If your business ships documents every week, spot prices are costing you money
There are law firms that send 30 envelopes a month to the US, the UK and Latin America. There are engineering companies that send signed plans to construction sites in Morocco and Algeria every two weeks. There are premium-product e-commerce businesses that need a courier to collect every order of the day at 5 pm without having to ask each time.
For all of them, contracting shipments one by one (the spot rate) leaves money on the table and, worse still, leaves the admin team's time on the table. A fixed monthly rate with Acacia Cargo turns that flow into a single invoice, a single point of contact and a single operation per day.
This guide explains how it works, when it's worth it, what's included and how volume discounts are calculated in 2026.
Spot or contract? The question everything depends on
Spot = a one-off shipment. You get a quote, you pay, we ship it, you get a receipt. No commitment.
Monthly contract = a committed volume. We apply a fixed rate by destination and weight, collect at your office at an agreed frequency, and invoice at the end of the month with all shipments itemised.
The rule of thumb: if you make more than 5–8 shipments a month, there's already room for a contract. If you make 20+ a month, you're almost certainly paying more than you should on spot.
| Variable | Spot | Monthly contract |
| Price per shipment | Standard rate | Rate by volume tier |
| Pick-up | To be coordinated each time | Agreed frequency (daily/weekly) |
| Invoicing | One per shipment | One a month, itemised by shipment |
| VAT | Yes, recoverable | Yes, recoverable |
| Support | Shared | Dedicated contact |
| Minimum commitment | None | Estimated volume / month |
The rate per shipment falls as the committed volume rises. We propose the specific tier when we study your case, because it depends on your destinations and the average weight of your shipments.
How the fixed rate is built
It's not magic. A fixed rate is calculated on three axes:
1. Destinations
Which are your usual routes. If 80% of your shipments go to 3-4 countries, we optimise that band with more aggressive pricing. If you ship to 30 different destinations, we apply a rate by geographic zone.
2. Average weight per shipment
Flat documents (50–500g) have a very different price structure from boxes with product samples (1–5 kg). In a contract we define the range and apply tiers.
3. Committed monthly volume
The higher the volume, the better the unit rate. Not through dumping, but because daily pick-ups at the same address are optimised: a courier who comes by every day at 5 pm costs less per envelope than one who goes once a week.
In the personalised proposal you'll see the volume tiers and the rate that applies to you, with no small print.
What a corporate contract includes
This is what separates a "cheap" service from a "real" service for a business.
Scheduled pick-up
We agree a time window and frequency. One of our couriers comes by your office without you having to ask each time. If one day there's nothing to collect, you lose €0.
Pre-agreed rates by destination and weight
No surprises. Your admin team knows exactly how much each shipment costs before making it. It can be integrated into your internal approval flow.
Tracking of the month's shipments
Your team receives the tracking for each shipment and, month by month, a history with status, recipient and amount that you can export for your accounts. That way you have the full picture of what has moved without chasing anyone.
Monthly invoicing with a breakdown
A single invoice at the end of the month, itemised by shipment. Effortlessly reconcilable with your accounts.
Recoverable VAT
Like any professional service, the VAT is deductible for the business. We issue an invoice with your company's tax ID.
Dedicated support
A person at Acacia who knows your account, your team and your flow. Not a freephone number with a menu of options. They resolve incidents over WhatsApp or email during business hours.
Customs handling included
For international shipments, we prepare all the customs documentation (apostille, translation if applicable, declarations). You don't have to learn the customs rules of 50 countries.
Timelines and response to incidents
If a shipment arrives late due to a fault on our side, we don't leave you on your own: we handle it with the freight forwarder and keep you informed until it's resolved. The specific response terms are set out in the contract we sign with you.
Four real cases of businesses already operating this way
Without identifying details, these are the typical flows we see in our B2B portfolio:
Law firms
Typical volume: 15-40 shipments/month. Destinations: the US, the UK, Latin America, occasionally Asia.
Documents: powers of attorney, deeds, judgments, certificates, signed contracts. Almost always with an apostille and sometimes with a sworn translation coordinated by us.
What the contract does for them: it frees the firm's admin staff from handling each shipment. A single reconcilable monthly invoice. Tracking shared with the firm's end client (transparency).
Premium-product e-commerce
Typical volume: 20-100 shipments/month. Destinations: the EU, the UK, the US.
Product: watches, jewellery, niche cosmetics, antique books. What they have in common: a small product, high value, requiring real tracking and secure packaging.
What the contract does for them: a daily pick-up at a fixed time, without having to request it every day. A stable rate they can pass on to the end client without surprises.
Engineering consultancies
Typical volume: 8-20 shipments/month. Destinations: Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Egypt, the Philippines (construction sites).
Documents: signed plans, quality certificates, contracts. Some with consular legalisation (non-Hague countries).
What the contract does for them: a fixed rate for unusual routes that would be extremely expensive on spot. Dedicated support that understands what a "Bill of Lading" is for a construction site in Algeria.
Logistics operators and patent agents
Typical volume: 30+ shipments/month. Destinations: global, highly dispersed.
What the contract does for them: a stable rate and an exportable history that fits their internal flows and lets them pass the cost on to the end client in an orderly way.
How a corporate contract is signed
No surprises, no small print, no endless meetings:
1. An initial call or WhatsApp (15 minutes). You tell us your destinations, estimated volume and particular needs.
2. A personalised proposal in 24–48h with rates, pick-up frequency and included services.
3. An optional trial period (one month) with no long commitment. We adjust if needed.
4. An annual contract with automatic renewal if all goes well.
There's no sign-up fee, no fixed minimum charge for "being on contract." You pay for what you ship at the agreed rate.
See the details of the business service or request your proposal directly on WhatsApp +34 626 78 54 28.
Frequently asked questions about business shipments
Is there a minimum volume to get a fixed rate?
Yes, but it's low. From 5–8 shipments a month it already starts to make sense. Below that, the spot model with a quick quote is almost always a better deal for you.
And if one month I ship more or less than expected?
The rate per shipment is the same; only the monthly invoice total changes. If you do 5 one month and 50 another, there's no penalty or surcharge. What we do is review the rate at 3–6 months to adjust it to the real volume.
Do you serve businesses outside Barcelona?
Yes. The daily pick-up is covered in Barcelona and its metropolitan area. For businesses in other cities, we coordinate a less frequent pick-up or you can drop off at our office at Carrer de Pelai 9.
Can we integrate the shipment data with our ERP or CRM?
From the first month you have CSV/Excel exports of the monthly history available, ready to load into your accounts or your internal tools. If you need a more automated integration, tell us and we'll see what fits your system.
Is it compatible with courier services we already have contracted?
Of course. Many businesses use Acacia for specific destinations (the Philippines, Latin America, Morocco, non-Hague countries) and keep their contracts with other couriers for standard Europe. You don't sign an exclusivity agreement with us.
Is there coverage for urgent shipments outside the scheduled pick-up?
Yes, with an express surcharge. We coordinate it over WhatsApp with the dedicated person for your account.
How do you invoice and what are the payment terms?
A monthly invoice on the 30th/31st with all the month's shipments and VAT itemised. The standard payment terms are 30 days.
What changes the day you sign the contract
The most noticeable operational change is what stops taking up your team's time:
- No more quotes one by one.
- No more pick-up coordination every time.
- No more loose invoices to reconcile.
- No more "calling the courier" when something gets complicated.
In exchange, you have a person at Acacia who knows how your business operates, collects at 5 pm every day, invoices you once a month and notifies you over WhatsApp if something needs attention.
Request your corporate proposal or write directly to +34 626 78 54 28. We guide you in Spanish, English and Filipino.
Office: Carrer de Pelai 9, 08001 Barcelona.
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