When you start your own business from home or from a small office space, one of the things you will need to consider from day one is how you will ship your items to your customers. If you are a tiny business working at home then you can post them as you would any other parcel, however, when your business starts to take off you will need to consider other methods of shipping. Here are some tips for nailing the shipping of your items this year.
Shutterstock Licensed Photo – By Joe Techapanupreeda
1. Compare and Don’t Book Direct
When you come to looking for a shipping company or hauler, you will want to first get some initial quotes from a few different companies. Although you may think it would be cheaper to go through the website itself, it can actually be much better if you go through a comparison site. Look through haulier comparison sites and check which ones suit your needs the best, and then get in touch.
2. Negotiate
When it comes to getting the best price, you can for a hauler, you need to be tough and stand your ground. Let’s say you have gotten two quotes: one quote is for $200 and the other is for $170. When speaking to the first company, you can haggle with them and state that you have managed to find a quote elsewhere for $170. This will likely make the company want to compete and they will lower the price to fit your needs. They might even go lower at $160 if you are lucky. Don’t be afraid to haggle with shipping companies, they are often open to it.
3. Ensure Quality of Service
Even if you have received an amazing quote from a company, you need to take some time to ensure that the company you have chosen is the right one. Scour the internet and look for reviews and testimonies from previous customers. Make sure that the service you are going to get is good enough and that your items won’t be damaged during transit to the customer.
4. Go Overseas
Whatever you do, don’t limit yourself to one country. By doing this it might be cheaper, but it will also narrow down your customer base by a large scale and it will be difficult for you to get the same success as someone who ships overseas. Open yourself up to the world and allow people from anywhere to order your work. It will make a huge difference to your business and success.
5. Hone Your Operations
Another part of making sure that you have a good shipping process is making sure that your operations are great too. For example think about organizing your warehouse or storage better to find items right away when ordered, have a system in place where the items are checked off when they leave the premises and track the packages to ensure they reach their destination. Operations management is important here.
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6. The Right Carrier
Be sure to check, check and check again to ensure that you have picked the right carrier for the job. Think about bringing potentials haulers into the office for a meeting to assess whether they will be the right fit for your business. You will be able to tell a lot from a conversation and this will allow you to choose the right person for your business.
7. Always Invest in Packaging
Packaging your items is one of the most important parts of shipping because the packaging is responsible for keeping your items safe and it will also make sure that your customer wants to carry on ordering from you in the future. Your packing area should consist of a workbench, Industrial Scales, packaging tape, and scissors as well as sturdy boxes and labels for the box. Make sure that you train every employee on packing so that they do the best job they can. It is incredibly important to do this for your workers and it will allow you to make sure every package is of the best quality.
Remember when you are shipping on a large scale that you will want to make an arrangement with your postal company for stamps and bags to put your items in for shipping. Having a great arrangement with your post office can mean that your packages are cheaper to send out and it will also make sure that they arrive in excellent condition to the customer. Once you have followed all of the tips on this list you will be a pro at shipping and your business can really thrive!
