Negosentro|5 Things to Know About Shipping Your Products|In the world of the internet, online shopping has become a normal part of life. Some people shop online more than they do in a physical store, and businesses need to keep up. If you have a business and do online sales, you need to know how to ship your products. Shipping can have a huge effect on whether customers will come back to your shop, so you need to get it right the first time. If you know the right things, you can ship packages efficiently so that customers will want to buy from you again and again.
1. Watch Costs
Depending on the packages you sell, you may need to pay more for shipping. If you sell big items, like electronics, those will cost more to ship than smaller packages, such as for jewelry. When determining the cost of your products, you need to decide if shipping will be free or cost extra. Free shipping has become common for a lot of online stores, but be careful before you offer that. You’ll have to make up for that cost elsewhere, such as by raising the price of the product itself.
2. Ship in Bulk
If you have a small business and do the packing and shipping yourself, do it all in bulk. While you can package and ship each order as it comes in, that can be inefficient. Instead, package all of your orders once or twice per day. Take all of the orders to the post office at once so that you don’t have to make a ton of trips. Not only will that save you time, but you won’t have to worry about filling your gas tank as often. Packing and shipping in bulk can also help you get in the zone, which can increase your productivity.
3. Choose Your Courier Wisely
In the United States, the USPS, UPS, and FedEx are all great companies for shipping packages. However, they all have different services and costs. Before you choose the easiest or most convenient option, consider what you want or need out of a courier. Then consider how much you can afford to spend on those services. A leading courier in Sydney advises that before you choose the easiest or most convenient option, consider what you want or need out of a courier. If you ship packages often, you might want the ability to ship packages from your home office. On the other hand, a newer business may want something simpler. Every business has different needs and priorities, so the best courier for one business might not be suitable for another.
4. Consider Receivable Factoring
While you might be able to process payments automatically, you should still have a backup method for getting your money. Factoring receivables is a way for you to get paid immediately for your product, so you don’t have to wait for a customer’s check to clear. If you run a product-based business, you always need to account for the cost of inventory. When your customers don’t pay, you won’t have money to get more inventory for future orders. If you use a receivable factoring service, you can stay on top of your business without worrying about cash flow.
5. It Takes Time
Regardless of the courier or service you use, shipping products will take up valuable time. Even if you only go to the post office once a day, you’ll still need to account for the drive there and back. You may also have to wait a while if you go at a busy time. If you don’t have help, consider the best time of day to ship your packages, like the middle of the day, so that you can avoid long lines. As your business grows, you can hire someone to help you with the shipping. Even then, you’ll still need to oversee the packing process so that you can ensure the orders go to the right customers.
Running an online business can be rewarding, but shipping products can be stressful. To set yourself up for success, make sure you think about everything from shipping costs to how you’ll get your money when a payment doesn’t go through.
