This year is super exciting for the business world.  It is truly fun to see so many new companies taking over the eCommerce world and learning how to sell online.  It is a huge part of the economy now and is becoming necessary for so many who may be susceptible to COVID-19.  That mostly applies to the elderly, but being able to have most items in the whole world delivered to your door and not having to go out is not only life-changing but maybe life-saving as well.  What we have seen in our company is that all the companies we work with are changing how they are doing work.  We are seeing tons of companies selling more online and learning how to send items to their buyers in the wisest of ways.  But we are also seeing a lot of failure in this whole area as well.  It is sad to see the failures of these companies and some of them are simply because they are buying shipping supplies at the wrong location and for the wrong price. 

What we are seeing is that many companies and business owners are so stressed and busy that they are not looking for the best deal on shipping supplies and are brushing off the missed savings as a necessary thing.  But I have to remind people that if your entire company is based around sending items to people then each box, bag, and every single sell could be losing you tons of money if you are not shopping for them wisely.  That is a huge thing to think about and it is so many times overlooked.  What we see most often is that the owner is moving from a brick and mortar company to an online selling business.

The online business is generally something they have done a little bit before but never full time.  So they have purchased their boxes and bags at a higher price from a local vendor and just keep buying them.  What they are not doing is shopping around for the best prices.  They are not looking for bulk deals or going to the source of the box makers or bag creators.  Instead, they are paying an upcharge amount because they are not willing to spend a little bit of time shopping for an actual deal.

I also see these newer business owners buying from Amazon for all of their products.  This is bad because they are instantly being charged 10% more for buying off a platform that charges the seller 10% per sale at a minimum.  This is so unwise to do in the long run because you are losing at least that amount on each sale.   The truth is that the major online packaging companies are willing to send you all the gear and supplies you need for 20-30% less than you are generally paying at the other location.

But they are also missing out on the advice they are not getting from buying from a company that simply does not have a chat or even a phone line.  If you go to a packaging company online you can at least get good advice on the packaging you need. I have found my company has saved 35% by making this choice and I hope you are able to do the same.

This year has been a big ball of change for much of our world.  The United States economy has completely changed and the way we do business has shifted into a whole new realm of shopping and buying.  People are now buying online out of necessity or in some cases even law.  It is a wild situation we are in thanks to the regulations put in place due to COVID-19 but there are some things you can do to make sure your company is staying ahead of the curve.  I have been working with a lot of businesses and they are all making changes to their warehouse to stay relevant and to stay on top of this crisis.  I know some things will not apply to everyone, but most of the changes are revolving around their shipping supplies and their ability to be able to be a more efficient business.  That is important when millions of new companies are jumping into eCommerce and you may be one of them.  So let’s go over a few things to make sure you are aware of some easy changes that can save a whole lot of money.

The first and most important thing is to make sure you are ready for getting your products to your customer.  This is a part that many people think they know the best or understand more than others.  The truth is that I have seen more companies struggle on the simple logistics side of getting products to buyers more than anything.  I have also seen more companies fail in this area and turn to bankruptcy because they refused to make changes or take just a few hours out to look for better deals.  When it comes to finding the best prices on your shipping supplies you must not settle for the easiest route. 

What is really happening is companies are moving from brick and mortar to eCommerce and they are slightly aware of packaging.  They have purchased small amounts of boxes, bags, and tape from the same company for years.  They are generally charged a large amount more than they should be and when they go to buy in bulk they get really hurt due to that huge upsell in prices. This sounds simple, but it happens over and over again and these guys who have been with teh same company for so long just think their prices are fine or ok.

The flip side to this is that a new company just orders all their stuff on Amazon.  It is simple to do this and fast, but the issue is that they are losing at a minimum of 10-15% every single item they purchase because Amazon takes that percent right off the top.  The truth is that if you shop and find the manufacturer or the major packaging stores online you can save a bundle of money by getting not only the correct products for yourself and your warehouse but at the best price with actual advice going behind them.  

These companies have departments that are ready to help you find the right item for your product.  They want you to ship the best so you ship more and buy more from them.  It is a win-win situation and you won’t get that from any other location at the best price. C