Shippit vs StarShipIt vs Easyship: Best Shipping Platform for Australian Small Business (2026)

In January 2026, thousands of Australian small businesses lost their shipping platform overnight. Sendle: the carbon-neutral, flat-rate courier that had become the default for small ecommerce operators: halted new bookings on January 11 with almost no warning. A merger gone wrong, a backer pulling out, and suddenly parcels stopped moving.

If you were one of them, you’ve spent the past few months cobbling together a replacement. If you’re setting up ecommerce shipping for the first time, you’re navigating a market that just lost its most popular entry-level option.

This comparison looks at the three platforms most Australian small businesses are now choosing between: Shippit, StarShipIt, and Easyship.

The short version

• Shippit: best for growing ecommerce stores that want AI-driven carrier selection and pre-negotiated rates across multiple carriers
• StarShipIt: best for businesses that need powerful automation rules and tight integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, or their 3PL
• Easyship: best entry-level option; free plan, global coverage, and the easiest Sendle replacement for low-to-medium volume

What happened to Sendle?

Sendle merged with two US logistics companies. FirstMile and ACI Logistix: in August 2025 to form a combined entity called FAST Group. The goal was global scale. Shortly after the merger, financial issues inside ACI Logistix came to light, a key investor withdrew funding, and the whole structure collapsed.

New bookings stopped on January 11, 2026. Parcels already in transit were delivered at carrier discretion. Customer support went dark. For a business that had been marketing itself as the safe, affordable, ethical choice for small businesses, the shutdown was abrupt and left a lot of operators in a difficult position.

The practical impact: businesses that had relied on Sendle’s flat-rate pricing were pushed back to Australia Post retail rates or scrambled to set up new carrier accounts: often without the volume to unlock commercial pricing.

Pricing (2026)

Check each provider’s pricing page for current rates: all three tier their plans by monthly order volume, so what you pay depends heavily on how many parcels you ship.

Shippit

Shippit is the most established of the three in Australia. It’s multi-carrier from the ground up: you connect to Australia Post, DHL, Couriers Please, TNT, and others, and Shippit’s AI picks the best carrier for each order based on your rules (price, speed, location, weight).

The pre-negotiated carrier rates are the main draw. Shippit has enough volume across its customer base to unlock pricing most individual small businesses can’t access on their own. If you’re shipping 100+ parcels a month, the rate savings can easily cover the platform cost.

Where it falls short: the entry-level plan is basic. The BYOC (bring your own carrier) starter tier works if you already have carrier accounts set up; without them, you’re relying on Shippit’s access, which comes on higher plans. Customer support on lower plans is email only.

Best for: ecommerce businesses shipping 100–5,000 orders a month who want carrier optimisation and don’t want to manage each carrier relationship manually.

StarShipIt

StarShipIt’s strength is automation. Where Shippit optimises carrier selection, StarShipIt lets you build detailed shipping rules: if order weight is over 5kg, route to Toll; if delivery address is rural, use Australia Post; if customer paid for express, assign DHL. You can get very specific.

It also has strong packing validation, pick-and-pack workflows, and a mobile app for warehouse scanning: features Shippit doesn’t cover. If you’re running a small warehouse or 3PL, StarShipIt fits closer to what you need.

The Shopify and WooCommerce integrations are tight. Order status syncs back automatically, tracking updates push to customers, and returns can be managed within the platform.

Where it falls short: the automation depth that makes it powerful also makes it more complex to set up. It’s not the quickest platform to get running if you just need to ship parcels without much configuration.

Best for: businesses with established ecommerce operations who need workflow control, packing validation, or warehouse management alongside shipping.

Easyship

Easyship is the most accessible entry point. The free plan covers up to 100 shipments a month: which is enough for many small businesses that were previously using Sendle at low volume. It connects to 250+ couriers globally, including the main Australian carriers, and the interface is straightforward.

The platform handles customs documentation automatically, which makes it the strongest option if you ship internationally as well as domestically. For a business that does a mix of local and international orders, Easyship handles both in one place.

Where it falls short: it’s a US-headquartered platform, priced in USD, and support quality varies. The AU-specific carrier depth isn’t as strong as Shippit or StarShipIt, and the automation rules are less sophisticated.

Best for: businesses shipping under 200 orders a month, those with a mix of domestic and international orders, and anyone who just wants a fast Sendle replacement without a big setup commitment.

Feature comparison

Which one is the best Sendle replacement?

Depends on your volume and what frustrated you most about the Sendle situation.

If Sendle worked for you because it was cheap and simple and you ship under 100 orders a month, start with Easyship’s free plan. It’s the closest like-for-like substitute: minimal setup, no monthly fee at low volume, and it covers Australia Post plus the other main carriers.

If you’re shipping 100–2,000 orders a month and want to stop managing carrier relationships manually, Shippit is the natural step up. The AI carrier selection and pre-negotiated rates do the heavy lifting. AU-based, well-supported, and it’s been in this market long enough to have solid carrier partnerships.

If your operation is more complex: multiple warehouses, specific packing workflows, rural delivery rules. StarShipIt gives you the control to handle it. It takes longer to set up but it won’t leave you fighting the platform once you’re running.

Part of SmallBizAI.au’s tools comparison series. See also: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce, Stripe vs Square vs Tyro.

Sources

• Freckl.com.au: Sendle has stopped operating in Australia
• Easyship: Why Sendle shut down in Australia
• Shippit pricing: shippit.com/pricing
• StarShipIt pricing: starshipit.com/pricing
• Easyship pricing: easyship.com/pricing

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the short version?

In January 2026, thousands of Australian small businesses lost their shipping platform overnight. Sendle: the carbon-neutral, flat-rate courier that had become the default for small ecommerce operators: halted new bookings on January 11 with almost no warning. A merger gone wrong, a backer pulling out, and suddenly parcels stopped moving.

What happened to Sendle?

If you were one of them, you’ve spent the past few months cobbling together a replacement. If you’re setting up ecommerce shipping for the first time, you’re navigating a market that just lost its most popular entry-level option.

Pricing (2026)?

This comparison looks at the three platforms most Australian small businesses are now choosing between: Shippit, StarShipIt, and Easyship.

StarShipIt?

New bookings stopped on January 11, 2026. Parcels already in transit were delivered at carrier discretion. Customer support went dark. For a business that had been marketing itself as the safe, affordable, ethical choice for small businesses, the shutdown was abrupt and left a lot of operators in a difficult position.