To start a courier business in India, choose a model (a national brand's franchise, a multi-carrier agency, or local delivery with your own riders), register the business and for GST, tie up with carriers, set a rate card that covers volumetric weight and surcharges, and win your first local business clients.
Three ways to run a courier business
| Model | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise of a national courier | You run a counter or area for one brand and earn a commission or margin on its rates. | One carrier's network and pricing; franchise fees and deposits. |
| Multi-carrier agency | You book with several carriers and resell under your own brand, picking the best carrier per lane. | Clients going direct to carriers; many portals to manage. |
| Local delivery with own riders | You deliver within a city for shops, pharmacies and online sellers. | Rider management and cash-on-delivery control. |
Many agencies combine all three as they grow.
Step by step
- Pick a niche. Online sellers, corporate documents, exporters, or local shops each need different carriers and service levels.
- Register the business as a proprietorship, partnership, LLP or private limited company, and open a current account.
- Register for GST. It's mandatory above the turnover threshold, and business clients expect GST invoices anyway. See GST on courier services.
- Get local licences your state requires for a shop or office, such as shop and establishment registration.
- Tie up with carriers. Apply for a franchise, open accounts with several couriers, or both.
- Set your rate card. Price by weight slab and zone, and account for volumetric weight, fuel surcharge, COD and RTO charges.
- Equip the counter: a calibrated scale, measuring tape, label printer and packing material.
- Win first clients. Visit local businesses, list yourself on Google Business Profile, and make WhatsApp booking easy.
The mistakes that sink new agencies
- Underpricing. Ignoring volumetric weight and surcharges turns busy lanes into losses.
- COD leakage. Cash collected but not reconciled.
- Losing clients to carriers. Once a client has the carrier's AWB, they can go direct. AWB masking prevents it.
- Ignoring NDRs. Every unhandled failed delivery becomes an RTO. How to reduce RTO.
- Billing from Excel. Missed shipments and late invoices hurt cash flow.
Where software fits
A new agency can start on spreadsheets, but by the time you're booking with several carriers for dozens of clients, the spreadsheets become the bottleneck. Hyper Route runs bookings, tracking, billing, your fleet and your clients from one screen. See pricing.