According to Shopify, data experts predict a whopping 276.9% increase in eCommerce sales worldwide from now until 2021.
That means that there’s also going to be a nearly 280% increase in the number of shipping supplies that these online businesses need in order to fulfill and ship their orders.
What does that include? More than just boxes and shipping labels!
If you’re one of the millions of business owners who need to ship products or marketing materials to your customers, then here’s everything you need in order to see success.
The Right Kinds of Packages
You can’t ship from home or from your business’s office space if you don’t have packages. But, there’s more to this than buying tons of boxes or soft envelopes.
To really ensure that you’re delivering your packages to your customers in the right way, you’ll want to send their products in the right kinds of packages.
Depending on the size of each product, you’ll need a different kind of box or mailer.
Generally speaking, if you’re sending marketing materials or any other mail correspondence, you can get away with the standard #10 envelope. If it’s data-sensitive, then stick with security envelopes.
Padded mailers are best for smaller packages that you don’t necessarily need a box for but still need to protect an item.
However, if your products are small enough, you might be able to save on shipping costs by using a USPS Flat Rate Box.
Certified Mail Labels and Envelopes
Often when people are looking for where to buy shipping supplies they forget that they can purchase a lot of what they need online!
Skip the trip to the post office and handle everything from your house. This saves time and money.
As a small business owner or marketplace seller, it doesn’t get any easier than this.
Purchasing certified mail labels online allows you to have more control over the entire logistics process as you’ll receive email notifications of:
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Electronic Delivery Confirmations
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Return Receipt Signatures
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Tracking
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10-year Compliance Archive
This adds a lot of legitimacy and organization to your business shipping solutions, and it allows you to spend more time taking care of other more important things.
Better yet, certified mail shipping costs are pretty low compared to other shipping methods. With a 2-3 day delivery period, it’s one of the fastest and most time-efficient methods when you’re shipping from home.
Branded Shipping Materials
To succeed in the world of saturated eCommerce businesses, you need to differentiate yourself from your competition.
So, when it comes to business shipping solutions, it’s a great idea to invest in branded materials.
Whether you’re shipping a subscription box and brand that outside of the box or use specially-made flyers with your logo on them, you can brand your shipping supplies even if you’re working from a home shipping office.
Amazon and eBay offer fairly-priced flyers that you can purchase and brand yourself. Or, you can order special materials from a third-party vendor in bulk and keep them at your home office for when you need to ship an order out.
The options are endless, but having your company’s name and logo on your shipping materials displays a sense of professionalism and consistency.
Package Fillers
Shipping experts suggest that it’s a good idea to have two inches on each side of your product inside of the box that you ship it in.
While it might not seem necessary even for products that aren’t breakable, it adds a lot to the overall presentation of your brand and can make a big difference in overall customer satisfaction.
This makes it absolutely necessary to ensure that you have package fillers on hand at your home office. The great news about this, though, is that if you’re an eBay seller and have a store in the marketplace, you can get a coupon for free eBay shipping supplies.
This coupon goes towards purchasing eBay branded materials that you can use when you ship products to your customers. This includes branded paper and package filler!
Even though these supplies won’t feature your brand or “company” logo, it works out great if you only sell through eBay as it shows your customers that you’re a verified seller and are promoting the eBay brand.
Regardless of the branding, the eBay shipping supplies store is a great way for small marketplace sellers to get free or cheap shipping materials in order to reduce their overhead costs.
Miscellaneous Office Supply Items
As a business owner or marketplace seller, you know that working from home and shipping products from home can get a bit crazy.
It helps if you can create a shipping office of sorts in your home, complete with a stock of packaging materials as well as other necessary office supplies.
This includes:
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A printer in case you need to print invoices, shipping instructions, customs invoices, or batch labels.
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A small scale or weight. You’ll need this if you purchase mailing labels online as you’ll need to enter the weight of the package in order to get the right price.
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Customs forms if you plan to ship internationally. As an Amazon or eBay seller, this can be incredibly important.
Stocking your home office with shipping supplies and related materials will ensure that you can get orders out in a timely manner.
Getting Started with Business Shipping Supplies
Ensuring that you have the right shipping supplies will not only reduce errors in your logistics process, but it will help you stay organized whether you’re a small business, marketplace seller, or one-man show.
Once you’ve figured out what kind of package you’re going to ship your products in, you’ll need to look for the most cost-effective shipping rates you can find.
Most of the time, certified mail does the trick.
If you’re ready to start shipping today and you’re looking for certified shipping labels, then take a look at our page on how certified shipping mail works.
You’ll find everything you need to get you started and on your way to shipping as much as your business can handle.
