Shiply are pleased to announce the launch of our brand new price estimator tool:

We know that sometimes you are in a rush and just want a vague idea of cost before going to the trouble of actually listing a shipment in the marketplace.

Our new price estimator tool solves this problem. You simply specify the category into which your item fits under along with the pickup and delivery post codes. Within seconds we will return a rough estimate which should help you.

The tool uses past quotes placed in the marketplace on shipments similar to yours. We use a large pool of over 40,000 shipment requests to allow for a pretty accurate idea of costs. In some instances we will even provide you with competitor delivery quotes (if available) so that you can see just how much you can save with Shiply.

Disclaimer: Please remember this tool is exactly that, just a tool. The prices you receive are estimates, not quotes which you can accept. If you like the look of an estimate you will need to list your shipment into the marketplace (free) to receive real quotes which you can then accept at your leisure.

Like all of our tools and new services, we consider this in BETA. So do let us know your feedback (either in the comments box below or by clicking on the feedback tab to the left or just email us!). We love to hear your feedback and let us know how you find using the new tool.

USE THE TOOL BY CLICKING HERE!

Now, this is quite an old one from last year. However the lorry driver had to flee his cab after a fire broke out and over 60,000 tins of custard started exploding “like fireworks”.

The driver wasn’t aware that his vehicle was on fire, however other motorists flagged him down on A382 and he fled just before the 60,000 tins exploded causing catastrophic damage.

Police and fire crews were on the scene, but too late to save the custard destined for Sainsburys.

Eyewitness Jill Pendleton, who runs a holiday booking company, captured the spectacle on her camera.

She said: “The first we knew about it was a whiff of smoke and burning sugar and then suddenly it just erupted.

“It was incredible how quickly the fire caught hold – the whole thing was over in less than 20 minutes.

“When the heat reached the tins they started to explode and we could hear what sounded like thousands of gunshots. It was quite a fireworks display.

“There were two huge explosions which we think were either the airbags or the diesel tanks.

“The fire crews got here very quickly but there wasn’t much they could do as the contents had burned out. The driver seemed very shaken.”

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the road was closed for 6 hours but that it was an accident and so accordingly no-one was taken into custardy (sorry!).

Firstly, I’m pleased to say the navigation bar on the right of the blog here is back in it’s correct position. Thanks to Liviu for fixing that one!

Now, I was forwarded a youtube video today and at first I didn’t think much of it, in fact I had no idea where it was going…

However, stick with it and you will see it has to be one of the neatest tools seen in the industry for years. We love this type of innovation here at Shiply.com, now how can we do something similar??!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCcZX8qGAX0]

No funny video this Friday, however this one caught our eye. We can’t actually believe at any professional driver would make this mistake of turning the wrong way onto a motorway. What baffles us more is how many of them followed!

As the old saying goes – would you follow them off a cliff?!

This was an interesting story we picked up all the way from New Zealand. Urgent Couriers saw a 12% slump in sales and so in an effort to help ease the pain have diversified into selling advertising on their vehicles, selling to the general public.

I for one, I’m afraid to say am a huge skeptic. They have diversified into the most hard hit market by the recession (advertising). Selling this space will be tough to say the least!

I think that Urgent Couriers are correct with looking to other avenues to increase revenue but are barking up the wrong tree here. Perhaps a small investment in advertising their own brand on the vehicles would prove more effective or better still looking at other non-advertising options.

Certainly there are a lot of options out there, thinking outside the box and looking at industries not so hard-hit is key however.

It has long been a sore point for many a Scot, getting items delivered to the highlands often brings with it a much inflated price tag.

Many believe the high increase is unfair, Gordon Brown doesn’t and has been accused of “sticking his head in the sand” when it comes to a call for regulation.

An online petition started by Nairn businessman Terence Watson, which called on the UK Government to investigate “unscrupulous” charges levied by couriers and suppliers, attracted 3,382 signatures.

The prime minister said: “The application of price banding for different areas within the UK is a common practice and is based on the fact that greater costs are incurred by the operator to get the parcel to its destination.

“Two key factors are involved – the physical distances are greater, while the density in volume of the packages going to remote areas is smaller. Companies must be able to cover their costs to provide a sustainable business.

“These companies must however try to provide or secure the most cost-effective service to ensure their own competitiveness in their respective market.

“In such a commercial and highly-competitive environment, it is for private carriers and couriers and other companies who use or operate carrier services to review their own pricing structures in response to competitive pressures and market demands.”

MP’s and local people have accused Mr Brown of sticking his head in the sand and accuse his response as not bearing any relation to the severity of the problem. The issue they say is not that there are increases in charges, however that these increases are not in line with true cost increases. Furthermore there is a case of false or misleading advertising where prices are quotes for ‘UK Mainland’ with the Highlands cost surcharges hidden away in small print.

In the petition, Mr Watson, of Mannachie Grove, Forres, said delivery service charges to the north, were “restricting economic and social growth”.

Mr Watson, who is now going to pursue his campaign by contacting Which? and the Office of Fair Trading, added: “I’m not going to stop here because we should not be treated differently to the rest of the country.”

Interestingly as a publicly funded company, Royal Mail by law are required to offer delivery services to any part of the UK. In fact, if there is just one parcel to be delivered to a small farm in the middle of nowhere for example, they still have to make that delivery, regardless of the cost to the environment.

However, this is not the case for independant courier companies, they can choose which areas to deliver to in the highlands and furthermore can dictate the price they so choose.

It is an interesting debate, some may argue that Highlanders shouldn’t be treated differently and be charged differently where rates are advertised as “UK Mainland”, however, in reality the increase in work, costs and impact on the environment by taking these extra long journeys understandably will attract higher costs.

I doubt very much that Government will take any kind of action for some time on this issue. A compromised solution seems most appropriate to us, but how long would that take? That is the question.

As no doubt many of you will have seen, you can now search by keyword on the search pages.

We had a number of providers giving us feedback that they would remember what the actual shipment was but when they came back to the site, completely lost it amongst the thousands shown!

There is an ability to “watch a shipment”, and this is located at the top right of shipment pages. However, this new ability to search by keyword should really help. You can also type in the shipment id number here and it will take you direct to the shipment listing.

Keep an eye out for search by country which will launch soon also. We’re also tidying up the bid placement form, to make the process as quick and seamless as possible.

Hope you enjoy the changes.

To help our transport providers get the most out of Shiply, here are some of our top tips which helps you get more bids accepted!

1) Fill out your profile page

This is the space where we let you write about your business. It is your space to really sell your business and it’s uniqueness to prospective customers. Use it wisely. We have seen great profiles and we have seen some really awful ones!

Make sure you cover the fundamentals, how many employees do you have, how many vehicles, what year were you established etc etc.

You really have to look at your profile through your customers eyes. Would you choose the provider with a one sentence long profile or the one who has made an effort and uploaded their company logo, specified their insurance levels and written a professional, concise 6 paragraph long profile?

Spelling mistakes look sloppy, and customers will think your work will be too! So, be sure to run your profile page text through a spell check, like the one in Microsoft word.

2) Upload a photo to your profile

This makes a big difference. We recommend a photo of yourself, your team and/or your vehicle(s). Customers like to see the real people behind your company. Don’t miss out on this important element of your profile page.

3) Chase feedback!

Just like eBay, customers often never get around to leaving feedback after a transaction if all goes well. But you can bet your boots they will remember to leave negative feedback that one time something goes wrong.

Ensure you protect your feedback score and participation on Shiply by asking those customers who have not yet left you feedback to do so.

We do send out email reminders, however often a quick phone call, or better yet a request in person upon delivery usually does the trick!

4) Keep on top of open bids

There is nothing worse than having a bid accepted which you can no longer service. Keep on top of your current active bids on at least a daily basis. Better still, if you know the latest date upon which you can accept the order, please put an expiry date on your bid.

5) Put information with your bid

Placing a bid with no additional information just looks a bit lazy, and customers notice this. Understandably they want to feel valued and like you have taken more than 2 seconds looking at their shipment request.

Be unique, tell the customer how you will carry out the work and any other information about your bid which will be helpful to them. Show that you care and that you want the job.

It is these little things which can mean the difference between 1st and 2nd place in any transport auction. Making that extra effort goes a long way.

6) Make use of custom email alerts

There are a few thousand shipments live on Shiply now, so sifting through all of them can take hours. Make use of the search filters to get the type of work which interests you, is along a similar route or is local to you.

Once you have a search criteria you are happy with, you can save it and have emails alerts sent to you daily with new shipments which match these.

This is an enormous time-saver!

7) Communicate!

Without a doubt the single most common reason for negative feedback on Shiply is poor communication. Negative feedback will cripple your account and you will find winning work on Shiply harder and harder. Excessive negative feedback will result in suspensions and even expulsion from the marketplace altogether. You only have one account and one chance on Shiply, you will not be given another, so work to protect your feedback score, it is so vital.

Remember, when your bid is accepted, the customer is waiting for you to contact them. Be sure to get the relationship off to the best start by doing this ASAP, don’t wait or expect them to call you.

Right from bid acceptance through to delivery, you must be contactable during normal business hours. If you are not, there must be a facility for them to leave a message and for you to respond in a timely manner.

We hope the above tips will help you get the most out of Shiply long into the future.