If your business is shipping packages that don’t weigh a lot, it’s best to use USPS services. If you’re shipping packages that weigh over two pounds, it’s better to use FedEx or UPS since they cost less than the Post Office. You’ll have to keep up with the costs for packaging materials as your business grows.
It can be hard to keep up with these costs if you find yourself shipping out products more often. Businesses based out of Alabama know how expensive it can get. Sometimes the costs for packaging materials can cost more than anything else. When it comes to purchasing those packaging materials, here are some hacks you can keep in mind.
Purchase USPS Flat Rate Boxes
Use USPS flat rate boxes to package and ship your orders. You can also use an additional service called ShipStation, which works with your e-commerce website and allows you to create labels without having to visit the Post Office. This service also provides you with discounted rates on packaging materials and shipping, which you can pass off to your customers. Flat rate boxes are one of the best and cheapest options you’ll come across.
Use Zone Skipping
Zone shipping is one of the most effective ways to get packaging materials. Shipping large products can get quite expensive if you’re shipping across the country or outside the country. Zone shipping is a service that allows you to gather all of your packages going to a certain region and sends freight shipment to the consolidator providing service in that area.
The consolidator will then ship the packages from their distribution to your customers. This reduces the cost of packaging materials and shipping. This doesn’t work for express shipments, but the savings you’ll receive from zone shipping can help cover the costs for express shipping when necessary.
Reuse Packaging Materials
If you’re a small business owner, you know the struggle of purchasing packaging materials to ship your products. You can save money on packaging materials by reusing the packaging materials you receive in the mail. Boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and plastic packing materials are costly when you’re purchasing them regularly. These items can be used several times over. You can even ask your friends and family to give you their spare packaging materials to help cut costs.
Use Quality Packaging Materials
Shipping is not always cost-effective. Sometimes some decisions are outside of your control and you can’t reuse packaging materials. But packing your products with the wrong materials can result in a costly mistake. Investing in quality packaging can help reduce the overall costs of your company. By ensuring that your products are secure, you can reduce the amount you spend each resending products and refunding purchases.
This guide should provide you with ideas for saving on packaging materials in Alabama. You may be a few foam packages or egg crates away from success. These are the most widely used packaging hacks available. Whatever you use to process shipments, remember to represent your brand. Your boxes, packaging materials, and shipping labels should clearly represent your brand.
Also, if you use an American Express card for your business, you can save 5% each time you bill shipping and packaging materials to your American Express card. You can save hundreds of dollars each year doing this.