Tips for Shipping Products to Customers

People thought that with the use of emails becoming common the need for snail mail will die out, but they were so wrong. Businesses selling over-the-phone or through the Internet need postal services now more than ever in order to get their products to customers. Individuals with eBay stores need to mail out the products that their customers buy while telecommunications companies often have to send replacement phones through snail mail. Here are some tips for shipping your products to customers.

• Get the payment first.

If the customer owes you money then you should receive the payment before proceeding with the shipping procedure. If the buyer backs out after you have shipped the item then it will be harder to uphold any refund policies that you had offered. Getting the payment first is important because it is not just a matter of not making the sale if the buyer changes his or her mind but also about losing money due to the shipping charges that you have already paid. In fact, you may even have to pay for return shipping to get your product shipped back to you.

• Pack well but pack light.

There is a thin line between packing well and packing light. You need to pack your product in a manner that is a balance between the two so that the item does not get damaged but also be careful that the package does not get too heavy because this will increase the cost for shipping. Most shipping methods have a limit for the maximum weight that a package can be. If it exceeds the limit then you have to pay for a more costly shipping method, so know what the limits are according to the postal service that you are using and stay within the limits. You may want to weigh your final package at your store before taking it to the post office.

• Include a receipt.

Just like any business transaction such as the ones taking place at your store, transactions that are done through mail also need to be documented. The customer has a right to receive a receipt and you are obligated to provide one unless requested otherwise. Including a receipt with the package that you ship is also beneficial because it acts as a declaration from your company that the item that you have shipped is not hazardous and can protect your company from liabilities.

• Pay for shipping online.

Most postal services now allow you to pay online. The first reason why you should pay online is simply because it can be more convenient when shipping many products. At the post office you will probably have to wait for each shipping label to be calculated, printed and paid separately, but if you already know what type of shipping labels you need to print then you can print them in bulk at your location. The second reason why you should pay for shipping online is because you have to pay less service charges and printing fees.

• Ship as quickly as possible.

Your customers will be eager to receive what they have purchased. Don’t let them down or kill their excitement by trying to get your products to them as quickly as possible.