Shipping

Turn “best rate” into a repeatable rule

Rate Shop is the policy behind label purchase—not the manual quote screen. It defines which exact services may compete, filters them against the delivery requirement, and chooses the lowest eligible cost unless one preferred service stays inside a set premium.

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Write the policy before a package needs a label

The rule editor separates domestic and international service identities, the delivery requirement, and one optional preferred-service boundary. Every part of the decision is visible before it runs.

Update Rate Shop Rule

Configure the services, delivery promise, and selection rule operators use at label purchase time.

Enabled

Step 1

Compare These Services

Choose the exact services this rule should compare. Domestic and international shipments can use different service lists.

Domestic

These services are eligible for domestic shipments.

  • UPSDAP
    UPSDAP 2nd Day Air
  • UPSDAP
    UPSDAP Next Day Air
  • FedEx
    FedEx Express Saver
  • FedEx
    FedEx Ground

International

These services are eligible for international shipments.

  • UPS
    UPS Worldwide Expedited
  • FedEx
    FedEx International (Economy)
4 domestic · 2 international services remain in separate pools.

Step 2

Restrict to Services That Deliver On Time

Only consider services that can meet the business-day or deliver-by-date requirement.

Services outside this delivery limit are excluded before the cost comparison.

Step 3

Select the Lowest Rate Unless a Preferred Service Is Within Threshold

The lowest eligible rate is selected automatically, unless the preferred service is within 20.00% of the cheapest rate.

Enable Service Preference

Preferred Service

UPSDAP
UPSDAP 2nd Day Air

Threshold Type

UPSDAP / 2nd Day Air may replace the cheapest eligible rate only inside the 20% limit.

This rule compares 4 domestic services, keeps a separate 2-service international pool, requires the domestic result to fit 3 business days, and limits the preferred-service premium to 20%.

Watch the rule narrow every returned rate

5 rates return for FO-11929. One is outside the domestic pool and one misses the 3-business-day limit. Only the remaining 3 reach cost and preference selection.

Label purchase rate request

FO-11929 · Dallas, TX to New York, NY

12 × 9 × 4 in · 2 lb
≤ 3 business days

  1. 5

    rates returned

  2. 4

    match the domestic pool

  3. 3

    meet the delivery rule

  4. 1

    service selected

  • UPSDAP / Ground

    Not included in the configured comparison list.

    $7.50

    4 business days

    Outside rule

  • FedEx / Ground

    Estimated 4 business days exceeds the 3-day limit.

    $9.50

    4 business days

    Misses promise

  • FedEx / Express Saver

    Cheapest eligible baseline before the preference rule.

    $12.00

    3 business days

    Eligible

  • UPSDAP / 2nd Day Air

    Preferred service is 15.00% above the cheapest eligible rate, inside the 20.00% limit.

    $13.80

    2 business days

    Selected

  • UPSDAP / Next Day Air

    Eligible after the configured-service and delivery filters.

    $22.00

    1 business day

    Eligible
A lower price outside the service pool or delivery limit never reaches the final cost-versus-preference comparison.

FedEx / Express Saver sets the baseline at $12.00. UPSDAP / 2nd Day Airwins at $13.80 because its 15% premium stays inside the 20% limit.

Keep the reason with the purchased label

Rate Shop owns the policy that selected the service. Shipping Labels stores the purchased result: the rule, chosen service, eligible and excluded counts, delivery requirement, preference delta, timestamp, and trace reference.

Purchased label decision

LBL-11929-01 · stored by Shipping Labels

Decision stored

Selected service

UPSDAP / 2nd Day Air

Purchased rate

$13.80

Rate Shop
Preferred Within Threshold
Selected
UPSDAP
UPSDAP 2nd Day Air
because it was preferred and within 15.00% of the cheapest eligible rate using the Express within 20% rule. Decision made at Jul 15, 2026, 4:45 PM.
Chosen Service
UPSDAP
UPSDAP 2nd Day Air
Rate Shop
Express within 20%
Eligible / Excluded3 / 2
Transit RestrictionBusiness Days 3 (3 business days)
Preferred ServiceUPSDAP / 2nd Day Air (threshold: 20.00%)
Cheapest Eligible
FedEx
FedEx Express Saver
($12.00)+15.00% delta
Trace Ref0f3a9c80
Rate Shop owns the selection policy. Shipping Labels owns this purchased record and the rest of the label lifecycle.

The next operator can inspect why the service won without reconstructing the rule or treating the label record as the place where carrier policy is configured.

Make the cost-versus-service tradeoff explicit

Rate Shop removes services that do not belong or cannot meet the delivery requirement before price comparison. Preference can change the winner, but only inside a boundary the team chose in advance.

every competing service keeps its connection, carrier, and service together
Exact identitydomestic and international shipments can use separate, inspectable service pools
one preferred-service exception stays inside a defined premium
Amount or %the lowest eligible rate remains the baseline when the preference exceeds its limit

Trusted by 3PLs and brands

2FLYcoAmmoSquaredAxion FulfillmentIndustry Thread Worksadrafül labs

See it in your operation

Bring us the rate choice your team keeps debating

Show us the services that may compete, the delivery requirement, and the exception worth paying for. We’ll map the service pools, preference boundary, and stored label decision against your operation.

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