> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Avg Shipping Cost, NetDispatch > Avg Shipping Cost for NetDispatch stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Metrics type:** [Key Metrics](/nerve-centre/overview#metrics-types-explained) • **Category:** [Shipping & Courier](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) ## At a glance > Average postage cost per Net Dispatch-routed parcel in GBP, post-discount and including standard surcharges. Reflects UK multi-carrier rate-shopping outcome: Net Dispatch's pooled rates plus per-shipment optimisation across Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, Yodel, ParcelForce. Typically 5 to 12% lower than direct-to-carrier UK average for similar volume. | | | | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | `SUM(label cost in GBP) / COUNT(shipments)` over the trailing 30 days. | | **Cost components included** | Carrier base rate + fuel surcharge + carrier-specific accessorials (residential, remote-area, oversize) + Net Dispatch per-label fee. | | **Discount handling** | Net Dispatch negotiates pooled rates with UK carriers; merchants typically pay 5-12% less than direct-to-carrier published rates. | | **Service level scope** | All Net Dispatch-booked services pooled. | | **Carrier-mix effect** | Strongest cost driver. Heavy Evri/Yodel use lowers the average dramatically (£1.50-£2.50/parcel) but hurts on-time. Heavy DPD use raises average (£3.50-£5.00/parcel) but lifts on-time. | | **Annual rate increase** | Most UK carriers raise rates once-yearly, typically January-February (3-7% per cycle). Some (Royal Mail) have additional mid-year adjustments. | | **Q4 surcharges** | UK carriers add Q4 peak surcharges October-January (£0.20-£1.50/parcel for high-volume); the card includes them. | | **Currency** | GBP for UK domestic. International shipments may convert at booking-time FX. | | **Time window** | `30D vsP` | | **Alert trigger** | `+10% vsP` | | **Roles** | owner, finance, operations | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your NetDispatch data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example A UK DTC fashion merchant via Net Dispatch. Reading taken at 09:00 GMT on 12 Mar 26 for the trailing 30 days vs the prior 30 days. | Underlying Carrier | Shipments | Avg billed (Net Dispatch GBP) | Equivalent direct estimate | | -------------------------------- | ---------- | ----------------------------- | -------------------------- | | Royal Mail Tracked 48 | 5,820 | £3.10 | £3.40 (-9%) | | Royal Mail Tracked 24 | 2,180 | £4.20 | £4.65 (-10%) | | DPD Next Day | 1,420 | £4.40 | £4.90 (-10%) | | Evri 3-5 Day | 3,940 | £1.95 | £2.20 (-11%) | | Yodel Standard | 880 | £2.40 | £2.75 (-13%) | | FedEx UK Express (international) | 220 | £14.80 | £16.20 (-9%) | | **All carriers (this card)** | **14,460** | **£3.05** | **£3.40 (-10.3%)** | The card reads **£3.05 (30D)** vs **£2.92 (prior 30D)**, +4.5% increase. Alert at +10% has not tripped. Five things to notice: 1. **Net Dispatch is saving the merchant \~£0.35/parcel vs direct.** At 14,460 monthly shipments, \~£5,060/month or £61K/year saving. This is the platform's value proposition. 2. **Evri at £1.95/parcel is the cheapest option but drags on-time.** The cost-vs-OTD trade is most acute on Evri/Yodel; merchants weighing the trade should look at this card alongside [On-Time Delivery Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/on-time-delivery-rate). 3. **The +4.5% climb is mostly January 2026 carrier rate increases.** Royal Mail published a 6.4% increase effective 1 Apr 26 (will affect April readings); DPD applied a 5.1% increase in January. Non-negotiable. 4. **No major service-mix shift.** Volume mix between carriers is similar to prior 30D; cost climb is rate-driven not mix-driven. 5. **Compare against on-time card.** Cost climb of 4.5% paired with on-time stable at 94.0% = "I'm paying 4-5% more for the same service quality". Acceptable; the trade flips negative if on-time degrades while cost climbs. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why pair it with Avg Shipping Cost | What the combination tells you | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | [On-Time Delivery Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/on-time-delivery-rate) | Quality-cost trade. | Net Dispatch value prop is "save without losing on-time". | | [Cost Per Shipment Trend](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/cost-per-shipment-trend) | 90D shape. | Upward = structural; spike = one-time. | | [Cost by Zone](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/cost-by-zone) | UK regional split. | Highland/island surcharges drive region-level cost. | | [Shipments by Service](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/shipments-by-service) | Carrier mix split. | Shifting Evri to Royal Mail raises average. | | Cross-connector: [`royal_mail.rm_avg_shipping_cost`](/nerve-centre/royal_mail/rm_avg_shipping_cost) | Direct-RM subset comparison. | Net Dispatch-RM should beat direct-RM. | | Cross-connector: [`shopify.total_revenue`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/shopify/total-revenue) | Margin denominator. | UK shipping cost as % of revenue. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in Net Dispatch's own dashboard:** [Net Dispatch Dashboard](https://www.netdispatch.com/) → **Billing → Statements**. Monthly invoice shows total spend in GBP and shipment count. **Why our number may legitimately differ from Net Dispatch's portal:** | Reason | Direction | Why | | --------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Charge components** | Either | Card includes Net Dispatch per-label fee; portal sometimes shows base postage only. | | **Refund handling** | Card may be higher | Refunds (cancelled labels) post on next billing cycle. | | **VAT inclusion** | Either | UK VAT (20%) treatment differs between merchant configurations; reconcile gross-vs-net display. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** | Card | Expected relationship | What causes legitimate divergence | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | [`royal_mail.rm_avg_shipping_cost`](/nerve-centre/royal_mail/rm_avg_shipping_cost) | Direct-RM subset. | Net Dispatch-RM should beat direct-RM by 8-12%. | | [`dpd.dpd_avg_shipping_cost`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/dpd/avg-shipping-cost) | Same for DPD. | Same. | ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Net Dispatch saving vs direct-to-carrier UK?** Typical 5-12% saving on rate-shopped volume. Driven by Net Dispatch's pooled rates with Royal Mail, DPD, Evri, Yodel. Trade-off: large enterprise UK shippers (£3M+/year) may negotiate stronger direct contracts. **My cost climbed 10%, alert tripped. What happened?** Three diagnostic steps. (1) [Cost Per Shipment Trend](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/cost-per-shipment-trend) for shape. (2) [Shipments by Service](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/shipments-by-service) for carrier-mix. (3) [Cost by Zone](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/net-dispatch/cost-by-zone) for regional shifts (Highland/Islands surcharges). **Highlands and Islands surcharges?** Most UK carriers add £3-£12/parcel surcharge to deliveries to Scottish Highlands & Islands, Northern Ireland (some), Channel Islands, Isle of Man. Net Dispatch passes the surcharge through; your average climbs if customer-mix shifts toward those regions. **Should I configure Net Dispatch to use cheapest-only rate-shopping?** For UK DTC under £2M/year shipping, usually yes ("cheapest meeting promise"). Trade-off: cheapest often selects Evri/Yodel which have weaker on-time. Configure rate-rules to prefer reliability for high-AOV orders. **Q4 cost spike?** UK carriers add Q4 peak surcharges October-January; expect 5-12% climb above steady-state. Combined with January rate increases at year-end, plan budgets for +10-+18% combined cost November-February. **VAT treatment?** UK merchant accounts typically receive ex-VAT pricing on shipping (VAT-recoverable for VAT-registered businesses). Card displays whichever the connector receives in API responses. Verify config via Net Dispatch CSM if your reconciliation looks off. **Brexit cost change for UK→EU?** Pre-Brexit, UK→EU was domestic-equivalent pricing. Post-Brexit, UK→EU shipments are international with customs declarations and (often) DDP duty handling. Cost climbed 30-60% on EU lanes; merchants who set up EU-domiciled subsidiaries (Netherlands) shipping from there avoid the international leg. **Why is OnTrac/Lasership not in my UK Net Dispatch?** OnTrac, Lasership, LSO are US regional carriers. UK regional carriers integrated into Net Dispatch typically include: Evri, Yodel, ParcelForce, DX, Tuffnells (for larger items). Net Dispatch's UK carrier portfolio differs from EasyPost's US portfolio. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Avg Shipping Cost* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across NetDispatch and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.