A seller asked us last week why her delivery cost doubled in the same month. Nothing had changed except the address: the first orders went to a business park, the later ones to customers' homes. The warehouse had not made a mistake, and neither had the carrier. The cargo had simply moved from one price list to another.
Last-mile is the part of the chain where the price depends most on details the seller controls: what the parcel is, where it goes, and whether anyone is there to receive it.
Three ways out of a warehouse
- Parcel. One carton to one address, priced by weight and zone, with a residential surcharge if it is a home. Fastest, and the right answer for anything a person can carry.
- Truck, LTL or FTL. Pallets to one address, priced by weight, pallet count and distance, often with a liftgate and an appointment. Cheaper per kilo once the volume is a pallet, and the only sensible way to move 300 kg.
- Pickup at the warehouse. The buyer sends their own truck. You pay handling only, but the warehouse needs notice, and the buyer's carrier has to book a slot.
The surcharges decide the answer
| Option | Fits | Priced by | Usual extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parcel | Cartons up to about 20 kg | Weight and zone | Residential, oversize, signature, fuel |
| LTL pallet | 100–1,500 kg, one address | Weight, pallets, distance | Liftgate, appointment, inside delivery, wait time |
| FTL | Full trailer, or fragile loads | Truck and distance | Detention after free time, re-delivery |
| Pickup | Buyer arranges carriage | Handling per pallet | Late booking, waiting truck |
Three quick tests
Under about 20 kg per carton, and going to a home: parcel, and accept the residential surcharge. Over 100 kg, or more than four cartons to one address: put it on a pallet and send LTL — the per-kilo price falls sharply, and the pallet arrives in one piece. Buyer has their own truck and a dock: pickup saves the last leg, but only if the appointment is booked before the cargo is ready.
Five places sellers overpay without noticing
- The address type is wrong. A home address quoted as commercial becomes a surcharge at the door, and nobody tells you until the invoice.
- Dimensions are guessed. Carriers measure, and an oversize flag costs more than the freight itself on small parcels.
- No appointment was booked for a pallet. The truck arrives, waits, and the wait is charged by the hour.
- Nobody was home. A re-delivery fee is charged for a journey that produced nothing.
- Peak season arrived. Residential and fuel surcharges both step up in the fourth quarter, on the same shipment.
A plain note from the desk: the last mile is not one price, it is a price list with switches. Tell us the carton size, the weight and whether the address is a home or a business before you ask for a rate, and the number you get back will be the number you pay.
Send your next batch's carton dimensions, weights and delivery postcodes on WhatsApp. We will price parcel, LTL and pickup side by side, and tell you where the switch that doubles the cost is hiding.