups with top carriers like UPS, USPS, and DHL Express.

4. In-app Tracking: No need to log into third-party sites or apps to track your shipments. Shopify allows you to check shipment status right from the platform, regardless of the carrier.

5. International Options: Shopify Shipping offers international shipping options with discounted rates and built-in custom forms. You can ship products to customers worldwide directly from the Shopify dashboard.

6. Optional Shipping Insurance: For added peace of mind, Shopify allows you to purchase shipping insurance coverage for higher-risk or valuable items. Shopify Payments customers also receive $200 shipping insurance on each eligible label at no extra cost.

Ship Station Features

Ship Station, on the other hand, is a standalone shipping platform that offers multichannel support. It integrates with over 70 e-commerce channels, providing flexibility and functionality for managing orders from different sales channels in one central location. Some notable features of Ship Station include:

1. Standalone Shipping Platform: Ship Station is designed to be a comprehensive shipping solution for businesses with multiple sales channels. It integrates with various e-commerce platforms, CRMs, ERPs, accounting systems, and inventory management systems.

2. Multichannel Support: Ship Station allows you to consolidate and manage multichannel activity in one place. If you have an online store on Shopify, Walmart, and Amazon, Ship Station provides a central location to handle all your transactions.

3. Advanced Automation: Ship Station offers advanced automation features, allowing you to set preferred criteria for automation. You can automatically assign carriers and shipping services based on order weight, set default settings for international shipments, insure certain orders, and adjust live carrier rates for customers at checkout.

4. Order Combining, Splitting, and Filtering: Ship Station enables you to combine multiple orders sent to the same address, split orders with items going to different locations, and apply various filters based on tags, destinations, and stores.

5. Batch Shipping: You can sort shipments into customized groups based on preset criteria and bulk print up to 500 labels at once. This feature helps create organized workflows for multiple users within your account, allowing you to assign specific batches to specific users.

6. Proactive Alerts: Ship Station provides proactive alerts for situations that require your attention. It notifies you of descriptions that may need additional attention, suggests when to combine orders, and alerts you when it's time to replenish stock based on pre-set thresholds.

Pricing Comparison

When it comes to pricing, Shopify Shipping is included with every Shopify plan, so there's no additional cost to access its features. Ship Station, on the other hand, requires a separate subscription. Here's a breakdown of the pricing for both services:

Shopify Shipping Pricing: Shopify Shipping is included in all Shopify plans, ranging from the starter plan at $4 or $5 per month to the basic and higher plans. There's no need to upgrade or pay extra to access Shopify Shipping functionality.

Ship Station Pricing: Ship Station offers monthly plans starting from $9.99 per month for the starter plan with a limit of 50 shipments. The pricing increases based on the shipment limit and ranges from $29.99 for 500 shipments to $49.99 for 1500 shipments per month. Higher-tier plans offer additional features based on your shipping volume.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Shopify Shipping and Ship Station offer excellent features for online store owners. Shopify Shipping is a great choice if you're starting out and using Shopify as your main platform. It provides a seamless all-in-one solution for order fulfillment and includes various features for managing your shipments within the Shopify dashboard.

On the other hand, Ship Station excels in its multichannel support and advanced automation capabilities. If you have multiple sales channels and need a centralized location to manage all your transactions, Ship Station offers robust features and integrations with various e-commerce platforms.

Ultimately, the right choice between Shopify Shipping and Ship Station depends on your specific business needs. Consider factors such as the number of sales channels, automation requirements, and pricing to determine which platform is the best fit for your online store.

If you have any additional questions or need further clarification on Shopify Shipping or Ship Station, please let us know, and we'll be happy to assist you.