How to ship orders from home in India without a warehouse or a courier contract.
Shipping is the part of an online store that feels like it needs a warehouse. It doesn't. A seller with a spare shelf, a weighing scale and a courier aggregator account ships as reliably as a brand with a fulfilment centre — the difference is that you pack the parcels yourself. This is the whole process, from the first aggregator signup to what to do when a parcel comes back.
You will use an aggregator, not a courier
Delhivery, Bluedart, Xpressbees, Ecom Express and DTDC don't sign monthly contracts with a seller doing thirty parcels. An aggregator does that for you: one account, all of those couriers, pre-negotiated rates, door pickup, and one tracking page. The three most small Indian stores use are Shiprocket (the largest), Shipmozo and Rehbar Post. All three connect to a SitesPlaced store on the free plan so an order becomes a shipment in one click.
| Shiprocket | Shipmozo | Rehbar Post | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Couriers | 15+ incl. Delhivery, Bluedart, Xpressbees, Ecom Express | Multiple, with a rate comparison per pin code | Multiple, rate comparison, returns |
| Typical 500g rate (metro to metro) | ~₹40–60 | ~₹35–55 | ~₹35–55 |
| COD | Yes, remitted on a cycle | Yes | Yes |
| Tracking back to your store | Webhook (live) | Polled every 30 min | Polled |
| Good for | Volume, breadth, 1-click checkout add-on | Rate shopping per parcel | Rate shopping, simple booking |
Rates are indicative for September 2026 and vary by zone, weight and courier; every aggregator has a rate calculator — use it with your own pin code before deciding.
Setting up (one evening)
- Sign up on the aggregator. Name, phone, email; add your pickup address (your home is fine — call it 'Primary'). KYC usually wants a PAN and bank details for COD remittance.
- Top up the wallet. Shipping is prepaid from a wallet; ₹1,000 covers your first 15–20 parcels. COD money comes back into your bank on the remittance cycle, typically weekly.
- Connect it to your store. On SitesPlaced: Settings → Integrations → Shiprocket / Shipmozo / Rehbar Post, paste the API credentials from the aggregator's settings. From then on every order has a Ship button.
- Check the rate calculator. Put in your pin code, a buyer's pin code and 500g. That number, plus packaging, is what you build into your prices.
Packaging that survives an Indian courier
Parcels get thrown, stacked and rained on. Packaging is not branding; it is insurance. Buy in lots of 100 from a local packaging wholesaler or online:
- Poly mailers (tamper-proof courier bags) for clothes, soft goods and anything that can't break — cheapest, lightest, waterproof.
- Corrugated boxes in two sizes for anything rigid, with bubble wrap or crumpled paper so nothing moves when you shake it.
- BOPP tape, a marker, and a small weighing scale (a kitchen scale works to 5 kg).
- For fragile goods: double-box, and write FRAGILE anyway — it changes nothing about handling but it helps a claim.
Weigh a packed parcel of your most common order. Courier rates step at 500g, 1 kg, 2 kg — a 520g parcel costs the 1 kg rate. Trim packaging until your typical parcel sits under a band.
The daily routine
- Morning: open the Orders tab. Confirm any COD order above your threshold on WhatsApp first (see reducing RTO).
- Pack. Put the invoice inside (your store generates the PDF) — some couriers and most buyers expect it.
- Press Ship on the order: pick the courier the aggregator suggests, print the label, stick it on. The tracking number attaches to the order and shows on the buyer's Track Order page.
- Schedule pickup. Most aggregators pick up next day if you book before the cut-off; keep the parcels by the door.
- Evening: check exceptions — 'pickup failed', 'address unclear'. Fix them the same day; a parcel that sits two days at the hub becomes a return.
How to charge for shipping
Three honest models. Free shipping above a threshold (say ₹999) with a flat ₹60 below it — the most common and the one that lifts order value. Flat rate (₹49 on everything) — simplest to explain. Built into the price with 'free shipping' everywhere — works when your margins are wide and your parcels are light. Whatever you pick, say it on the product page and in the cart; the number-one reason carts are abandoned is a shipping charge that appears at the last step.
On SitesPlaced, shipping settings live in Settings → Shipping: a flat charge, a free-above threshold, and optional Express delivery at a higher rate; the free-shipping bar on the storefront nudges buyers toward the threshold.
When a parcel comes back (RTO)
Return-to-origin is the tax on cash on delivery: the buyer refuses, isn't home three times, or the address was wrong, and the parcel comes back to you. You pay the forward charge and usually a return charge — often ₹80–150 total per failed parcel. Two things keep it manageable: confirm high-value COD orders on WhatsApp before shipping, and use the aggregator's address-check and NDR (non-delivery report) tools to call the buyer before the courier gives up. The full playbook is in how to reduce RTO and fake COD orders.
Shipping abroad
For the occasional order from the US, UK or Gulf, India Post's registered/EMS services are cheapest and slowest; the aggregators offer international via DHL/FedEx/Aramex at higher cost with tracking. If you sell to the US and UK regularly, Shippo (also free on SitesPlaced) buys discounted USPS, UPS, FedEx and Royal Mail labels — but it ships *from* those countries, which matters only if you have stock there. Most Indian sellers start international with the aggregator's DHL option and price it separately.
FAQs
What is the cheapest way to ship from home in India?
A courier aggregator — Shiprocket, Shipmozo or Rehbar Post — at pre-negotiated rates of roughly ₹35–60 for a 500g parcel between metros in 2026, with door pickup. India Post is cheaper for very light, non-urgent items but slower and without door pickup in most areas.
Do I need a business address for pickups?
No. Your home address works as the pickup location on every aggregator; the courier collects from the door.
How does cash on delivery money reach me?
The courier collects it; the aggregator remits it to your bank account on a cycle, typically weekly, minus their charges. Keep the COD remittance statement — it is what you reconcile orders against.
Does the tracking number show on my store?
When the aggregator is connected to your SitesPlaced store, yes: the AWB, courier name and status appear on the order and on the buyer's Track Order page, and the buyer can be emailed the update.
What if the courier loses or damages a parcel?
File a claim through the aggregator with the invoice, a photo of the packed parcel if you have one, and the tracking history. Payouts are capped (often at a few thousand rupees) — for expensive items buy the aggregator's insurance per shipment.
Orders that ship themselves.
Shiprocket, Shipmozo, Rehbar Post and Shippo connect to a SitesPlaced store on the free plan — one click from order to label, tracking back to the customer. 0% commission.
See the shipping integrations →
