DHL Services

In this article:

What is DHL eCommerce?

eCommerce cost-effective parcel delivery solution for high-volume business customers
Caters to polybags and small lightweight products.
B2C driven. A great alternative to other major carriers
Preapproval required to activate an account:
- Volume requirements
- eCommerce merchant
Utilizes final mile carriers:
- DHL eCommerce network picks up from facility, sorts at their own consolidation centers, and utilizes local post for final mile delivery.
  - USPS for the domestic final mile delivery.
  - Destination country local post for an international final mile (DDU), destination country affiliated carrier partner for an international final mile (usually for DDP).
  - You will not see DHLeCommerce visibly on labels, packaging, or trucking. Labels look like USPS labels for domestic shipments.

Both are owned by the same parent company.
Operate separately as their own entities and are somewhat in competition with each other.
- Treat them as two different carriers, as they are two different pickups within the facilities.

DHL Express:

Only services international destinations. No domestic.
No preapproval is required. Can create shipments on dhl.com.
Much faster transit times: Typically, 2-3 business days. International service guarantee.
More expensive.
DHL Express network from start (pickup) to finish (final mile delivery).

DHL eCommerce:

Services domestic and international destinations.
Preapproval is required to activate an account, and you cannot ship without an account. Based on high volume and commodity.
Has tiered services for both domestic and international.
eCommerce cost-effective solution. Caters to polybags and small, lightweight products.
B2Cdriven.
Utilizes final mile carriers:
- DHL eCommerce network picks up from the facility> sorts at their own consolidation centers> utilizes local post for final mile delivery.
- Utilizes USPS for domestic final mile delivery and destination country local post for the international final mile.
- You will not see DHLeCommerce visibly on labels, packaging, or trucking. Labels look like a USPS label.

Current service option within Whiplash
- DhlEcsInternational Direct v4
DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) for all destinations serviced
- Commercial clearance
DDU/DAP (delivery duty unpaid/delivered at place) available only for select destination countries
Services 37 countries
Max custom value varies by the destination country
Delivery lead time: Averages 3-10 business days. Specified delivery lead times vary by country (not guaranteed)
Prior additional approval required*
- Application requires:
  - Merchant name, facility, a merchant website, commodity, and a breakdown of monthly projected volume by the destination country
  - Application is submitted by the parcel team
- If no application has been submitted for a customer (and they have not been approved), a shipment that goes out in Whiplash via DHL eCommerce International Direct will be switched to International Standard when it arrives at the DHL facility. Will also be put on a hold report which can delay shipment.
  - API does not block this service if the customer has not been approved.

DHL eCommerce International Direct:
- Example shipment to Canada, DDP: GM2E67C58717BC439AA0CA
  - See the final mile delivery tracking number in “Details” on DHL eCommerce tracking page. TForce is the final mile in this case:

DHL eCommerce International Standard:
- Example shipment to UK, DDU: GM631DB976805F428E89CF
  - See the final mile delivery tracking number in “details” on DHL eCommerce tracking page. Hermes is the final mile in this case:

Related questions:

What is DHL eCommerce?

What are the differences between DHL eCommerce and DHL Express?

What are some DHL eCommerce international shipping options?