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Still, a DAS can be negotiated down (though likely not out) depending on a shipper’s volume and how much density it adds to a carrier’s network. Brian C. Gibbs, president of Refund Retriever LLC, a shipment auditing firm, said in a website post earlier this year that a 25% to 50% discount off of a shipper’s published rates “is an excellent goal.”

Gibbs advised shippers to review the charges being assessed before asking for the concession and said one question that a shipper should ask is how many packages are slapped with a DAS.

Despite that, many merchants tend to accept these changes each year, and absorb any additional cost if they offer free shipping, Gibbs said.