Monthly Archives: August 2018

The Best 8 Ways to Reduce Your Shipping Costs

Shipping costs can really dig deep into your pocket. If you are not new in e-commerce, you will understand the fact that shipping charges can be so huge when shipping products to your customers. Here is a few tips to help you save on shipping charges.

A tip that can have an immediate effect on your shipping charges

When shipping products that weigh less than 2 pounds, it’s advisable to find a carrier who can offer First Class or Priority Mail. On the other hand, for packages weighing more than 2 pounds, which are usually for wholesale customers, it’s advisable to not use Post Office because it’s relatively expensive. Instead, look for a cheaper option among the many companies.

Instead of shipping directly from the store, create an account with the shipping company you have chosen to avoid more charges. You could have the package delivered to a business address rather than a residential address because it can cost more to ship to a residential address. Additionally, make sure the products are packed well in packages such as shipping boxes.

Other tips that can help you cut on shipping costs

  1. Safety

The safety of parcels during packaging and shipping is paramount. You should endeavor to offer tracking services to reduce cases of lost parcels. Additionally, look for cheap packaging options such as shipping boxes to reduce packaging costs. Use the right size of packaging boxes to package products.

  1. Explore the many carrier options

You should not stick with one carrier. Instead, choose the best shipping company for each individual order to save on shipping costs. It might seem time-consuming but it is worth it because shipping companies offer different rates depending on weight, destination of your package as well as dimensions of your package. There are companies that will charge you residential fees and others don’t. Therefore, it is paramount that you choose a company whose rates favor you.

  1. Zone skipping

This service entails consolidation of parcels going to the same zone which is a distant region and shipped in one shipment to a consolidator who offers the service in the zone. Afterward, the consolidator distributes the parcels to customers within that zone. That reduces the shipping fees per package drastically.

  1. Ship using freight

Shipping by freight will save on shipping costs. However, the package should be large enough for this option to be sensible. If a customer agrees, you could even split the order into two different freight trucks.

  1. Negotiate with carriers

You should endeavor to negotiate with different carriers and find a carrier that can offer you the best rates. In a move to stay competitive, some companies can offer you an incentive and work with you at lower rates. Let them know your businesses strategies, goals and urge to grow.

  1. Save on packaging costs by re-using packaging

Re-using packages such as those of mails, bubble wrap, among others will go a long way into saving money. The packages can be expensive if you will have to buy them each time you package a parcel.

  1. Join a professional association

An association can negotiate for discounts and reduced rates in private carrier companies on your behalf.

  1. Know the size of your box

If you ship by both freight and ground, make sure you know the size of your box. This will help you determine whether boxes are small and light enough to be shipped by ground. The more packages that are shipped by ground, the more savings you make on shipping.

Should You Hire Professional Movers?

Moving involves making a lot of decisions. Perhaps the most important one is whether you hire professional movers for the job or simply ask some friends to help you relocate. You’ll need to think about which solution is the best for your situation. Some moves are going to be more complicated and are better done with the assistance of pros, but many others can be handled just by a few friends with a rented truck. If you’re debating whether you should hire professional movers or do it yourself, here are some things you should consider when making that decision:

Whether You’re Moving Locally or Across the Country

If you’re only moving a relatively short distance, such as within the same city or to a surrounding town, you probably won’t have much trouble finding friends who want to help you out. But if your move is a long distance one, few people will want to spend the entire day on the road with you. Therefore, if you’re moving to another state, getting a team of professionals to help you makes more sense.

By hiring a licensed and insured moving company, you’ll also have the peace of mind knowing that everything will arrive to its destination safely. Moving companies know how to handle long distance moves and will be happy to do the job for you even if you’re moving thousands of miles away from your current home.

How Much Stuff You’ll Be Moving

The main factor that will determine whether it’s best to hire movers instead of moving on your own is how big your move is going to be. The more you have in terms of furniture and other belongings, the bigger the job will be. If you’re only moving a small studio apartment, it might be possible to rent a small truck and get the move done with just one or two friends helping you. On the other hand, if you’re moving an entire three bedroom home, hiring the services of professional movers is recommended.

Whether You Have Valuable Items

If you’re only moving a few boxes of clothes and some secondhand furniture you bought at a garage sale, you can trust your friends to do the job right, as there’s not much that could go wrong. Things are different if you have valuable items that require special attention, such as expensive appliances or pieces of art. If you have high value items, you’ll want to hire professional movers.

They can supply you with cheap moving boxes that will help better protect your items during the move. They also know the best techniques to use when packing and handling items to prevent damage. Another big advantage of using a professional moving company is that any legitimate mover will be insured in case an item is damaged during the moving process.

How Much You’re Willing to Spend

Moving isn’t always cheap. Even if you opt for a DIY move, you’ll have to pay to rent a truck and purchase the moving supplies you need. There’s also the cost of gas, which is a bigger consideration if you’re moving a considerable distance away from your current home. Depending on how much stuff you have to move and how far your new home is, hiring a moving company can end up being worth the price.

The Forward-thinking Guide To Improve a Company’s Shipping Costs

It is said to have extremely been difficult to find a reliable service provider for anyone’s shipping needs. But that’s not all. What’s more difficult to deal with by any type of online business is the fact that the shipping costs of any transaction could be so high. When this happens, a customer ends up discontinuing the transaction. The clients end up leaving their carts empty and do their business elsewhere. To avoid this, it may help to stick with a simple set of tips in making sure that one’s online business is in its top shape and high-level performance. This article will attempt to offer these helpful tips.

For starters, any business involving shipping or shipping boxes should understand the needs of customers first. And the first need of customers is transparency. They don’t want hidden charges. They don’t want to be duped. These customers want to get the package they expect at the exact time that was stated in the delivery. So the shipping boxes to be sent to customers should indicate the clear shipping expectations that would not give them a false sense of hope for when their package would arrive.

Customers are also known to not want to waste their time. So the complete picture of the transaction should be indicated right at the beginning of the order. Companies that are not able to offer the complete details of the shipping costs could mainly be missing on an opportunity of landing a sale. A company should anticipate the potential questions of their customers, and these include: what is the total price of the delivery? Will it affect the total price of the item if the shipping cost is added? What are the other means that the customer can save money even if the shipping cost would be in Express Mode? Questions like these help the company better give the most valuable products and experience to its clients.

Another thing that can help online commerce companies would be to give their customers more options. Clients want options to make them feel that they are getting the most from their money. In fact, many customers don’t mind a bit higher shipping cost if that means a more accurate delivery time. If the extra money could get the client to enjoy the product at the soonest time possible, then that should be indicated in the order. The company should not also forget to put reliable, real-time updates on the delivery process. That way, the customer gets more confident, even excited, that the product they ordered will have to arrive probably sooner than the time set.

Finding the right business shipping partner is also a good idea. When picking the shipping provider for one’s business, it is important to consider whether the shipping costs are included, or whether the service provided would increase the total price. A provider that can help lower the costs can instrumentally improve the sales of the company. But this doesn’t mean one should compromise quality. Faster shipping has to coincide with the safe and secure delivery of the item.

Your Belongings- Safe and Sound with Our Moving Company

Are you considering hiring a moving company for your upcoming move? You’re in the right place.

You probably have a couple of questions concerning the process. There is a lot to think about when you are moving your personal items to and from different locations. We can help answer them and put your mind at ease.

One of the most important issues when it comes to moving is whether or not you can actually trust the company to move your personal belongings. Will they do what they should to protect your items, or should you just suck it up and move your stuff yourself?

The answer is no, don’t move your personal belongings on your own when you can hire a company dedicated to doing it right the first time.

Of course your personal items are extremely important to you. This means, in turn, that they are just as important to us and our movers.

How well will we protect your items if you hire our services? Let’s look at just a small list of the lengths we will go through when we wrap and move your items.

#1 One of the first steps for us is to use “bumpers” on every door we will be moving things through, inside and outside. This keeps your belongings and furniture safe from sharp corners while we move them. It also protects the doorways themselves from accidental damage.

#2 All of our equipment is very carefully wrapped up using protective blankets. Why? We do this to make sure that our equipment doesn’t damage or scratch up any of your personal items as we move them from here to there.

#3 We have all of the right equipment to get the job done. One example is the extremely large rubber bands that are used by our company to move furniture. These are specially designed rubber bands that fit around furniture or other items that will not close on their own. An example is a chest of drawers that could fly open on a turn. The rubber bands will keep them and other items from coming open and getting damaged during the transportation part of the move.

#4 We don’t take chances with your belongings. We wrap everything up, and we do mean everything. Nothing is too small to be wrapped up in our clean blankets. We make sure that there is no chance of your belongings being damaged.

#5 Many customers worry about our trucks. You may not have enough to completely fill up a moving truck, but we make sure that your items will not shift during the drive. We ensure that everything is secured as well as possible before driving off. Your personal belongings will be attached to our truck and cannot shift as we move from location to location.

We can pack anything that you wish. No item is too small or too big for us to take care of. We will move furniture, clothes, toiletries, electronics, toys, and so much more, safely and securely. We also provide cheap moving boxes in a wide variety of sizes that will fit all of your items. We will even deliver them right to your door!

When you need a safe, reliable moving company, choose us. We will get the job done with no damage to any of your items.

How To Cut Your Shipping Costs

Shipping can be costly for small business owners. If you fail to plan you should plan to fail. In the following article, we will give you a plan of attack so that you can achieve the lowest possible shipping for you and the shoppers you service.

Create A System For Your Shipping Needs
Make sure to create a system that anticipates the financial ramifications of shipping problems in terms of bang for your buck. This should be in place before you ever encounter your first customer. Invest time in investigating shipping companies. There are a couple of shipping companies out there but the best ones are:

  • U.S.P.S.
  • UPS
  • FedEx
  • DHL

Each of the above-mentioned companies has a department and/or person dedicated to working with small businesses. It would behoove you to get in contact with them. Create a list of questions beforehand and ask them if there is anything they can suggest to make your life easier in terms of shipping procedures and costs. This can save you a headache and tons of fees associated with sending your products out.

There will be times when you’ll receive a small order that will have you concerned about the cost associated with shipping. What is one to do in this case? You want to strive to up-sale whenever possible. Make sure to offer complimentary services and products to entice the shopper to spend more. If the final sale is a small one you should have a cost-effective choice in place.

When Should I Be Shipping Boxes By Air? VS When Should I Be Shipping Boxes By Ground?
These questions can be easily answered by the professionals at the shipping companies that you will investigate. Factors to take into consideration besides the value of the package are the distance the packages are traveling, the total weight of those packages as well as the size.

What Are Some Of The Most Common Shipping Errors Small Businesses Make?
Besides failing to have a plan in place before opening their doors here are some of the most common faux pas:
*Not having clear instructions for those handling the packages
*Not having their shipping policies and cost list of services for your customers (shipping rates and options)
*They don’t utilize a meter for their postal charges.

Freight Consolidation Services
When dealing with shipping your products that fall in the area of 150 lbs to 20,000 lbs your best option is to employ a freight consolidation company which will handle transporting your products in the most cost-effective way. A completely loaded truck will garner you a lower load rate than a partially loaded one because of the rates and time associated with dealing with your contents.

Analyze Your System And Tweak It To Maximize Favorable Results
Keep a record of the services you use and the related costs. Make note of delivery times, weight, distance your packages have traveled and all associated factors in terms of the various service options such as:
*Standard delivery option
*Faster delivery option
*Overnight delivery option

Good Customer Service
In the event that you have a failure somewhere in your process work hard with not only your mailing option but your customer as well. Strive to make it right and/or give your customer some kind of questionnaire in return for discounted products.

Put the best shipping system in place and it will pay off for you and your customers.