EcommerceBytes-NewsFlash, Number 1430 - December 12, 2006     2 of 3

uShip Launches Shipping Price Estimator

Email This Story to a Friend

uShip, a shipping and moving marketplace, announced a new tool, the uShip Shipping Price Estimator, which allows users to estimate the cost of shipping based on actual prices paid in the uShip marketplace.

uShip CEO Matt Chasen said, "The most common question our users ask us is, "How much will it cost to ship my item." Consumers are really in the dark about how much it costs to ship anything larger than a small package."

The Shipping Price Estimator uses proprietary data based on real user transactions taking place on the uShip marketplace. The tool aggregates data on actual prices paid for tens of thousands of shipments, across multiple categories, and from over 38,000 transportation companies.

In its "beta" launch, the uShip Shipping Price Estimator is publicly available on the uShip website. Future plans involve more detailed user input resulting in more specific "comps" and price trends over time. Other plans include an API (application program interface) that will allow other online auction and classified sites to show their buyers relevant shipping information at a critical point in the purchase process. This tool gives buyers visibility into the average savings of 60% received by members as a result of uShip's competitive bidding process, resulting in more successful ecommerce transactions, the company said.

http://www.uship.com/estimator.aspx

About the author:

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com.
You may quote up to 50 words of any article on the condition that you attribute the article to EcommerceBytes.com and either link to the original article or to www.EcommerceBytes.com.
All other use is prohibited.