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Find the best rate for every shipment with our shipping rates comparison tool
Use ShipStation’s shipping rates comparison and shipping calculator to calculate costs in real time, compare discounted rates across top carriers, and find the best way to ship every package. With intelligence built in, these decisions happen automatically to protect your margins and let your team print labels in just a few clicks.
Driving fulfillment for the world’s leading brands
Turn every rate check into savings, speed, and happier customers
Remove the guesswork from carrier selection. Automatically find the best-value option for each order with ShipStation’s Rate Shopper tool—powered by intelligence. No extra work from your team required. Save time, save money, and give your customers the shipping experience they expect.
Save money with AI-powered rate decisions
Unlock discounted rates and let AI pick the cheapest way to ship without hours of manual work. ShipStation checks rates from all your preferred carriers. You set the rules—Rate Shopper does the hard work to pick the cheapest or fastest option. The results? Lower costs and more profit from every label.
Reclaim time with automated rate comparisons
Order volume shouldn’t slow you down. Rate Shopper uses AI to process rates from your preferred carriers instantly, selecting the best option based on your goals. Orders move faster, decisions are automated, and fulfillment keeps flowing, even at peak season. Intelligence allows you to process orders up to 40% faster by cutting unnecessary clicks and manual search.
Deliver the experience your customers expect
Customers care about cost and speed. ShipStation helps you balance both by combining discounted rates and clear delivery options. Offer free or discounted shipping, consistently meet delivery promises, and keep customers informed from checkout to delivery—without extra overhead.
Compare rates, calculate costs, and ship smarter
Automatically compare carrier rates in real-time
Let Rate Shopper do the heavy lifting. As orders import into ShipStation, Rate Shopper pulls real-time rates from your connected carriers based on package weights, dimensions, destination zip code, and delivery speed. It recommends the cheapest, fastest, or best-value option based on your rules. Your team sees the best shipping options already selected, so all they have to do is review and print labels.
Choose your goal: cheapest, fastest, or best value
Every shipment is different. ShipStation’s intelligence layer lets you define what “best” means for each order or workflow in Rate Shopper. You can optimize for cost, speed, or a balanced best-value mix; whatever works best for your business goals. Apply different goals by channel, destination, or order type, and let the system automatically make decisions without manual intervention.
Control the carriers and services you include
Rate Shopper allows you to stay in control of your rate services. Customize Rate Shopper to use only the carriers and shipping services that fit your shipping strategy. Choose which carriers and services to include or exclude, prioritize preferred options, and highlight specific methods for qualifying shipments. All you have to do is define the rules once, then ShipStation applies them automatically to every rate comparison in the background.
Calculate dimensional weight before you print
Avoid unpleasant surprises at the carrier counter. ShipStation’s shipping calculator uses your package weights, dimensions, and destination zip code to account for dimensional weight where applicable. See how changes in box size affect rates, pick the most cost-effective options, and reduce adjustments later. Smarter inputs, better outcomes, fewer errors.
Support free shipping and discount strategies without guesswork
Offering free or discounted shipping rates doesn’t have to hurt your margins. Rate Shopper uses AI to find the most economical service that still meets your delivery promise. Want to configure rules that pick the best-value service when an order qualifies for free shipping? Or cap how much you’re willing to subsidize? Do it in Rate Shopper.
Compare rates and print labels in one workflow
No need to jump between tools. ShipStation connects shipping rate comparisons directly to your label workflow so you can go from rating to printing in seconds. Once Rate Shopper selects the best service, ShipStation automatically gets the shipment ready. You can print labels for single orders or batches in seconds. Fewer steps mean less room for error and a faster path from order to doorstep.
Scale savings with ShipStation API
For high volume or enterprise brands, the ShipStation API brings intelligence directly into your systems. Use the API to surface real-time shipping options in your own systems, power checkout experiences with accurate rates, or automate bulk rating across multiple warehouses. Your team can compare rates across enterprise volumes and reduce shipping costs without bogging down development or operations.
Handle domestic and international shipping in one place
Whether you are shipping across town or across borders, ShipStation keeps things simple. Use Rate Shopper to compare shipping rates across carriers in a single view. See which services balance cost, speed, and tracking for each destination. This helps you expand into new markets while maintaining control of shipping rates and customer experience.
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Shipping rates comparison tool FAQs
What is a shipping rates comparison tool?
How does ShipStation calculate shipping costs and show discounted rates?
ShipStation uses your shipment details to calculate shipping costs in real time. This includes: Rate Shopper then applies any available discounted rates from your connected carriers or ShipStation’s negotiated services, such as USPS Ground Advantage, so you can see savings before you print labels.
Can I compare shipping rates across international carriers?
Yes. ShipStation lets you compare rates across international carriers and services to find the best option for cross-border shipments. You’ll see rates from eligible carriers based on your package details and destination. Note that automated rate selection through Rate Shopper is currently available for domestic shipments, with international support coming in early 2026. How does Rate Shopper calculate delivery time? Rate Shopper estimates delivery using the time in transit from the business day after you ship. By default, that starts tomorrow. Only business days count—weekends are skipped. For example, a 2-business-day delivery starting Monday means your package arrives by Wednesday. Can you set service preferences with Rate Shopper? Yes. In Rate Shopoper, you can set up a Service Preference that will override the otherwise selected rate if your preferred service is only a certain amount more expensive. For example, if you have set your service preference to choose UPS Ground if the rate is within 1 dollar of the cheapest, it would select UPS Ground® if it were up to $0.99 more expensive than the cheapest rate. How much can I save using Rate Shopper? The possibilities are endless. Shippers save an average of 3.4% per label, automatically with Rate Shopper. Can I override Rate Shoppers selection if I need to? Absolutely. Rate Shopper suggests the best option based on your rules, but you always have final say. If you need to choose a different carrier or service for a specific order, you can override the selection before printing the label.
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