Shipping audit: Madison Avenue Couture

## Why it matters When a carrier can't verify actual weight at the label step, it bills the larger of (a) actual weight × rate, or (b) dimensional weight × rate. For light, bulky items (apparel, snacks, supplements) the dim-weight charge is often 25–40% higher than the true cost. ## How to fix it (Layer 2 — connected data required) This fix needs your store data connected so we can backfill weights at scale. 1. **Connect Shopify, WooCommerce, or your ERP** in ShipXray Settings. 2. We'll identify products missing weights and surface them in a worklist. 3. Bulk-import weights via CSV, or sync from your fulfillment software (ShipStation, ShipBob, etc.). 4. Re-rate a recent invoice through ShipXray's audit engine to confirm the savings. ## Quick win while you wait Even without a connection, you can: - Audit your last UPS or FedEx invoice for a "DIM" surcharge column - Pick the 20 highest-volume SKUs and weigh them on a kitchen scale - Update those 20 in your e-com platform — that alone often recovers 60% of the overcharge ## Expected savings $2–$5 per affected order. For a 1,000-orders/month brand with 50% dim-weight exposure, that's $1,000–$2,500/mo recovered.

Add weight to every product variant in Shopify (Products → variant → Shipping → Weight). When weights are missing, carriers default to dimensional pricing on the heavy items, inflating cost 15–40% on flagship SKUs. Bulk weight upload via CSV takes ~1 hour for a typical 50-SKU catalog.

Enable Shopify Markets (free on Shopify Plus, available on Standard) for native presentment currencies. International buyers see local currency, you still settle in USD. Reduces card-network FX fees by 1–3%.

Extend the return window to 30 days minimum (60 days during the holiday season). Most returns happen in the first 7 days regardless, so the longer window costs nothing operationally but lifts cart-conversion 3–6% on category benchmarks.