http://www.unishippers.comOvernight delivery can be a source of stress, aggravation and headaches for the owner of a small business. In addition to the cost of shipping a package, there are also questions of dependability, accuracy and efficiency that must be considered. When your business depends on getting its packages delivered on time, it is important to know what options are available and what services will best fit your needs. The number of overnight carriers in operation today makes the decision a little overwhelming.

One effective solution for the small business owner is a shipping reseller. Shipping resellers negotiate large volumes of shipping services at bulk rates and then sell the services to their customers at a discount. Many resellers offer personalized services, which include door-to-door pick-up and delivery and package tracking. They can identify the carrier service most appropriate to a particular shipment. A thorough, dedicated reseller can save a small business money as well as valuable time.

Using a shipping reseller can mean big savings for small companies. The cost of dealing with a primary carrier (such as Airborne Express, Federal Express or UPS) is dispersed among all of the reseller's customers, resulting in discounts up to 40% or more.

A little research into shipping resellers will go a long way. Some resellers charge a membership fee or they charge for services in advance. Resellers who request prepayment often require you to purchase increments of five to 10 shipments at a time. The real benefit here is for those companies which only ship occasionally because the reseller allows them to ship as much as they can fit into the overnight envelope for the amount they've prepaid.

Other resellers charge no membership fees and do not require pre-payment. These resellers rely on the number of customers they serve to provide the basis for the discounted price. Many larger resellers operate nationally, and even internationally, as franchises. This gives them a much broader customer base to work with and results in greater savings for each customer.

When researching the range of services a reseller provides, there are two important points to consider. First, look at the number of carriers with which a reseller works. Some carriers specialize in the overnight delivery of documents and small packages; some are better than others for large packages and bulk deliveries. Not all carriers deliver internationally and not all of them offer same-day or weekend delivery, and those who do usually charge much more for these services. A reseller who only deals with one or two carriers will not be able to provide your business with many options.

A good reseller will deal with a variety of different carriers, enabling them to customize your service at a great price.

The second thing to consider are the services offered directly to you by the reseller. The reseller really can't control the services provided by the carriers and must rely on the carriers to do their jobs efficiently for their customers. A reseller can really excel in the personalized services it offers. Some things to look for: