If you’re considering starting an ecommerce brand, one of the first things you must decide is how to handle fulfillment. Unless you use the dropshipping model that has someone else handling it for you, or you send your inventory to a third-party logistics company, you’ll be responsible for it. That means investing in your own shipping software.
With so many options on the market today, it’s hard to know which one is right for your business needs. In this eHub review (formerly Essential Hub) , you’ll find out more about pricing, features, customer service, and integrations. In case eHub isn’t the right solution for your shipping needs, we even provide a few alternatives.
What is eHub?
eHub is a platform for connecting ecommerce businesses with 3PLs to help them get the best possible shipping and fulfillment process. A logistics consultant will meet with you to learn more about your company and existing fulfillment processes. Using that information, they’ll match you with the 3PL that will work best for your organization, to save you time and money. They’ll connect you with the partner, so you can take it from there and make the final decision. There is absolutely no obligation.
For those that handle fulfillment themselves, eHub is a robust web-based shipping solution for ecommerce businesses, big and small. It’s a shipping API, or application programming interface, that makes it easy to connect multiple ecommerce systems together so they can talk to one another. This means you can connect your online store to:
- Online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay
- Multiple shipping carriers and shopping carts
- Warehouse technology and inventory management systems
| Company | Carriers | International Shipping | Returns Management | Fulfillment Services | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps.com | 5+ | ||||
| ShippingEasy | 5+ | ||||
| Easyship | 100+ | Via Partners | |||
| ShipEngine | 100+ | ||||
| ShipStation | 75+ | ||||
| Shipworks | 6 | ||||
| Shippo | 85+ | Via Partners | |||
| OrderCup | 15+ | ||||
| Ordoro | 8 | Via Network | |||
| Quickbooks | 3 |
With Essential Hub, there are over 200 integrations to choose from, so as your business grows and your shipping process develops, you can add and remove platforms as needed.
Essential Hub doesn’t do any shipping for you. They provide you with the labels you need to ship items yourself. If your business needs a third-party logistics (3PL) company to help, Essential Hub offers a network of options to choose from.
eHub Pricing
Because eHub has such buying power, they qualify for discounted shipping rates. They pass the savings onto their customers, which means you get discounted shipping rates. And, to make sure you’re always getting the best possible deal, you can shop the rates of multiple carriers all in one place.
| Pricing | Free Trial | Monthly Fee | Pay as You Go | Shipping Discounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps.com | 28 Days | $19.99-$34.99+ | Up To 84% | |
| ShippingEasy | 30 Days | $0-$159.99 | Up To 84% | |
| Easyship | 30 Days | $0-$200+ | Up To 89% | |
| ShipEngine | 30 Days | $0-$600+ | Up To 84% | |
| ShipStation | 30 Days | $9.99-$229.99 | Up To 84% | |
| Shipworks | 30 Days | $9.99-$799 | Up to 77% | |
| Shippo | 30 Days | $0-$200+ | Up to 90% | |
| OrderCup | 30 days | $25-$180 | ||
| Ordoro | 15 days | $0-$149 | Up to 88% | |
| Quickbooks | Yes | $15-$100 | Up to 26% |
The software is free to use to start. If you’re a large volume shipper, the monthly fee starts at $50. To get started, you need to meet with someone for a demo to determine if it can work for your business or not. One thing that sets them apart from other shipping software options is they’ll be upfront with you about whether you’ll be able to save money.
That said, eHub never locks clients into contracts, so you can quit using the service at any time without penalty. There’s no setup fee to get started.
Software Features
The software is highly flexible and customizable, so you can adjust it to best match your shipping process. The software is user friendly, whether you’re using it for a single shipment or thousands.
| Shipping Features | Tracking Page | Shipping Rates at Checkout | SMS Notifications | Recurring Order Automation | SCAN Forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps.com | |||||
| ShippingEasy | |||||
| Easyship | |||||
| ShipEngine | |||||
| ShipStation | |||||
| Shipworks | |||||
| Shippo | |||||
| OrderCup | |||||
| Ordoro | |||||
| Quickbooks |
Centralized Dashboard to View All Orders
By linking your sales channels to the Essential Hub platform, you have an easy way to keep track of all your orders, regardless of which channel they came in on. Keeping everything on a single platform ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
Track and Monitor Shipments
You can easily track shipments from anywhere in the world, from the time they leave your fulfillment enter to the time they arrive at the customer’s door.
In-Depth Reporting
Many users find the advanced reporting options extremely helpful. If you want to be sure you’re saving money on all your shipping costs, you must accurately track a variety of shipping metrics, like package type, percentage of on-time shipments, time to ship, customer complaints, returns, etc.
eHub Shipping Features
This company has plenty of features to support businesses of all sizes, including:
| Shipping Features | Multiple User Accounts | USB Scale Support | Branded Returns Portal | Dropshipping | Seller Fulfilled Prime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps.com | |||||
| ShippingEasy | |||||
| EasyShip | |||||
| ShipEngine | |||||
| ShipStation | |||||
| Shipworks | |||||
| Shippo | |||||
| OrderCup | |||||
| Ordoro | |||||
| Quickbooks |
Real-Time Shipping Rates to Better Manage Shipping Costs
The software includes real-time shipping rates, so you can always choose the best option to keep your shipping costs under control. You can also set up automation to handle the most common package types, further streamlining business operations.
If you’ve negotiated your own rates with the post office, for instance, you can use your own rates, eHub’s rates, or a combination of the two. The goal is to increase your savings so your business can invest them in growth or increase your overall profit.
Domestic or International Shipping Options
Whether you ship products domestically throughout the United States or internationally all across the globe, Essential Hub will work for you with its worldwide carrier integrations.
Shipping integrations include:
- Asendia
- Australia Post
- Canada Post
- DHL
- DPD
- EasyPost
- FedEx
- Hong Kong Post
- Royal Post
- UPS
- USPS
- And more…
Ecommerce Integrations
eHub has more integrations than many other shipping services. These include ecommerce platforms and shopping carts such as:
| Ecommerce Integrations | Shopify | BigCommerce | WooCommerce | Wix | Squarespace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps.com | |||||
| ShippingEasy | |||||
| Easyship | |||||
| ShipEngine | |||||
| ShipStation | |||||
| Shipworks | |||||
| Shippo | |||||
| OrderCup | |||||
| Ordoro | |||||
| Quickbooks |
- Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart)
- aspdotnet storefront
- Bigcartel
- BigCommerce
- Drupal
- Ecwid
- Jigoshop
- Adobe Commerce
- Opencart
- Oracle
- osCommerce
- PinnacleCart
- PrestaShop
- Shopify
- SquareSpace
- Volusion
- Wix
- WooCommerce
- Xcart
- Zen Cart
- And many more...
Marketplace Integrations
eHub also integrates with a wide range of marketplaces to make it easy to manage your orders, such as:
| Marketplace Integrations | Etsy | Amazon | eBay | Walmart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps.com | ||||
| ShippingEasy | ||||
| Easyship | ||||
| ShipEngine | ||||
| ShipStation | ||||
| Shipworks | ||||
| Shippo | ||||
| OrderCup | ||||
| Ordoro | ||||
| Quickbooks |
- Amazon
- Amazon Fulfillment
- Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime
- eBay
- Etsy
- Groupon
- Groupon Goods
- Jet
- Newegg
- Overstock
- Walmart Marketplace
- Wish
- And many more…
Customer Support
eHub prides itself on excellent customer service. They use a U.S.-based customer service team that is available to help via phone, video chat, email, and text. You’ll always have access to the dedicated support team whenever you need them.
| Customer Support | Dedicated AM | Phone Support | 24/7 Support | Help Center | Live Chat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamps.com | |||||
| ShippingEasy | |||||
| Easyship | |||||
| ShipEngine | |||||
| ShipStation | |||||
| Shippo | |||||
| Shipworks | |||||
| OrderCup | |||||
| Ordoro | |||||
| QuickBooks |
They make it easy to get in touch with a real person and provide technical support to anyone who needs it.
Alternatives
If after reading this Essential Hub review, you’re not convinced it’s the right shipping software for your business, take a look at these alternatives for streamlining your business operations.
EasyShip
Easyship offers shipping services like eHub. They also offer shipping discounts to increase your savings and make it easy to schedule pick-ups and generate a variety of shipping documents. They offer a free trial so you can decide if you like their services before you commit to a paid plan.
ShipEngine
ShipEngine is another shipping API that works with a variety of shipping carriers. They offer plans based on the shipping volume you use, but prices aren’t set since you’re billed only for what you use.
Stamps.com
Stamps.com makes it super easy to ship packages from your home. You can ship via UPS or USPS without ever leaving your house. Better yet, you can get discounts you wouldn’t get by going to the post office. You’ll pay a flat monthly fee to access the service, regardless of how many packages you ship.
Leave Your eHub Reviews
Are you an existing eHub customer? Have you used it in the past? Whether or not you’re pleased with this company, we’d love for you to share your experience.
