Are you still taking time out of your week to drive to your local store to purchase shipping supplies? Are you noticing that packaging supplies are eating away at your profits? Offering lower-cost shipping rates is a great way to increase your art sales, but if you are not careful, you could find shipping your items might have you losing money. Fortunately for small business owners, it is possible to find both affordable and free supplies. For example, free boxes and other free USPS shipping supplies are available at USPS if you are shipping Priority mail.
Here are some ways to find the best deals on shipping supplies so you can offer lower shipping fees without losing your profits.
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Shipping Supplies List
Before you start searching for cheap shipping supplies, you will want to make a list of all the packaging materials you will need to fulfill an order.
- Common shipping materials for shipping artwork:
- Cardboard boxes
- Flat-rate envelopes
- digital scale
- Bubble wrap and bubble mailers
- Shipping tape
- Packing tape
- Tape dispensers
- Tape gun
- Stretch wrap
- Tissue paper
- Shipping labels
- Business cards
- Notecards
- Foam peanuts
Depending on the artwork or art supplies you sell will determine what supplies you will need for shipping your products.
Make a list on a spreadsheet so that when you find an online store with the best price point, you can add the URL next to the product. The spreadsheet you create will make it easier for you to order supplies in the future. It is a good idea to search for lower price supplies periodically. Include all of the URLs to your list so you can bargain shop.
Online Shipping Supply Sites
Many online sites offer packaging supplies at competitive pricing and volume discounts. Here is a list to get you started.
Some local stores like Dollar General offer supplies like tape or tissue paper for just a dollar.
Specific Mailing Service
The next step is to decide on shipping service. Specific carriers like USPS offer free shipping boxes for 2-day shipping. Depending on the shipping weight and the different sizes of your products, you might find it more affordable to use various shipping services.
Shipping Services to look into:
- FedEx Ground
- USPS
- UPS Store
Inventory Supplies
Keep an inventory of the packing supplies you have on hand. The last thing you want to happen is to realize you are out of shipping supplies when you are packaging your art to ship.
Keep in mind how long it will take for you to receive your order. Depending on how often you ship items, you might find it best to take weekly or monthly inventory.
Final Thoughts On Ordering Shipping Supplies Online
There is more to operating an art business than sharing your art on Facebook. It is essential to strive for excellent customer satisfaction by offering lower-cost shipping charges and guaranteeing that the product will arrive in perfect condition. Another aspect of running a small business is to make money. The best advice we can share is to be a bargain shopper when ordering shipping supplies.
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