
Shipping is the second-largest cost for Indian D2C brands after customer acquisition. At 7-12% of order value, choosing the wrong logistics partner — or worse, not negotiating rates — can wipe out your margins entirely.
The three most popular shipping aggregators for Indian D2C brands are Shiprocket, Delhivery, and Pickrr. Each has different pricing, features, and sweet spots. This guide breaks down the real costs and helps you choose.
| Feature | Shiprocket | Delhivery | Pickrr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Aggregator (17+ couriers) | Direct logistics company | Aggregator (10+ couriers) |
| Best for | Beginners, multi-courier flexibility | Volume shippers, B2B + D2C | Budget-conscious small brands |
| Starting price (500g, within zone) | ~₹27-35 | ~₹30-40 (direct), less via aggregator | ~₹26-33 |
| COD charges | ₹15-25 per shipment + 1.5-2% of COD amount | ₹25-35 per shipment + 1.5-2.5% | ₹15-20 per shipment + 1.5% |
| COD remittance cycle | 8 days (default), 2-day available | 7-10 days | 7-8 days |
| Shopify integration | Native app (excellent) | Via API or aggregator | Native app (good) |
| RTO management | Address scoring, NDR automation | Strong NDR + own delivery fleet | Basic NDR tools |
| Minimum volume | None | Negotiable (better rates at 1000+/month) | None |
| API quality | Good, well-documented | Excellent, enterprise-grade | Decent, improving |
Shiprocket is an aggregator — it connects you to 17+ courier partners (BlueDart, DTDC, Ecom Express, Xpressbees, Shadowfax, etc.) and lets you choose the cheapest or fastest option per shipment.
Subscription plans:
Typical shipping rates (Professional plan, 500g):
| Zone | Prepaid | COD |
|---|---|---|
| Within city | ₹27-32 | ₹42-50 |
| Within zone (same region) | ₹33-40 | ₹50-60 |
| Metro to metro | ₹40-55 | ₹60-75 |
| Metro to Tier 2/3 | ₹50-70 | ₹70-95 |
| Remote/Northeast | ₹75-100 | ₹95-130 |
Pros: Best Shopify integration, widest courier selection, good for beginners, auto-selects cheapest courier per shipment.
Cons: Customer support can be slow, dispute resolution with couriers goes through Shiprocket (adding a layer), rates aren’t always cheapest at high volume.
Delhivery is India’s largest logistics company by shipment volume. Unlike Shiprocket, they’re not an aggregator — they own their delivery fleet and infrastructure. You can use them directly or through aggregators like Shiprocket.
Direct account pricing (negotiated, 1000+ shipments/month):
| Zone | Prepaid | COD |
|---|---|---|
| Within city | ₹25-30 | ₹45-55 |
| Within zone | ₹32-38 | ₹52-65 |
| Metro to metro | ₹38-50 | ₹58-72 |
| Metro to Tier 2/3 | ₹48-65 | ₹68-90 |
| Remote/Northeast | ₹70-95 | ₹90-125 |
Pros: Own fleet means better control, strongest NDR management (their delivery team can reattempt same-day), excellent for B2B + D2C hybrid, best API for custom integrations.
Cons: No self-serve for small brands (need to negotiate directly), higher base rates than aggregators at low volume, COD remittance slower than aggregators.
Pickrr (now part of Shiprocket’s parent stack after acquisition) operates as a budget-friendly aggregator targeting smaller D2C brands.
Typical rates (500g):
| Zone | Prepaid | COD |
|---|---|---|
| Within city | ₹26-30 | ₹40-48 |
| Within zone | ₹30-37 | ₹48-58 |
| Metro to metro | ₹38-52 | ₹55-70 |
| Metro to Tier 2/3 | ₹48-65 | ₹65-88 |
| Remote/Northeast | ₹72-95 | ₹90-120 |
Pros: Often cheapest rates for small volumes, simple dashboard, good Shopify app, no minimum commitment.
Cons: Fewer courier partners than Shiprocket, less robust NDR and RTO tools, customer support is basic.
At this volume, you don’t have negotiating power. Use an aggregator and let them auto-select the cheapest courier per shipment. Pickrr edges out on price; Shiprocket wins on features and courier options.
This is Shiprocket’s sweet spot. The ₹799/month plan pays for itself within 50 shipments through lower rates. You get NDR management, branded tracking pages, and enough volume for decent rates.
At this volume, negotiate directly with Delhivery for your core routes and use Shiprocket for regions where Delhivery doesn’t have strong coverage (like certain Northeast states). Splitting across providers like this is common among mid-scale D2C brands.
At scale, use 2-3 direct logistics partners. Allocate by performance: route each pin code to the partner with the best delivery success rate and speed for that area. Tools like Clickpost or Logistiq can automate this allocation.
When comparing shipping providers, don’t just look at the per-shipment rate. Factor in:
For most Indian D2C brands starting out (under 1,000 orders/month), Shiprocket Professional is the safest bet — widest courier network, best Shopify integration, and good enough rates. As you scale past 2,000 orders, start building direct relationships with Delhivery or Ecom Express for your primary routes.
The real competitive advantage isn’t which aggregator you use — it’s how well you optimize packaging, push prepaid, manage NDR, and reduce RTO. A brand with 15% RTO will always have better unit economics than one with 30% RTO, regardless of shipping rates.
The biggest shipping savings come from PIN-code-level courier routing — Shiprocket for Tier 2/3, Delhivery for metros, direct relationships once you cross 2,000/month. Plus the RTO reduction stack (COD verification, prepaid incentives, NDR automation) that cuts wasted forward-shipping by 60%. We’ve done it for 200+ Indian D2C brands. ₹385Cr+ revenue processed. 4.5x average ROI. 98% retention.
The Shopify build is ₹50,000 fixed-price with no AMC — bug fixes for what we ship are included for the lifetime of the store. Active shipping-stack optimisation sits on the optional ₹30K/month Growth Retainer.
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