Trinity offers help with big gift delivery

Online shoppers are often stymied by the cost of getting large or heavy items delivered, no matter how good a deal they get.

Now a Trinity-based company is stepping up to point consumers in the right direction.

FreightCenter.com, a national provider of online freight and logistics services, is promoting a shipping calculator on its website to help shoppers figure out how much money it would take to move items that are too big for a sleigh or a standard ground-delivery truck. The calculator, which costs nothing to use, may come in handy to online merchants as more people look to shop through computers than trek to malls.

While many retailers offer free shipping as a perk for customers buying smaller items, that option isn't as practical for something like a piece of furniture or, better yet, a motorized gift. Online shipping pricing and options diminish on items requiring a larger freight hauler.

“Many sales are lost and shopping carts are abandoned as customers are unsure of final costs and won't commit to spending an extra, undisclosed amount of money in order to have items delivered,” says Sylvia Pankiewicz, FreightCenter marketing manager.

The calculator is popular among merchants selling through eBay and other auction sites, and allows them to display freight shipping prices as part of the potential sale. It's designed to automate the freight shipping process, an idea that Pankiewicz says has not been pursued in the freight industry.

FreightCenter was featured in the Aug. 13 Business Review, ranking No. 290 on the Gulf Coast 500 with revenue of $12.3 million last year.