Shipping Suppliers - Small Business Tips

Tange Design

Over the last few weeks I've shared many tips for shipping your products. Today is the last installment of my Shipping Series and I wanted to share with you where I frequently get my shipping supplies.

Usps.com
One great place to get FREE boxes is usps.com. If your items weigh more than 13 oz., you can either ship them Parcel Post or Priority. Many times Priority is actually a cheaper or comparable option up to about 2 lbs. Usps.com has many sizes of free priority boxes that they'll ship right to your door! If you're not sure what size you need, they offer a sampler pack. Or choose packages of 10 or 25 of the size you know you need.

Bulk Boxes
Do your items weigh less than 13 oz.? Buying boxes in bulk may be the way to go. I've purchased from Uline a couple of times and love their fast delivery times and good prices. Roayal Mailers is another online option for bulk boxes. I've never purchased from them myself, but have heard great things about them as well.

Bubble Wrap
I recently purchased 2 BIG rolls of bubble wrap off eBay for about $22 with free shipping! I've also found good deals at Menards and Office Depot. The key is to do a square foot comparison with shipping added in. Bubble wrap comes in so many different sizes that I've found that this is the easiest way to see exactly what you're paying.

Recycle!
Luckily we have a large room upstairs that we use for storage...because I save every box and packing supply that comes to our house...LOL! And I have friends saving shipping supplies for me too :) My aunt works in the area that unpacks their supplies, so I get lots of great air pillows from her! Once you tell people that you're looking for packing supplies, they're thrilled to help you out. Most people throw them away and are happy to hand them over :)
I always wrap my items in new bubble wrap, but pack the rest of the box with recycled supplies if I can.

Do you have a great source for shipping supplies? Share it in the comments!

Thank you for stopping by the last installment of my Shipping Series. You can see the rest of the series here:
*Shipping From Home
* Shipping Internationally
* Shipping with UPS
* Shipping Suppliers
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Edi is the creative mind behind Memories for Life Scrapbooks (and Laser Engraving). She has been paper crafting for over 15 years and recently purchased a laser engraver that is keeping her creativity at an all time high!

Shipping with UPS - Small Business Tips

I had my first experience shipping with UPS recently and wanted to share my experience with you. After receiving a large order for 150 coasters, I started comparing rates online and found that UPS offered competitive rates for large/heavy packages.

Delivery Time Guarantee
One thing I really liked about UPS was their shipping time guarantee. My package cost $18.03 and was guaranteed to arrive in two days. In doing my research, I found that the same package mailed USPS Priority Mail would have cost $27.11 and would "generally" take 2-3 days to arrive but was not guaranteed.

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Residential Pickups (and a fee)
One thing I do not like about UPS is that if you are shipping from a residence, there is a fee to have your package picked up at your house. I did find a drop off location that only charges $2 per package, but I had to bring the package to the location and pay the extra fee. One thing I love about the USPS is that they pick up almost all of my packages at my house saving me time and money.

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Easy to Use
Overall, I like UPS as an option for large packages. It was very easy to set up an account and printing the label was much like using Paypal. And for some reason, I find UPS more "professional". Maybe that's just because my suppliers all use UPS? And I also recently found out that you can actually print a UPS label right through Paypal! There is a blue link right under the address area and above the shipping option to select another carrier and UPS is one of the options...makes it even easier!

Question: How do you ship your packages?

Stay tuned for one more installment in my Shipping Series and catch the first two as well:
*Shipping From Home
* Shipping Internationally
* Shipping with UPS
* Shipping Suppliers

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Edi is the creative mind behind Memories for Life Scrapbooks (and Laser Engraving). She has been paper crafting for over 15 years and recently purchased a laser engraver that is keeping her creativity at an all time high!

Shipping Internationally - Small Business Tips

Last week I talked about Shipping From Home and how it can be great for your business. This week is all about Shipping Internationally. I've been shipping quite a few packages out of the country lately and I encourage you to add International Shipping to your shop if you haven't already. You could be missing out on a lot of sales!

Do Your Research

My first tip is to do your research! Each country will have different shipping rates, customs fees and import laws. You are responsible for knowing whether your item can be shipped to a certain country.

Setting Your Rates

That being said, it is pretty easy to get a "general" rate for most international shipments. I have found that rates to Canada are pretty comparable to US rates when shipping First Class International. And all other countries are about double. Keep in mind that these are general rules and different weights will be different.

Choosing a Shipping Option

I use USPS First Class International for almost all of my packages. This seems to be the most standard and most cost effective option. I have shipped international packages with Priority and Express when the customer requests it and I just send them a paypal invoice for the additional shipping. There are only two problems I have run into with First Class International...There is no tracking information available after the package leaves the US. And you have to go to the post office to ship your package (unless paypal changes back to shipping through ebay). And keep in mind that shipping times may vary greatly from one country to another. I always tell my customers that shipping can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks. Depending on how long the item stays in customs can determine how fast your package arrives.

One main reason I use USPS for all international packages is because UPS and FedEx will charge your customers a brokerage fee upon delivery. If you use these services, make sure your buyers are aware of this fee ahead of time!

Update Your Policies

It is also a good idea to add a note to your policies that buyers are responsible for customs fees. Most buyers are aware of this, but it is a good idea to have a set policy. Buyers who have never purchased from the US may not be aware of this and you need to have a clear policy for them.

Custom Forms

There are two different customs forms depending on the size of your package. You can find this information at the usps website, or ask your postal clerk when you bring your package in. My biggest advice for customs forms is to NEVER mark a package as a "gift". The newer style of forms has a "merchandise" option...otherwise, mark "other". You can be charged a hefty fine for marking a sold item as a gift! And make sure to put an accurate description and cost on the form as well. This can help your package make it through customs quickly and safely :)

I hope you found these tips helpful and will consider shipping internationally if you don't already :)

Stay tuned for more articles on shipping tips for this blog -- Shipping Series.
* Shipping From Home
* Shipping Internationally
* Shipping with UPS
* Shipping Suppliers

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Edi is the creative mind behind Memories for Life Scrapbooks (and Laser Engraving). She has been paper crafting for over 15 years and recently purchased a laser engraver that is keeping her creativity at an all time high!