Choosing Partners
How to Choose Delivery Partners for Your E-Commerce Business
Every delivery partner promises fast and cheap. The truth: none of them are perfect for every pincode, weight, or order type. The winning strategy is knowing which partner fits which order.
Best for: Sellers doing 30+ orders/month who want to stop guessing and start matching the right courier to each shipment.
₹15-30 saved per order
by routing to the right partner instead of using one carrier for everything
Pidi handles this for you
Automation built in.
Side-by-side rate comparison
Pidi fetches live rates from all your connected partners for every order.
Smart partner recommendation
Based on destination pincode, weight, and delivery speed — Pidi suggests the best fit.
Easy partner switching
Switch default partner or route individual orders differently — all from chat.
Secure multi-partner management
Connect, verify, and manage all partner credentials from one place.
You handle this
Your touch matters.
Track delivery success by partner
Note which partner delivers on time to which cities. Patterns emerge within 50 orders.
Negotiate rates at volume
Once you hit 100+ orders/month, call your account manager. Rates are always negotiable.
Know your top delivery zones
Where do most of your buyers live? Your partner choice should optimize for those pincodes first.
Factor in hidden costs
Weight corrections, COD remittance delays, and RTO return charges eat into margins. Track them.
Step-by-step
01
Audit your current shipping costs and pain points
Calculate your average shipping cost per order, RTO rate, and average delivery time. Write down your top 3 frustrations.
02
Map your top 10 delivery pincodes
Check your last 50 orders — which pincodes appear most? This is your "core zone" and should drive partner selection.
03
Compare partner strengths
Shiprocket/Shipway = aggregators with 25-30+ couriers. Delhivery = strong direct metro rates. Ekart = Flipkart logistics, pan-India. Match to your zones.
Pidi can do this — ask on WhatsApp
04
Connect your top 2 partners to Pidiga
Start with an aggregator (Shiprocket or Shipway) + a direct partner (Delhivery or Ekart). Pidi manages all of them.
Pidi can do this — ask on WhatsApp
05
Route 20 orders through each and compare
Track delivery time, buyer complaints, and actual vs quoted cost for 20 orders per partner. Data beats intuition.
06
Set your routing rules
Metro prepaid → cheapest partner. Tier-3 COD → highest delivery success partner. Fragile → partner with best packaging record.
Pidi can do this — ask on WhatsApp
Pro tips
Aggregators (Shiprocket, Shipway) give you access to 20-30+ couriers but take a margin. Direct partnerships (Delhivery, Ekart, Xpressbees) are cheaper at volume but you manage one carrier.
No single partner is best everywhere. Delhivery dominates metros, Ekart has pan-India reach via Flipkart's network, Xpressbees is strong in tier-2/3 cities. Mix and match.
COD remittance cycle matters as much as shipping cost. Some partners take 7 days to remit COD collections — that is working capital locked up. Check T+X days before signing.
SLA (Service Level Agreement) is meaningless if not enforced. Track actual delivery times, not promised ones. Switch partners for zones where SLAs are consistently missed.
Always keep 2 active partners. When one has a surge delay (festival season, strikes), you can instantly route through the other. Single-partner dependency is a business risk.
Renegotiate rates every quarter. Partners give better rates to growing accounts. Show your volume growth and competing quotes — even 10% savings adds up to lakhs annually.
Shiprocket vs Delhivery vs Shipway vs Ekart — which is better?
Different tools for different stages. Shiprocket and Shipway are aggregators — they route through 25-30+ couriers and pick the cheapest per pincode. Great when starting (0-200 orders/month). Delhivery and Ekart are direct carriers — cheaper at volume (200+ orders). Delhivery dominates metros; Ekart leverages Flipkart's pan-India network for broader reach. Best strategy: one aggregator + one direct carrier, then add more as volume grows.
When should I switch from one partner to two?
At 50+ orders/month. Below that, one aggregator (Shiprocket or Shipway) handles everything. Above 50, the savings from rate shopping between two partners pays for the 5 minutes of extra comparison per day. Pidi makes this instant — just ask for rates and it shows all connected partners.
How do I reduce COD RTO?
Five proven tactics: (1) Send a WhatsApp confirmation message before dispatch — "Your order #X is being packed, will deliver in 3 days. Please confirm your address." (2) Offer ₹30-50 prepaid discount. (3) Auto-cancel COD orders not confirmed within 12 hours. (4) Block repeat RTO addresses. (5) Use OTP-based delivery verification where available.
What hidden costs should I watch for?
Weight correction charges (carrier re-weighs, charges difference), COD handling fees (₹30-60 per order), RTO charges (you pay both ways), fuel surcharges (5-15% added quarterly), and early COD remittance fees. Ask for an all-inclusive rate sheet, not just base rates.
Should I pass shipping costs to the buyer or absorb them?
Hybrid approach works best. Absorb shipping on orders above your average order value (increases AOV by 20-30%). Show shipping cost transparently on smaller orders. Never surprise buyers with shipping at checkout — it is the #1 cart abandonment reason in India. "Free delivery above ₹499" is the most effective format.