How to Ship Products for Online Selling Without Juggling Courier Apps

by Enstack | December 7, 2023

If you're figuring out how to ship products for online selling, the basic process is straightforward: confirm the customer's delivery details, choose the right shipping option, enter the correct parcel information, pack the order properly, book the delivery, and prepare an airway bill when needed.

The harder part starts when every order means opening another courier app, copying the same customer details again, comparing rates, booking a rider, and checking somewhere else for the status.

One order is manageable, but fifty orders with that same system make the process very obvious.
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More orders should not mean more courier apps for you to manage.

What do you need before you ship online order?

Before booking anything, make sure you have the basic information the delivery needs:

  • the customer's complete name and contact details;
  • the correct delivery address and map pin, where applicable;
  • the products included in the order;
  • the parcel's weight and dimensions;
  • the customer's preferred or appropriate delivery method;
  • and whether the order is prepaid or will use Cash on Delivery.

Getting these right early matters because the wrong address, an inaccurate parcel size, or an unsuitable delivery method can turn a completed sale into another problem you have to fix. From there, you can decide how the order should actually move.

1. Choose the shipping option based on the order

There is no single delivery method that makes sense for every sale.

A hot meal going across the city has a different need from a pair of shoes going from Manila to Cebu.

A customer five minutes away may prefer to pick the order up themselves.

And some businesses already have a delivery setup they want to keep using.

So when deciding how to ship customer orders in the Philippines, start with the job the delivery needs to do.

Enstack supports four ways to complete an order: Same-Day Shipping and Standard Shipping through its integrated shipping options, plus Customer Pickup and Own Shipping.

Same-day Shipping

Use same-day delivery when the order is urgent or time-sensitive.

That can make sense for food, perishables, last-minute purchases, or customers who simply need the item within the day.

If you're considering same-day delivery for online sellers, check that the pickup and delivery locations are serviceable before promising the delivery time.

Standard Shipping

Standard delivery makes more sense for orders that can travel over a longer period and need to reach customers beyond your immediate area.

For a business serving buyers around the country, this is where nationwide shipping for a business in the Philippines becomes important.

Own Shipping

If you already work with your own delivery provider or have staff who handle deliveries, you can continue using that arrangement through Own Shipping and set the shipping fee you want to charge.
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Enstack Integrated Shipping
Same-day and Standard Delivery

2. Enter the parcel details accurately

Do not guess the weight or size because “magaan lang naman” or “sa tantiya ko ganito.” Those details can affect what shipping options are available and how much the delivery costs.
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If you're trying to understand how to calculate shipping fees, Enstack's integrated shipping fees take into account factors including the package's actual weight and dimensions, pickup address, and delivery address. For Standard Shipping, the chargeable weight is based on whichever is higher between the parcel's actual and volumetric weight.

Measure the item after it has been packed.

A lightweight product inside a large box can still take up significant courier space. A small but heavy item creates a different shipping requirement.

Accurate information gives you and the customer a more reliable rate before the order goes out.

How Enstack shipping fees are computed

3. Pack the order for the trip it is about to take

If you're learning how to pack products for shipping, start with what could realistically happen to the item in transit. Good packaging is about getting the product to the customer in the condition they paid for, instead of about making every parcel look like an unboxing video.

  • A small, non-fragile item may only need a properly sized pouch.
  • Liquids need to be sealed well enough to prevent leaks.
  • Fragile items and electronics need enough protection to reduce movement and impact inside the package.

For Standard Shipping, Enstack's packing guidelines require the printed airway bill to be attached to the outer packaging.
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The more fragile, liquid, bulky, or unusual the product is, the less you should rely on a generic “okay na 'yan” packing method.

Packing guidelines for Standard Shipping

4. Book the courier without rebuilding the order somewhere else

Imagine a customer already gave you their details. You already created the order, and you already know what needs to be delivered. You should not have to reconstruct the transaction in several courier apps just to get it out the door.
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This is where shipping starts becoming an operations issue for a working business. For merchants researching how to book a courier for online orders, Enstack Integrated Shipping lets you book pickups across its courier partners from the same platform where you're handling the order. The Shipping feature also shows shipping rates and supports both same-day and standard deliveries.
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That matters more as volume increases. Saving a few minutes on one booking may not feel significant, but repeating those minutes across every order is where the cost becomes visible.
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Book deliveries in one app

5. For Standard Shipping, prepare the airway bill before pickup

If you're using Standard Shipping, the package needs the correct airway bill before it goes out.
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Enstack lets you download and print airway bills individually or in batches, which becomes particularly useful when you're preparing several orders at once.
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For exact click-by-click instructions, use the Help Center rather than maintaining changing app instructions inside this article

Print your Enstack airway bill

6. If you offer COD, check the delivery rules before confirming the order

For some businesses, Cash on Delivery for online sellers in the Philippines is not just another payment option. It can be the option that lets the customer complete the purchase.

But remember that COD also affects the fulfilment side of the transaction.

Different Enstack courier partners have varying coverage, parcel, order-value, and COD limits. Instead of memorizing those numbers, check the current shipping limits when an order is unusually large, heavy, or high-value. That helps you avoid confirming an order, only to discover later that the chosen delivery method cannot handle it.
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Current Integrated Shipping limits
Enstack payment options

7. Choose the courier based on the order, not just habit

If you're asking how to choose a courier for your online business, “Which courier is best” usually leads to more complicated results.

A better question is: Which courier works best for this order?
Consider:

  • where the customer is;
  • how quickly the order needs to arrive;
  • whether the courier services that location;
  • the package's size, weight, and type;
  • the shipping rate;
  • whether COD is required;
  • and any restrictions that apply to the item.

Enstack also lets merchants set courier priorities for integrated shipping, though the chosen courier can still depend on factors such as serviceability and availability.

That gives you preference without making every order depend on one delivery provider.

How should shipping change as your business gets busier?

At first, booking deliveries one at a time in different apps may not feel like much work.

But when the business starts moving, five orders become twenty, you offer COD, some customers need same-day delivery, others are outside Metro Manila, you start selling from a webstore, social media, and pop-ups… now it’s a problem. 

Yes, a good problem. But one you still need to solve: every additional delivery creates another manual task for you to personally hold together.
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Shipping should become easier to manage as order volume grows, because your business deserves a better system for handling the complexity.

See how Enstack Integrated Shipping lets you manage different delivery needs and book shipments from one app.

Enstack Integrated Shipping

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I ship products for online selling?

To ship products for online selling, get the customer's complete delivery details, choose the right shipping method, enter the parcel's accurate weight and dimensions, pack the item securely, book the delivery, and prepare an airway bill if the courier requires one.

If you're using Enstack, you can manage integrated same-day and standard delivery bookings through the app.

Integrated same-day and standard delivery bookings

How do I choose between same-day and standard shipping?

Use same-day delivery when the order needs to reach the customer quickly and the locations are serviceable. Standard Shipping is better suited to orders that can take longer and need to travel across a wider service area.

The right choice depends on the product, destination, urgency, and shipping cost.

Same-day delivery

How can I get a more accurate shipping fee?

Enter the customer's correct address and map pin, then use the packed parcel's actual weight and dimensions rather than estimating them.

For Enstack Integrated Shipping, those details help determine the shipping fee and available delivery options.

Shipping fee

Can online sellers offer Cash on Delivery?

Yes. COD is available through eligible Enstack shipping options, but limits differ depending on the courier and order.

If you're shipping a heavy, bulky, or high-value order, check the current limits before confirming COD with the customer.

Current Limits

Can Customers pick up their orders instead?

Yes. If you've enabled Customer Pickup, buyers can collect their orders from your pickup location instead of paying for delivery.

This can be useful for nearby customers or businesses that already have a store, office, or regular pickup point.

Customer Pickup

Can I still use my own courier with Enstack?

Yes. Enstack's Own Shipping option lets you use your own delivery provider or delivery staff and set the shipping fee you want to charge.

Enstack's Own Shipping option

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