Freight vs Shipping – What’s the Difference?

what is freight
Freight is the product or cargo that is transported. The term refers to the commercial transportation of goods by any means, whether by land, air or sea. Freight is generally the bulk transportation of goods. Usually divided into air and freight.

what is shipping
Shipping is the transportation of goods. Transportation can be commercial or non-commercial. It can also be cargo of different sizes, not just in bulk. Today, shipping can use multiple modes of transportation, not just ships. Shipping is the movement of bulk cargo from one location to another, whether by ship, air or otherwise. Shipping is often used to refer to sending personal items in the mail, or shipping consumer goods to customers.

What is the difference between freight and ocean freight?
Freight and shipping are two interrelated terms. Each approach has its own challenges, advantages and disadvantages and should not be used interchangeably. Both shipping and freight are the transportation of goods by air, land or sea. While both shipping and freight are used to describe bulk shipments of goods, freight always refers to larger quantities of goods, while shipping can refer to smaller quantities. Freight represents a commercial purpose. Cargo shipments can be used for commercial or personal purposes. Shipping is often considered more expensive than shipping because bulk cargo is cheaper to ship than small quantities.

Freight and Shipping Your Products
When you’re trying to understand the difference between freight and shipping, what you’re really asking is whether you should use freight or package shipping for your product. Here are some advantages and challenges of each approach:

freight

Using this method, shippers have the option of bundling multiple shipments together for long-distance shipments and breaking up shipments for multiple consignees at a storage facility. This is an economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Freight is classified and priced by a variety of factors including weight, size, mode of transport and route.
Freight can often provide significant cost savings for shippers and consignees. Rail can be an efficient and affordable mode of transportation if shippers are transporting goods near major metropolitan areas. If a shipper wants to store products for a sale, a third-party logistics provider can assist in finding the right warehouse and freight carrier to do so in an affordable way.

parcel shipping

Using this method, shippers are usually either small retailers or ordinary citizens. Package shipping is generally not used for long-distance commercial shipping because it is both inefficient and expensive. Package shipping is often categorized and priced based on several factors, including package value, weight, dimensions, shipping method, and guaranteed delivery date.
Package shipping is a convenient option because you can send products directly from point A to point B without intermediate warehousing. But this convenience comes at a high price. Shipping by parcel (even with bulk shipping) is much more expensive than shipping for commercial purposes.