The problem
It's common and reasonable to start with one carrier, but sellers who stay single-carrier as volume grows often discover the risk only during a disruption — a regional outage, peak-season capacity limit, or account issue with no fallback in place.
Step-by-step guidance
1. Identify a secondary carrier before you need one
Set up an account and test a small volume of shipments with a second carrier while things are running normally, not during a disruption.
2. Decide how to split volume
A common approach is routing the majority of volume to your primary carrier while sending a meaningful minority to a secondary carrier, adjusted by rate-shopping results per shipment.
3. Use the secondary relationship as negotiating leverage
Consistent, documented volume with more than one carrier strengthens your position when negotiating rates with either one.
Common questions
Does splitting volume between carriers hurt my negotiating position?
Not necessarily — many sellers find having a credible alternative carrier improves negotiating leverage rather than diluting it.
How much volume should go to a backup carrier?
There's no fixed rule; even a small, consistent percentage is enough to maintain an active account and fallback capacity.
Related Reading
- E-commerce Shipping Strategy
- How to Negotiate Shipping Rates as a Small Business
- Building Shipping Into Your Price
- Regional vs. National Carriers
Sources
General guidance based on publicly available carrier documentation and industry-standard shipping practices, current as of publication. Confirm current rates and rules directly with your carrier.