5 Tips to know for before shipping your first Product
Shipping your products can be difficult if you are starting a new Ecommerce business. Your business can start losing money if you are unaware of the potentials risks you can be getting into.
Here are 5 tips to be aware of when first starting to ship your products:
Estimate your shipping costs with a Shipping Calculator
Shipping couriers usually base their rates by many factors such as the package size or the destination country. Choosing the best courier to use can be a bit tricky since they offer similar services, but this is where shipping calculators come in place. Couriers such as USPS, FedEx, or Canada Post allow you to compare prices and options for your different products. Having Shopify as your marketplace allows you to receive pre-negotiated rates. Also, by connecting USPS via iLogistics USA, you will immediately qualify for the USPS commercial rates.
In eBay, the Shipping calculator allows your customers to determine the cost of their shipping based on location and have different rate options. eBay has now prohibited companies to charge their customers hefty prices. This feature allows you to charge your customers enough without losing any profits.
- Use Flat Rate, Regional
Flat rate and Regional rate shipping services are typically recommended for new ecommerce businesses. They may not be the least expensive service to use, but they reduce packaging expenses by giving you free boxes, saving you delivery time, and shipping some packages for less.
Packaging
Buying in Bulk
Buying your packing materials in bulk allows your company to save money and time to do other things. When deciding how much is enough, look through your data and see how many boxes typically are shipped out in a month. iLogistics USA dashboard keeps track of your shipment information including how many orders are shipped each month. Don’t worry if you don’t have an exact number, it takes time to get it right and store them for next year.
Represent your company’s Brand
The packaging that you use will represent your company’s brand. This means customers’ perspectives will vary depending if they are plain brown boxes or customized company boxes. It allows your company to be set apart from the other competitors in the market. An example of how you can promote your brand is through StickerMule’s packaging tape. It’s an easy and cheap way for people to add branding to their packages.
Packaging Options
Before deciding to ship your product, look at several options you have for packaging. Reduce shipping costs by choosing a package that fits for your product better instead of a bulky box. Uline offers over 1,000 choices of different sizes boxes, bubble mailers, and package cushioning. Poly mailers works for products that don’t need a lot of cushioning and can accommodate for different products.
Products Weight
Knowing your products’ weight is one of the key factors in determining how much you are paying for shipping costs. You need to know how much your shipments weighs after they are packaged with everything needed to keep the product intact. Try to keep your product’s packaging as light and small as possible. This will reduce shipping costs, the customer’s cost for shipping, and will decrease the amount lost in your profit margins.
Shipping Labels
iLogistics USA gives you the option to print your shipping labels without charging you any fee. We believe no one should be charging you for the basics of starting up your ecommerce store. Connect your carrier and automatically start printing shipping labels for your orders directly from the iLogistics USA portal.
Benefits of having Multiple carriers
The best thing to do for a small business is to negotiate with different carriers to see who offers you the best rates. Carriers will have an incentive knowing that you are looking for the best rates someone can offer you. You also save money by using their packaging.
Customs Declarations and Forms
If you plan to ship internationally, each package must have its customs documentation. They are available through Shopify, post office, or shipping retail location. When looking at these forms, custom officers can see all the information about your package.
iLogistics USA is your one way stop for everything you need for your startup business. With iLogistics USA, you will be able to control your inventory, manage your orders, and create shipments and labels all in one place. Also, iLogistics USA allows for you to manually input the dimensions and weight of your shipments to get the right shipping cost for you and your customer. Sit back and let iLogistics USA do all the hard work for you.
