Things To Consider If Your Business Sells Physical Items
Every business has its challenges, there’s no doubt about it. However, if you sell digital items, or are a business that sells in your local area (such as a launderette or food establishment), you get to avoid one big problem–shipping. When you sell physical items, especially if you deliver them worldwide, it can be a struggle making sure that they arrive with the customer on time and in one piece. Here are a few things to consider if your business sells physical items.
Packaging
Chances are you didn’t go into business because you’re excellent at packaging things up. But to ensure products arrive without being knocked and bumped they need to be properly and securely packaged. You need to choose the correct packing materials such as bubble wrap or styrofoam beads for breakables. If you ship larger items or send things in bulk, you might need to invest in a palette wrapper. It’s a big job with considerable costs involved. If you don’t have the space or manpower on site to do this yourself, you could consider outsourcing your shipping instead. That way a professional company who specializes in packing items correctly can tackle this side of the business, with little hassle to you.
Postage
If you’re selling relatively small or light items, you might be able to get away with sending them through the postal service. This is useful since customers can choose to pay a little extra for fast-tracked, signed for or next day delivery giving a more tailored service. Since going to the post office with large volumes of parcels isn’t practical, you would need to book a regular business collection with the postal service. Have a look into the costs and make sure this is worked into your budget. If you offer free shipping to customers, for example, you will need to price your products accordingly to allow for this. One benefit to using the postal service is you can send items all across the world, providing they’re not prohibited.
Delivery Company
If you sell larger items in the country where you live, a courier delivery company is the way to go. Many companies now allow customers to track their parcel in real time on a map and give up to date information about when it will be delivered which is very convenient. Something like this is especially useful for more expensive items as it gives customers peace of mind for exactly where their package is. Otherwise, you could go with a more basic service which just records the signature of the customer when it’s received.
Shipping Overseas
If you sell large items and send them overseas, sending via boat is likely to be the best choice. Eventually, you could even aim to have your own fleet of ships to send products which will save money on using third party services. Companies like Martek Marine can ensure your fleet is compliant with environmental, safety, medical, and navigation regulations. It’s an enormous task but is a fantastic way to expand and save money in the long run if you need to make regular overseas trips.
In the early stages of your business when you’re deciding what you will sell (and where in the world you plan on selling)- shipping is something not to overlook. The cost and logistics of moving products from A to B can take a lot of planning.
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