Configure carrier fees

Carriers, such as DHL, FedEx, and UPS charge applicable fees to international shipments. Learn what these carrier fees are, how they are calculated, and how to configure them in Dashboard. See a breakdown of the fees for each carrier. It is important for ecommerce retailers to be aware of carrier fees and configure them correctly in Dashboard in order to avoid unexpected costs and maximize their profits.

How to configure carrier fees in Dashboard 

1. Log in to Dashboard --> Setting --> Shipping rates](https://dashboard.zonos.com/settings/shipping).
2. Under Carriers, select the carrier you want to modify the fees for.
3. Under Carrier fees, check or uncheck which carrier fees to waive. Typically these fees should be left on unless your fees have been waived or negotiated with your carrier. If you need to have the fees reduced to match your fees, please reach out to support@zonos.com and they can adjust the fee amounts for you.
4. Click Save to complete.

What carrier fees are 

Carrier fees are often a surprise to online retailers just starting to calculate and collect landed cost. They are usually only seen and paid for by your customers when they receive their international shipments. Carrier fees are an important part of landed cost calculations.

If you don’t set them up correctly and allow prepayment of duties and taxes, you will lose money because you will end up paying the carrier fees on behalf of your customers. You may need to find out from your carrier what your fees are, but typically, unless you have negotiated to get them lowered or waived, they will likely be part of your landed cost and international shipments where you allow customers to prepay duties and taxes.

Carrier fee breakdown 

DHL:

• Disbursement fee - The Disbursement fee is charged on either a minimum or percentage, depending on which is greater for advancing taxes and duties to customs on behalf of the payor. This fee varies by country and by currency.
• DTP (Duties and Taxes Prepaid) fee - The Duties and Taxes Prepaid fee is charged when a shipment is sent with duties and taxes prepaid.

FedEx:

• Disbursement fee - The Disbursement fee is charged on either a minimum or percentage, depending on which is greater for advancing taxes and duties to customs on behalf of the payor. This fee varies by country and by currency.

UPS:

• Disbursement fee - The disbursement fee is charged on either a minimum or a percentage, depending on which is greater for advancing taxes and duties to customs on behalf of the payor. This fee varies by country and by currency.

  • Duty and tax forwarding surcharge - The Duty and Tax Forwarding Surcharge applies when a shipment is sent free domicile, sometimes referred to as DDP (Delivery Duty Paid). This is billed by UPS on your shipping bill and not on the duty/tax bill.

Next steps

• Enable service levels - Enable shipping service levels and options in zones.
• Set up custom shipping rules - Learn how to set up custom shipping options like flat rate, free, and tiered shipping.
• Set up custom service levels - Add custom rates with a rate sheet through Zonos.