For the upcoming holidays... I've been having a free shipping sale in my shop for the last 12 days and I've gotten 40 sales from it. Which of course is totally amazing but a little scary at the same time since it was kind of sudden. I guess it's good to sort this out now though so that I will be prepped for all the chaos that comes with the holidays. So, I am reviving my shipping tips post from a few months ago.
1. Unless it's a HUGE order or a customer requests it why be bothered with printing an invoice? It wastes time, paper and if your printer is like mine it wastes A LOT of really expensive ink. I pack all of my stuff while sitting in front of my laptop so I have access to the receipt right in front of me. I guess if you can't do that then you don't really have a choice.
2. Organization is the key to success when it comes to shipping. Make sure you know where all of your merchandise is stored so that you don't go insane looking for that one pair of earrings. Summer is a great time to organize a system for storage.
3. Make sure that you have enough shipping supplies to last you a while and keep a stack of those customs forms on hand so that you have them ready to fill out. I like to pre-write my address and pre-stick custom labels to the envelopes I can fill it all out once.
4. Keep a good supply of business cards, stickers, coupons and promos stuff you throw in with your orders. Do some branding for your shop! Summer is a really great time to pass these out so that people will have them when the holidays roll around. They also might pass them along to friends and family! P.S. If you are forgetful like me you can slip your business card in the envelopes ahead of time.
5. NEVER try to pack multiple orders at once. Only one at a time!!! Otherwise you'll find yourself double checking every envelope to see if you got the orders right. Once you've packed an order seal it off.
6. Before I go to the post office I always make a list of which orders I've taken with me to ship. Once I get home I check off all the "shipped" boxes for those names and I write the names on the back of the receipt. This way, when a customer asks me when I shipped their order I can look back at my receipts and find their name. (My PO doesn't type in zipcodes/postal codes on the receipts and the method of shipping doesn't come with tracking so it's easier for me this way.)
7. Remember never mark as a gift unless it's actually a gift! You could be fined or even worse go to jail for this!
Showing posts with label shipping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shipping. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
SMOOTH SAILING.
It's been busy for me this month and since packaging can be very time consuming I thought I'd share the things I do to make it go more smoothly.
1. Prewrite or stamp your address on all your envelopes unless of course you use online shipping labels.
2. Keep a stack of customs labels ready to go I usually have them peeled and stuck on the envelopes. Again this doesn't apply if you use online shipping labels.
3. Put one or two of your business cards into each envelope and a coupon, thank you or extra freebies if you do that. (I do this because I always forget to put my cards in afterwards)
4. If you use gift boxes put a sticker label with your shop name, logo and website on it. If you use bubble wrap or tissue paper instead then tape it shut with the sticker label. It's a good way to get people to recognize you and if it's being given as a gift the receiver now has your website so they can check out your stuff. DO NOT put fancy or cute or pretty stickers or things on the outside of your package. I've heard stories about people getting their packages stolen from the post office or off their doorsteps!
5. Care instructions. I always forget to include these with my orders so what I've come up with is to tape them inside the lid of my gift boxes. If you don't have gift boxes slip them into your envelopes along with your business cards.
6. Pack ONE order at a time in order to avoid confusion and mistake. There have been a few times when I have had multiple orders and think okay.. I'll find everything, put them in boxes and pack them up. Well, that would work great except all my boxes are the same.. So just imagine how paranoid I am and how many times I open the boxes to double check that the right box is going in the right envelope!!! Save yourself a headache and do one at a time.
Doing these little things has saved me SO much time. If you've got ways to make the shipping process easier please share them in my comments section :)
1. Prewrite or stamp your address on all your envelopes unless of course you use online shipping labels.
2. Keep a stack of customs labels ready to go I usually have them peeled and stuck on the envelopes. Again this doesn't apply if you use online shipping labels.
3. Put one or two of your business cards into each envelope and a coupon, thank you or extra freebies if you do that. (I do this because I always forget to put my cards in afterwards)
4. If you use gift boxes put a sticker label with your shop name, logo and website on it. If you use bubble wrap or tissue paper instead then tape it shut with the sticker label. It's a good way to get people to recognize you and if it's being given as a gift the receiver now has your website so they can check out your stuff. DO NOT put fancy or cute or pretty stickers or things on the outside of your package. I've heard stories about people getting their packages stolen from the post office or off their doorsteps!
5. Care instructions. I always forget to include these with my orders so what I've come up with is to tape them inside the lid of my gift boxes. If you don't have gift boxes slip them into your envelopes along with your business cards.
6. Pack ONE order at a time in order to avoid confusion and mistake. There have been a few times when I have had multiple orders and think okay.. I'll find everything, put them in boxes and pack them up. Well, that would work great except all my boxes are the same.. So just imagine how paranoid I am and how many times I open the boxes to double check that the right box is going in the right envelope!!! Save yourself a headache and do one at a time.
Doing these little things has saved me SO much time. If you've got ways to make the shipping process easier please share them in my comments section :)
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