Five Common Shipping Mistakes

Shipping may seem simple on the surface, but there are many layers to the process. Here are five common shipping mistakes you may be making and not even realizing it.

1.      Not Keeping Track of Price Changes

Shipping prices change regularly, and you’ll be unhappy if you get hit with a bigger bill than expected. The USPS quietly increased the pricing on many of their mail services less than a month ago, but unless you were watching for these price changes you likely would not have noticed. Not only does this result in unexpected expenses for you, it often results in lost time. When pricing changes paperwork often changes, which can end up delaying your shipments and making your customers unhappy. This will usually happen at the start of the year, but it is smart to check on pricing periodically.

2.      Using the Wrong Packaging Materials

When you have a product you’re trying to get out the door, you want to ship it quickly. Unfortunately this can lead to poor decisions. Maybe you decide to re-use your boxes. Maybe you don’t have the right box size, so you package an item in a box that is too large. This type of behavior can lead to very negative results. Boxes get weaker the longer they are used, making them less able to protect the items inside. Shipping products in the incorrectly sized box can not only make a difference in pricing, but it can lead to the product being damaged.

3.      Not Giving Customers Shipping Options

Customers like to have options when it comes to shipping. For some, they are willing to wait several weeks to receive their product if it means free shipping. Others will pay extra to get their product as soon as possible. Offering these different options will give you appeal to a larger customer base. If you have a customer that needs a particular item within days and you can’t do that, they will go to your competitor. Likewise, if you have a customer on a budget but have no cheap shipping options, they will find someone who does.

4.      Not Listening To Customer Feedback

This includes both negative and positive feedback. You may be tempted to ignore that one bad review or skim the good ones, but reviews, feedback forms, and emails are a valuable source of information that can give insight into your business practices. Pay attention to opinions on delivery times. Note if anyone had any problems with objects not arriving in perfect condition. Look for what your customers wished you offered, and then start to offer it. You’ll never improve without feedback from your customers.

5.      Having a Poorly Organized Shipping Area

This is a huge problem because it costs you a lot of time. If you have boxes and packaging materials spread out with no organization, it will be a huge waste of time trying to find the items you need. Not only that, it can lead to you not being able to find the correct box or void fill, leading you to use subpar materials that can damage your product. Make sure everything has a place and keep it organized.

These mistakes are easy to fix and can have a huge impact on your business. Are there any shipping mistakes you’ve rectified or want people to know about? Let us know in the comments! 

Amazon FBA Resources

If you’re ready to start selling your products on Amazon, it may seem a bit overwhelming. There’s a lot of rules and policies that you need to follow, and you also need the right shipping supplies to get started. Luckily ShippingSupply.com can help with both of these!

The process of using FBA is fairly straightforward. You send your products to Amazon and Amazon stores them. Once customers order your products Amazon packs and sends them. To do this though, you must follow some policies and requirements. Amazon has laid them all out nicely right here.

While shipping your items to Amazon isn’t complicated, there are a multitude of ways to do it, depending on the product and the amount of that product you are sending. Again, Amazon has put together a very easy to understand chart to help you out. Find it here.

Amazon also provides you with a resources page, which can give more general advice. There’s also a great newsletter you can sign up for that is sure to help you!

Now, what about the shipping supplies themselves? There’s plenty you’re going to need to get this business running! Luckily we have an entire webpage dedicated to helping you get the supplies you’ll need. Click here to find it.

Our FBA page only lists the essentials. There are plenty more items you may want or even need to invest in down the line, depending on what you plan to sell. It is extremely likely that you will be able to find anything else you need on our website. If you need any assistant please give us a call at 1-877-501-PACK (7225) and we’d be happy to help!

Stand Out During the Holidays with Fantastic Shipping

We’re right in the middle of the holiday season, which means that many of you are probably sending out a large amount of products. That’s great! But you should be doing more than simply sending your customers the products they’ve ordered. This is the perfect opportunity to make your customers remember you.

So how do you stand out amid all the other companies sending out products? We’ve got some tips. First off, you may want to make some changes to your website. Customers nowadays find it stifling to only be offered one shipping method. The more options you can give your customers, the happier they will be. Ensure your customers can choose between slower, cheaper shipping options and faster, more expensive ones. If you can afford to, offering free shipping can make a huge difference in revenue. Many shoppers will gravitate towards you over competitors if you are able to offer them free shipping.

Now you’ve got the order and you’re ready to send it out. You want to make sure you are packaging all of your products properly. You will never get a good reputation if products arrive damaged, or even just in messy condition. We have an entire post about how to properly pack and ship that can be found HERE.

So, you’ve packed up your shipment? Before taping it up, consider adding some additions to the box. Unfortunately shipments are sometimes damaged, which is why it’s a good idea to include shipping and company information inside the box or mailer you are using. You can also stand out by including something a bit more personal in with the shipment. Add in a small sample or a handwritten note expressing your gratitude.  

With a rise of packages during the holiday season, you also see a rise of thieves. Requiring a signature upon delivery ensures your packages won’t fall into the wrong hands. Of course this depends on the customer, but it doesn’t hurt to recommend it on the website.

The product has been packed, shipped, and delivered, but that doesn’t mean your job is done! Send out an email to your customers thanking them for their business. You can even use this opportunity to request a review or ask customers to fill out a survey. This extra communication keeps you on your customers’ minds. Remember, the goal should be to get these customers to come back, or at least recommend you to friends and family.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at ShippingSupply.com, and we hope you have a great end of the year!

Prepare For The Holidays

The holiday season is upon us. Are you ready with the shipping supplies you need for this busy time of year? ShippingSupply.com carries all the supplies you need to make the holiday season run seamlessly. Whether you’re shipping products out or packaging up items at a brick and mortar store, we have the supplies you need to make the holiday season go smoothly.

Corrugated Boxes

We carry a wide range of corrugated boxes to suit your needs. There’s way too many to list them all here, but we’ll give you some highlights. All of our corrugated boxes are durable cartons designed to safely move your product from point A to point B. We carry gift boxes and apparel boxes for packaging in-store. We have all types of boxes for shipping products, whether those products are large, small, or oddly shaped. Shop now to get all the corrugated boxes you need for the holidays.

Corrugated Mailers

If you’re looking for something smaller to do your shipping in, or for something designed for specific products such as literature or audio materials, then corrugated mailers are perfect for you. We carry a large selection of corrugated mailers to give you the perfect fit for your items. We even offer corrugated displays in case you have a storefront and have items you want to sell at the register or on other counters.

Gift Grade Tissue Paper

Make your packaging stand out with premium quality tissue paper. The special dye resists both bleeding and fading, giving you a product that will be cheery and bright for the entire season. We carry tissue paper in a number of colors, including colors that are complimentary to the holiday season. Some examples include white, blue, red, and green. We also carry tissue paper assortment packs so you don’t have to buy each color individually!

Paper Bags

Efficiently package items in a retail setting with our wide range of paper bags. Need paper shopping bags? Merchandise bags? Hardware bags? We carry them all and more. All of our paper bags are 100% recyclable and re-usable. These heavy-duty, durable bags resist punctures and tearing. Whether you’re looking for a flat bag or a bag with handles that is capable of standing up, you will find it when you shop with us.

Crinkle Paper

Crinkle paper is a great packing material for gifts. It helps to protect items from damage during transport, and it is festive! We carry many different colors for all sorts of occasions. We even have a Christmas blend, specifically made for the holidays. Click the link above to browse additional solid colors and blends of Crinkle paper. You will receive 10 pounds of Crinkle paper per case; plenty to help you out during the busiest shopping season of the year!

These are just a few of the many items you can invest in to prepare for the holiday season. We have plenty of items for both retail settings and ecommerce. Don’t wait! Get the holiday shipping products you need, today!

Halloween Costumes From Shipping Supplies Part 2

Last year we brought you a blog post with some great costumes you could make using shipping supplies. This year, we’re bringing you even more costume ideas, only this time you have all month to get the costumes together!

Popcorn- Materials: Corrugated box, red paint, tissue paper.

For this costume you’ll want a tall box that you will be able to stand in. If you can find a white corrugated box to begin with, all you need to do is paint on red stripes like a popcorn box. If you don’t, you’ll have to paint the entire box white first.  Once the lines are painted and you’ve painted on the word “popcorn”, crumple up tissue paper and glue it to the top of the box where your head will be. Don’t forget to cut out arm and leg holes of course!

Legos- Materials: Corrugated box, yogurt cups, paint

Like almost any costume requiring a corrugated box, you’ll have to cut holes for your arms, legs, etc. Beyond that, it’s actually a very easy costume to make. Attach yogurt cups to the front of the box in the Lego pattern you desire, then paint the entire thing in the color of your choosing. Wear pants and long-sleeves in the same color as the paint for a better effect.

Jellyfish- Materials: Clear umbrella, bubble wrap, construction paper

This costume is extremely easy to make. First you’re going to have to get a clear umbrella. Next you want to cut out long, thin strips of bubble wrap and attach these to the perimeter of your umbrella. These create the tentacles. You can then use construction paper to create eyes to attach to your umbrella. You do have to hold the umbrella the entire evening, but it makes for a great costume!

Bumblebee- Materials: Black clothing, yellow Duct tape

This costume is also extremely easy to make and requires almost no explanation. All you have to do is make yellow stripes with your Duct tape on black clothing. Yep, that simple.

We hope that you like these new costume ideas! Have a great Halloween!

Moving – DIY or Moving Boxes

So you are moving to a new home. Congratulations! Moving is a huge event in a person’s life, whether it is a move to a dorm for university, a move to a new apartment, or a move to a first house. No matter where you are moving to, you’re going to have a lot of important items that go with you. The next question is do you pack your items up in boxes you collect from your basement and grocery stores, or do you invest in moving boxes? There are a few questions you need to ask yourself when making this decision.

How much time do you want to save? Investing in moving boxes will save you significant amounts of time. Why is this? Because you don’t have to call multiple stores and make multiple trips to find all of the boxes you’re going to need. It is unlikely that a single store will have enough boxes to allow you to move. By using professional moving boxes, you can take inventory of how many boxes you will need, order them online, and wait for them to arrive.

How much money do you want to save? There is simply no denying that using boxes from local stores is going to be cheaper than shopping for boxes online. If you are on a tight budget when it comes to your move, browsing for free box options is likely the way to go. There are ways to keep the costs down, though, when it comes to moving boxes. If you have some time before your move you can keep an eye out for sales to make buying boxes more affordable. Something else to keep in mind is that you can find economy moving boxes and deluxe moving boxes, so shopping wisely may keep moving boxes in your budget.

Are you worried about keeping fragile items safe? There are many types of moving boxes on the market. Many of these boxes have been designed specifically to keep fragile items safe while in transit. For example, dish pack boxes are made to safely transport your dishes from point A to point B. A standard box you get from a store is not made to keep fragile items safe and will require extra padding and void fill.

How secure are you in the structure of DIY boxes? The strength of boxes will greatly differ depending on where you get the boxes from. A box from a grocery store may hold cans, or may hold lettuce. Obviously this disparity can make a big difference. If you’re trying to pack your books in a box that holds boxes of cereal, that box may not stand up to the abuse of heavy items such as books. If you shop for professional boxes you can select specific strengths of boxes that you need. If you choose to go with DIY boxes, make sure you test the strength of the box. You don’t want to pack a box full of dishes only to have it break under the weight and destroy all your dishes.

Whether you go with professional moving boxes or DIY boxes is completely up to you. We hope these questions will help you decide what types of boxes are right for you and your move. 

Top Shipping Considerations

Is the way you handle shipping losing your business money without you even knowing it? Managing products, marketing, and customer service is likely on the forefront of your mind, but ignoring shipping can be a costly mistake. Read on for our tips to keep the costs of shipping down, as well as small ways to make your business actually profit from your shipments.

•         You don’t have to settle for a standard corrugated box or bubble mailer. There are so many options when it comes to shipping supplies now! For example, computer packing boxes are specifically designed for shipping computers and computer accessories. CD mailers are perfect for sending out CDs. There’s so many options out there that will show your attention to detail, and make your products safer during shipping. A product that arrives in perfect condition due to the perfect packaging will receive better reviews, and lead to better business.
•         Consider packaging your items in a way that will help them stand out. You may choose to order custom boxes with your company logo. If you can’t afford custom boxes for every product, why not use some type of custom label? There’s a lot you can do to stand out, which leads to more repeat customers.
•         Keep in mind ways to save money on your shipping supplies. This has to go beyond just sales online, though they certainly help. Consider the shipping supplies themselves. Using the same sized box for every product actually loses money, because you are charged for shipping based on the size, weight, and destination of the package. Having a variety of supplies allows you to always choose the most economic box or mailer for your product.
•        But no matter the price, never skimp on void fill and other cushioning items. It will be you that loses if your products are arriving to the customers in damaged condition. Make sure to budget for bubble wrap, loose fill, newsprint, or whatever type of void fill you choose to use!
•         Use an inventory management system to keep track of how many shipping supplies you currently have. You don’t want to have business thriving, instruct a product to be packaged, and discover you’ve run out of the necessary supplies. Have a system to track the quantities of your supplies so orders never get backed up.

While it is important to monitor products and marketing, it is equally important to monitor your business’s shipping habits. We hope this post was able to help!