This article outlines the Loop-specific negotiated rates available to merchants through Ship by Loop, covering both domestic and international carriers. It breaks down the options for US and International coverage, including guidance on how to determine the best rate type for each carrier and the steps required to enroll.

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Loop is excited to offer Loop-specific negotiated rates with selected carriers through Ship by Loop, and Ship by Loop Worldwide. Merchants can use these rates to reduce the cost of returns, allowing them to save additional money while offering a seamless customer experience with automatically generated return shipping labels.

Please note that merchants cannot bring their own account AND use these negotiated rates in tandem; it’s one or the other.

Note: These rates apply to Priority Mail and Ground Advantage service types only.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the Loop-specific negotiated rates with USPS, simply create a Ship by Loop account or a Ship by Loop Worldwide account to access the discounted rates. Please review the appropriate article below for setup steps for the shipping service you would like to access these rates through:

• Ship by Loop

• Ship by Loop Worldwide

• EasyPost

Once you've created an account, no additional action is needed on your behalf. Ship by Loop and Ship By Loop Worldwide will automatically apply Loop's discounted rates to the provided USPS account for immediate use.

Important: Ship By Loop & EasyPost shipping services require billing to be set up for the USPS labels to be billed directly out of.

Loop offers negotiated rates through two types of FedEx accounts: FedEx Platform and FedEx Advantage. Here's how you can determine if you're a better fit for FedEx Platform rates or FedEx Advantage rates:

• If you have your own existing FedEx account, it will be easier to sign up for Advantage rates, as Platform rates will require you to create a new FedEx account via Ship by Loop or EasyPost.

• FedEx Platform rates have greater savings with Ground Economy and FICP service types, but these are the only service types included in these rates. If you use other FedEx service types, Advantage rates may be a better fit.

• FedEx Platform rates include discounts on surcharges, while FedEx Advantage rates do not.

You may also enable both Platform and Advantage rates and add two different FedEx accounts to your return policy, which would then allow us to rate-shop every return and give you the best rate!

If you are interested in taking advantage of the Loop-specific negotiated rates with FedEx Platform, simply create a Ship by Loop account or an EasyPost account to access the discounted rates.

Please review the appropriate article below for setup steps for the shipping service you would like to access these rates through:

• Ship by Loop

• Ship by Loop Worldwide

• EasyPost

Once you've created a shipping provider account, add the FedEx carrier. This will be listed as "FedEx US" in Ship by Loop Worldwide, "FedEx" in Ship by Loop and "FedEx Wallet Account" in EasyPost.

For Ship by Loop Worldwide, you will then need to select FedEx as a carrier within your US return policy. In the Generate Labels section of the policy under Carrier Accounts, select Manage Carrier Accounts and make sure FedEx is selected. For Ship by Loop and EasyPost, Loop's discounted rates will be automatically applied to the provided FedEx account for immediate use, no additional setup is needed.

Existing FedEx customers

If you are an existing FedEx customer and want to take advantage of the Loop-specific negotiated rates, follow these simple steps:

1. Reach out to your Merchant Success Manager or support@loopreturns.com for a link to FedEx's Advantage Program. 

2. Sign up using the provided link.

3. Your registration will then be reviewed by the FedEx onboarding team. FedEx will ensure that all required information has been provided and they will review current discounts (if any) to determine if it is beneficial for you to join the Advantage Program.

4. After your registration is approved, the discounted rates will be directly applied to your FedEx account and FedEx will send you a welcome email. 

5. When you receive notice from FedEx that you have been approved for the Advantage Program, please reach out to your Merchant Success Manager or support@loopreturns.com to enable your Loop admin to access these rates.

Prospective FedEx customers

If you are not yet a FedEx customer but are interested in taking advantage of the Loop-specific negotiated rates with FedEx, please reach out to your Onboarding Specialist or support@loopreturns.com for more information on applying for FedEx's Advantage Program. 

Once you have completed your application for FedEx's Advantage Program, a FedEx representative will contact you to set up an account over the phone. After the account number is set up, the FedEx representative will complete the process of onboarding your account to the Advantage Program as outlined above.

When you receive your FedEx account credentials and confirmation of enrollment into the Advantage Program, you will navigate to your EasyPost account to add the carrier following these steps:

1. Within your Ship By Loop shipping settings

2. Select Carrier Accounts

3. Select FedEx, enter your account credentials, and click Enable.

• This carrier is available to select with Ship By Loop and EasyPost.

  • Ship by Loop

  • EasyPost

• Merchants who do NOT already have a DHL Express account can add DHL Express by Default account to their child users in the Ship By Loop, Carrier Management the same way they add other carriers and Loop’s discounts will automatically be applied.

• Merchants who do have a DHL Express account and do not want to use Loop’s rates do not need to do anything.

• Merchants who do have a DHL Express account and DO want to use Loop’s rates instead will need to delete their personal account before they will see the option to enroll in the EasyPost DHL Express account.

  • Important: If you do decide to transition, please execute the account deletion and sign-up process quickly so that there is no disruption in label creation.

Loop offers negotiated rates for many worldwide carriers through Ship by Loop, Ship by Loop Worldwide, and other shipping services. This allows merchants to support international returns both domestically in non-US countries and cross-border. Check out the full coverage on the Ship by Loop page or in this google sheet of full coverage.

Can the FedEx Advantage Program rates be used for international returns? No, these rates are only for US returns.

Does FedEx QR code functionality work with these rates? FedEx QR code functionality is currently only available with the FedEx Advantage Account, not the FedEx Platform account. If you are using the FedEx Advantage Account, be sure to contact your Onboarding Specialist or support@loopreturns.com if you need to enable FedEx QR code functionality.

Do I need a certain shipping volume to take advantage of these rates? No.

I have a large volume of returns--at what volume would I get better rates from FedEx directly compared to using the Loop-specific negotiated rates? FedEx determines rates based on volume, weight, zones, and service types. There is no one specific number where volume alone would determine if you will get better rates directly through FedEx vs using Loop's rates, but please note that if you have higher volume, you may be eligible for individual rates from FedEx.

If I already have an account with FedEx, do I need to go through the sign up process again? Yes, if you wish to access the rates through the FedEx Advantage Program, you will still need to apply for the FedEx Advantage Program as outlined above and FedEx will review your account to determine if it is beneficial for these rates to be applied to your account. No changes will need to be made in EasyPost since this will not change your existing FedEx account number. If you wish to access the rates through the FedEx Platform Account, then you will need to create a new Platform account through Loop.

How long does it take to activate these rates? Once you've applied for the Advantage Program, FedEx will review your registration and determine if these rates are beneficial for your account within 7 business days. Once the negotiated rates are applied to your FedEx account, you will need to notify your Onboarding Specialist or support@loopreturns.com to enable the rates for your Loop admin, which will be completed within 2-3 business days. If you create a FedEx Platform Account or use the provided USPS account, the negotiated rates will be available immediately.

How does EasyPost's rate shopping work if I use these negotiated rates? If you are using FedEx along with other carriers in EasyPost, EasyPost will still rate shop for your across all of your enabled carriers. Please note that if you have pre-negotiated rates with FedEx, rate shopping may not be available depending on how it is set up and which service types are selected.

Do these rates include surcharges for fuel, residential charges, etc.? FedEx Platform does include discounts on surcharges, but all other rates exclude surcharges.

When do I get charged for labels? USPS labels are bill on generation; FedEx labels are bill-on-scan.

Do dimensions impact these rates? If the dimensional weight exceeds the actual weight, charges may be assessed based on the dimensional weight.

Please reach out to support@loopreturns.com with any additional questions.