Shipping terms,
plain English.
BYOCA, DIM weight, zones, OTDR — the vocabulary of eCommerce shipping explained clearly, with context for how each term affects your costs and operations.
The ability to connect your personally-negotiated FedEx, UPS, or DHL account to shipping software, using your own discounted rates instead of the platform's default rates. ShipStation charges $95/month for this. LogixVast includes it free on every plan.
A pricing method used by UPS, FedEx, and DHL that charges based on package size rather than actual weight, whichever is greater. Formula: (L × W × H) / 139. Large, light packages often ship at DIM weight — understanding it helps you choose the right carrier for each package.
Zones 1–8 represent the distance between origin and destination zip codes. Zone 1 = nearby, Zone 8 = cross-country. Higher zones cost more for most ground services. Multi-carrier rate shopping matters most for Zone 5+ shipments where carriers diverge significantly on price.
A seller performance metric used by Walmart Marketplace (required above 95%) and Amazon (affects account health). Calculated as the percentage of orders delivered on or before the promised delivery date. Automatic tracking submission is the most reliable way to protect your OTDR.
The process of comparing rates from multiple carriers simultaneously to find the cheapest or fastest option for a specific shipment. True rate shopping requires live API connections to all carriers and a UI that surfaces the comparison clearly. LogixVast rate shops USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL on every shipment.
After Etsy terminated Pirate Ship's API integration in October 2024, millions of sellers needed alternatives. The key criteria: multi-carrier support, direct marketplace API connections, free BYOCA, and a reasonable monthly price. See the full breakdown on our switch page.
The process of uploading a shipment's tracking number back to the selling platform (Etsy, Amazon, Shopify, etc.) after a label is generated. Late or missing tracking submission hurts seller metrics on every major platform. LogixVast submits tracking automatically the moment a label is printed.
USPS's consolidated ground shipping service, replacing First-Class Package Service and Parcel Select in 2023. For packages under 1 lb, Ground Advantage is typically the cheapest domestic option. For heavier packages, UPS or FedEx Ground often become competitive.
The highest tier of USPS commercial discount pricing, available to high-volume shippers. Most shipping platforms negotiate Commercial Plus access on behalf of their users — meaning you get better USPS rates than buying postage at the post office or at usps.com.
The Amazon fulfillment model where the seller stores, picks, packs, and ships orders themselves — as opposed to FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon). FBM sellers need their own shipping software; LogixVast provides native Amazon Buy Shipping API integration.
A contractual commitment to respond or resolve within a defined time window. In shipping software, it usually refers to support response times. LogixVast publishes a 2-hour support SLA for standard plans and 30-minute for Enterprise — and backs them contractually.
An automated notification triggered when a package stops showing carrier scan activity for an extended period (typically 24–48 hours). LogixVast detects stalls within 26 hours and automatically notifies the buyer — reducing inbound customer service tickets about "where is my order."