Weigh It, Box It, Ship It -- Tips for Success

Who knew? You would think that shipping a package would be the least of your worries after you've made that sale. Boxes, schmoxes...tape, scales, and postage. You just want to SHIP it, You don't want to DEAL with it. "Measure twice, cut once" is such an important part of every carpenter's work routine, lest the carpenter waste a piece of wood. To paraphrase for the realm of the on-line reseller..."How many times do you want to ship that box? To help keep that from happening, here are some shipping tips that you just might appreciate.

1. Get a scale and save hundreds of dollars over its life span

Pelouze is a popular brand

It’s important to know how much your packages weigh so you can quote accurate shipping fees.

With the Post Office, First Class packages are charged by the ounce (up to 13 ounces, then Parcel Post or Priority Mail takes over). You can see postal rates HERE. A package that weighs 3.9 ounces gets charged as a 4 ounce packge. A package that weights 4.1 ounces gets charged as a 5 ounce package. Don’t trust your weighing to one of those dial scales with springs in them. They are inaccurate. Let’s see… paying an extra ounce of postage on 100 packages will cost you at least $17. It’s even worse with UPS (United Parcel Service). Their rates increment by the pound. So a 2 pound/15 ounce package gets charged as a 3 pound package. But, a 3 pound/1 ounce package gets charged as a 4 pound package. On a cheap, inaccurate scale, a 2 pound/15 ounce package might register as a 3 pound/1 ounce package, but it would be charged as a 4 pound package. You might end up paying for that additional pound of weight because of the 2 ounce inaccuracy in a cheap scale.

2. Get a ruler, yardstick or tape measure!

You think you’re paying shipping only on the weight of the package? Well, think again. Due to current shipping rules, if your boxes are too large, "dimensional" shipping rules can apply. This means that although your packaged item may only weigh a couple of pounds, you get charged at a higher rate due to the size of your box. Sometimes a small difference in the size of a package can drastically change the shipping charges. All the major shippers (UPS, FedEx, USPS) use some method to take into account the three measurements (length, width and height) that apply to your package. The USPS uses a combination of length + girth (the distance mesured around the thickest art of the the packge). See HERE for more information. There are ways to minimize the shipping costs (more on that later). One thing is certain… use the smallest box you can to safely pack your items. Because even though packing peanuts don't weigh much, they aren't all "fluff."

3. Stock up on packing materials and some packaging tape

 You need to have a way to ship your items safely. You will need boxes or mailing envelopes, bubble wrap or packing peanuts, and packaging tape in order to ship your items. And, don't forget the labels. You will probably have to buy any envelopes and tape you will use, but you can get boxes for FREE if you know where to look. Sometimes you don’t have to look further than your own porch. You know, those boxes that the stuff you order from fellow Bonanzlers comes in? RECYCLE. And sometimes, those boxes come with FREE packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Well, reuse that too!

Ask around at local businesses – they usually have more boxes than they know what to do with. Plus, you save them time, money, and energy when they don’t have to deal with those unwanted boxes.

Some are made of starch and dissolve in water

Visit the local school at the start of the school year. The teachers will be unpacking all of their newly arrived supplies. Those boxes are full of packing peanuts.  (Editor’s note:  I can verify this since I do teach part-time. I can’t wait to get my hands on those packing peanuts from all of my teacher friends).

Dumpster diving for boxes is not the title of a new movie, but another “fun” source for free boxes. Who knows, maybe you'll find “treasures” that you can even resell on Bonanzle. One man’s trash is another man’s…  Just don't do this at your son's high school where his friends might see you. He will never live it down.

Purchase GOOD tape. The office supply store nearby sells three different “grades” of packaging tape. You don’t need the most expensive and you won’t want the cheapest. The mid-range priced tape will do just fine. Your boxes will stay together and your customer won’t need a chainsaw to open the package.

And the #1 source for FREE boxes…

Get your money's worth from the US Government

The United States Post Service (the Post Office)! Yes, they give them away. They will even deliver them to your house in large quantities. What’s the catch? They are Priority Mail and Express Mail boxes. So, you can only use them for Priority (or Express) Mail packages. They come in different sizes and did I mention that they were FREE?

 By the way, if you are shipping at least one Priority Mail package through USPS, you can schedule a FREE pickup of that package and any other USPS items that you are shipping. Call (or schedule online) at least 24 hours in advance and your friendly USPS postal worker will come to your door and pick up your packages.

 4. Use PayPal to print your postage

This is far and away the easiest way to print and pay for postage. You do not need to have sold the item with PayPal to use this service. As long as you have a PayPal account you can sign in and can print your postage. If you have something against PayPal, at least use the Click-N-Ship service from USPS.com. If you use Click-N-Ship, use your PayPal debit card as the credit card to purchase the postage and you'll get an even bigger discount because you'll be getting the cashback bonus, too!  NOTE: you cannot buy First Class International postage online from either PayPal or USPS. BUT you can get the small customs forms when you order your free Priority supplies and have it all filled out and ready to go. Of course, if you use your PayPal debit card, you’ll get the cashback bonus, too. You can't use PayPal shipping with FedEx packages, but other postage suppliers (listed below) might integrate with FedEx.

Using the electronic labels saves you in several ways: 1) you don't have to wait in line at the Post Office, 2) you get delivery confirmation for free (Priority) or at a reduced cost (First Class), and 3) in some cases, you get a discount on the postage.

Other major sources for printing online postage include Click-N-Ship, Endicia, Pitney Bowes, and Stamps.com

5. If you ship heavier or larger items, set up a UPS account

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If your items are over about 4-5 pounds or are bigger boxes (see #2), you'll want to get a UPS account. You can link this account to your PayPal account and print your labels too. Or you can print at ups.com, and if you're clever, can have it charged to your PayPal debit card and get your cashback bonus, too!

If you ship a lot, UPS will pick up your packages. Or, you can drop packages off at any UPS Store, office store (like Office Depot, etc.) that offers UPS shipping, or hand your packages to any UPS driver. If you're inclined to use FedEx, it's pretty much the same, except you'll have to find another way besides PayPal to pay for the online postage, but you can drop your packages off at any FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko's, formerly Kinko's) store. 

To summarize:  Weigh it, measure it, box it (in packing peanuts or bubble wrap), tape it, and ship it. Now, what's so hard about that? By using recycled or free materials and knowing the standards used by the USPS, UPS and FedEx, you can minimize your costs, make it easier to ship your packages, and have more time to go Bonanzling. Oh, one last bit of advice... they may be called packing "peanuts", but don't eat 'em!

Submitted by Christy (Kaycee Studios)

Edited by Tom

Don't forget to check out the other BOP articles at www.bonanzle.com/bop