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US expansion operations layer

US expansion, margins intact.

Portluma helps eCommerce brands model, move and return US orders through cross-dock injection, domestic carrier routing and consolidated returns.

Built by commerce operators with over a decade of US market and cross-border eCommerce operations experience.

US market modelExample model
Orders analysed48,200
Avg billed weight1.4 lb
Residential93%
DAS exposure4.1%
Bulk leg
LaneAU → US
Chargeable4,200 kg
Cost / parcel$5.51
Portluma node
  • Received
  • Scanned
  • Validated
  • Routed
Domestic delivery
  • Standard3-5 day
  • Economycost-first
  • 2-Dayexpedited
  • Overnightnext day
Returns
Return pathLocal address
ConsolidationWeekly
Consolidated to origin
Margin impact
Modelled / order
$14.10
USDAUD
Built for US market expansion
  • Over a decade of US market & cross-border eCommerce operations experience
  • Carrier-neutral delivery modelling
  • ZIP-level cost intelligence
  • Returns consolidation
  • Commerce stack compatibility
Why now

US growth should not erase margin.

The hidden cost is rarely one line item. Residential surcharges, delivery-area ZIPs, fuel, dimensional weight, returns and node placement can change the economics before the first campaign scales.

01

International parcel costs hide margin.

Per-parcel cross-border rates get baked into every order, eroding contribution before a product reaches a US doorstep.

02

Domestic surcharges change the real cost.

Residential and delivery-area fees apply to most eCommerce parcels and rarely appear in a blended headline rate.

03

Returns become expensive one by one.

Sending each return across a border individually turns reverse logistics into a margin problem, not a retention one.

04

Carrier choices need ZIP-level order data.

The right service per parcel depends on real destination data, not national averages or list rates.

05

Expansion needs a market model before volume moves.

Demand and cost concentrate in specific ZIPs and zones. Without that model, a market plan is an average.

The shiftModel the true cost before the volume moves.
US expansion platform

Built for profitable US market entry.

Portluma brings the movement, cost model and returns flow into one operating view.

01

Market Model

Model US delivery cost by ZIP, state, zone, weight and service before you commit volume.

02

Bulk Injection

Move orders into the US in bulk, then inject them into domestic delivery networks.

03

Domestic Delivery

Route each order to the right domestic path by cost, speed and surcharge exposure.

04

Returns Consolidation

Give customers a local return path and consolidate parcels through a US node.

05

Carrier Compare

Compare ground, economy, 2-day, overnight and custom provider options on real data.

06

Margin Visibility

See the full cost stack and margin impact before a single campaign scales.

Cost intelligence

Model the true delivery cost before the volume moves.

Upload historical orders and see the cost stack by ZIP, state, zone, carrier, service, residential surcharge, DAS exposure, fuel and 3PL handling.

Rate intelligence
Example model
Domestic delivery · per order
ZIP demand · USLowHigh
Zone distribution
DAS exposure
18.6%exposed
Modelled per-order domestic delivery cost by service.
ServiceBaseSurch.TransitTotal
Custom / regionalbest$4.90$1.103-5d$6.00
Standard Ground$5.20$1.352-5d$6.55
Ground Saver$5.80$1.203-6d$7.00
2-Day Express$9.40$1.552d$10.95
Published, list-rate baseline.best modelled: $6.00 · Custom / regional
Model published, expected, negotiated and quote-based scenarios in USD or AUD - every figure is a labelled example model.

ZIP & state cost modelling

Resolve delivery cost down to the ZIP, not a national average.

Residential & DAS exposure

Quantify residential, delivery-area and remote surcharges across your order mix.

Carrier & service comparison

Compare UPS, FedEx, USPS and custom providers on the same order data.

Published to negotiated scenarios

Start from list rates, then model expected, negotiated and quoted scenarios.

Average billed weight

Surface dimensional-weight exposure that quietly inflates billed weight.

USD / AUD modelling

Model the AU-to-US leg and domestic delivery in either currency, side by side.

How it works

Bulk freight in. Domestic delivery out.

Portluma separates the cross-border movement from the domestic delivery layer so brands can expand with clearer cost control.

Cross-dock relay · Node LA-01
InboundScanValidateRouteInject
  • Master carton receivedCTN-4471
  • Parcel scan matched·
  • Destination ZIP validated·
  • Residential flag applied·
  • DAS checked·
  • Carrier service assigned·
  • Manifest ready·
  • Injected·
Current parcelPCL-8823
Dest ZIP
30144 · GA
Billed weight
0.94 kg
Residential
Yes
Service
Standard Ground
Routing
StandardExpressEconomyReturns
Manifest MFT-091 · deconsolidated at node LA-018 events · 1 parcel shown
  1. 01

    Model

    Upload historical orders and model US delivery costs.

    Modelled
  2. 02

    Consolidate

    Move orders into the US in bulk.

    Consolidated
  3. 03

    Receive

    A US node receives cartons or pallets.

    Received
  4. 04

    Deconsolidate

    Parcels are opened, scanned and validated.

    Scanned
  5. 05

    Route

    Orders are assigned to domestic delivery paths.

    Routed
  6. 06

    Deliver

    Customers receive local-style delivery.

    Delivered
  7. 07

    Return

    Returns consolidate through the US node.

    Consolidated
Network

Compare the right delivery path for every US order.

Portluma models domestic delivery paths by cost, speed, surcharge exposure and customer promise - without locking the model into one carrier. Neutral, carrier-compatible workflows.

UPS-compatible workflows
FedEx-compatible workflows
USPS-compatible workflows
DHL eCommerce quote files
Consolidator rate cards
3PL rate cards
Custom provider uploads
Domestic routing matrix
carrier-neutral
ServiceCostSpeedSurcharge exposureBest for
Ground3-5 dayMediumDefault domestic
Economy4-7 dayLowCost-first, non-urgent
2-Day2 dayMediumDelivery promise
OvernightNext dayHighUrgent / high-value
ReturnsBatchedLowReverse logistics
ConsolidatorVariesLowInjection partner
Custom quoteNegotiatedNegotiatedLowYour rate cards
Designed to work with UPS, FedEx, USPS and custom providers via published rate cards and uploaded quote files. Carrier-neutral by design; no carrier lock-in.
Commerce stack

Built for the commerce stack you already run.

Portluma is designed to ingest order, shipping, return and cost data from the tools modern eCommerce teams already use.

Shopify & Shopify Plus

Designed to support Shopify and Shopify Plus order exports.

Shipping platforms

Compatible with Starshipit, ShipStation, EasyPost and Shippo exports.

Returns platforms

Built to connect with Loop, Narvar and ReturnGO return exports.

3PL & WMS data

Ingest 3PL and warehouse-management data files.

Carrier rate cards

Supports uploaded carrier account rate cards.

Custom uploads

CSV / XLSX custom uploads plus BI and finance exports.

Designed to support the tools above via exports and uploaded files. Live integrations are added as they are implemented; compatibility is not a claim of a live connector.

The model

Stop paying international parcel rates for domestic delivery problems.

Compare parcel-by-parcel international delivery against a bulk-in, local-delivery model.

Old model
  • International parcel per order
  • Limited domestic optimisation
  • Returns one by one
  • No surcharge visibility
Portluma model
  • Bulk freight into the US
  • Cross-dock injection
  • Domestic carrier routing
  • Consolidated returns
  • ZIP-level cost intelligence
Cost stackExample model
AU-to-US bulk leg$3.40
3PL handling$1.20
Domestic base$5.60
Residential$1.50
DAS / remote$0.90
Fuel$0.70
Returns allowance$0.80
Modelled / order$14.10

Modelled savings depend on volume, destination mix and negotiated rates. Figures are an example model, not a quote.

Returns

Returns, consolidated back into control.

Give customers a local return path, then consolidate, inspect, restock, dispose or return parcels to origin weekly or monthly.

Portluma · Returns · Node LA-01
Weekly consolidation
ReturnsRestockReturn to AUDonateUS returns nodeConsolidated
Restock 58%Return to AU 22%Donate 20%312 units · next Fri
Not every return needs to cross the world one parcel at a time.

Local return address

Customers return to a domestic address, not across a border.

Weekly / monthly consolidation

Batch returns into scheduled bulk movements.

Inspection workflow

Receive, grade and disposition each returned parcel.

Restock or return to origin

Put stock back into market or send it home in bulk.

Return reason visibility

See why product comes back, by reason and by SKU.

Margin & inventory clarity

Understand the true cost and inventory impact of returns.

Advisory layer

US expansion expertise, built into the model.

Portluma is built by operators with over a decade of experience across US market expansion, cross-border eCommerce, carrier strategy, returns, landed cost and operational margin.

US delivery strategy
Carrier & 3PL model design
Returns & reverse logistics
ZIP-level cost modelling
Margin & surcharge analysis
Market-entry operating models
Get started

Build your US market model before you expand.

Model the cost, design the handoff, compare domestic delivery paths and plan the returns flow before committing volume to the US.

Modelled / order$14.10

Bulk leg + 3PL + domestic + surcharges + returns · example model