Consolidation
2Ship’s Cross-Border & Zone Skipping Solution
Shipment consolidation is the process of combining multiple small orders into one larger shipment that crosses international borders or shipping zones. Rather than sending each order individually, businesses can pool them into a single consolidated shipment, saving money and streamlining the entire delivery experience.
This is particularly effective for businesses shipping large daily or weekly volumes of orders to the same international region or across vast domestic zones. The idea is to shorten the “final mile” of each order to reduce its shipping costs.
How 2Ship’s Consolidation Process Works
1. Order Collection
Orders are imported from eCommerce stores, marketplaces, ERPs, or other systems into 2Ship.
2. Consolidation Unit Creation
The consolidation is created with an origin (consolidation) point and a destination (deconsolidation) point.
3. Individual Order Assignment
Each “child” shipment/order is assigned to the consolidation unit based on destination zone or region.
4. Rate and Ship from Deconsolidation
All “child” shipments are rated, shipped and labelled at the consolidation point. However, the origin address for all “child” shipments is the deconsolidation point. This minimizes not just the cost to ship each child order, but the delivery times as well.
5. Ship the Consolidation
The consolidation unit containing all “child” shipments/orders is then closed off. It can then be rated and shipped as a single freight shipment from consolidation point to deconsolidation point.
6. Customs Documentation Preparation
For an international or cross-border consolidations, 2Ship helps generate all the required customs paperwork for the entire consolidated shipment (e.g., consolidated commercial invoice, low and high value clearance reports, packing list and HS codes, recipient lists with declared values and so on…). These reports can be electronically sent to the broker assigned to the consolidation unit.
7. Customs Clearance at Destination
Once the consolidation arrives in the destination country, it clears customs as one single entry, reducing delays, brokerage costs, and paperwork complexity.
8. Local Distribution or Last-Mile Delivery
When the consolidation arrives at the deconsolidation point, individual orders are simply handed over to the local carriers for the “final mile” delivery. Remember, all these packages have already been shipped and labelled at time of consolidation.
Why Consolidation Saves You Money
Consolidating orders isn’t just operationally efficient, it’s a strategic cost-saving move. Here’s how:
- Lower Shipping Rates:
By consolidating orders to move as one large shipment across vast distances, the cost of moving each child shipment is drastically reduced.
By rating and shipping each “child” order/shipment from the destination point of the consolidation (deconsolidation address), the “final mile” of each order is local and much shorter, making it much cheaper than shipping it from origin to destination on its own.
- Reduced Customs Brokerage Fees:
For international or cross-border moves, consolidating means one customs entry per destination country, saving on per-shipment clearance charges.
- Minimized Duties and Taxes (When Applicable):
Some countries have de minimis thresholds. When structured properly, individual child shipments under the threshold may be duty-free, even when shipped together.
- Fewer Touchpoints = Fewer Errors & Returns:
With fewer total shipments moving through the system, the chance of mis-delivery, lost packages, or delays decreases.
- Aggregated Tracking
Tracking information for each customer’s “child” shipment/order is aggregated in 2Ship. The consolidation’s tracking information is inherited by each “child” shipment so customers see their orders moving long before they are handed over to the “final mile” carrier whose tracking events are then added to the order travel history.
Volume Thresholds for Profitability:
While even low-volume shippers may benefit, consolidation tends to become consistently cost-effective when shipping 10 or more international orders per destination per week. The more volume, the greater the savings.
Who Should Use 2Ship’s Consolidation Services?
- eCommerce businesses with customers spread across a large country or globally
- Subscription box companies shipping across country and/or internationally
- Brands using 3PLs but looking to optimize shipping costs
- Companies with high volume across the country or to a few select countries
Whether you’re an SMB or a growing enterprise, 2Ship makes it easy to consolidate international orders and scale efficiently.
Ready to Optimize Your Shipping?
With automated order import, smart shipment grouping, integrated customs documentation, and real-time tracking, 2Ship’s Consolidation Services simplify the complex, and save you money while doing it.