Shipping Tips Can Save You Chips

Everybody is looking for ways to save money!

The more efficiently and cost effectively you can ship your items, the bigger your bottom line gets. Many times it’s the small things that can help save your business some money. Once you recognize where you can save money by making small changes in how you ship, you can then institute those changes and start building up that pile of chips!

• Choose the right box!

If you’re not using a fulfillment solution like Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon program and need to ship your items yourself, make sure to package your items in strong, corrugated cardboard boxes. Check the bottom of the box for a weight limit. Don’t wrap the outer box in any kind of paper, as it could tear off and your shipment could be lost in transit or delayed. (U.S. Postal Service, UPS, DHL and some FedEx boxes are free!)

• Use the right packing materials!

Invest in some packing peanuts and bubble cushioning, especially if you’re sending anything fragile. Leave enough space between items in the box, and wrap individual items with double cushioning if necessary.

Here’s a great video that can help save you chips! Learn how to make a “B-Flute Envelope”, a “Book Burrito” (thank you Fiziwig!) and tips on shipping, addressing and packing your items!

Amazon Services “Pack & Ship” Video

• Use cost saving methods to increase your bottom line!

The use of “b-flute” (shown above), or a “carton-sizer” (shown below) can greatly reduce your material costs. Over time, lowering these costs can add up to big savings!

• Know how to send high-dollar items!

Make sure to ship expensive jewelry and other valuables via next-day delivery in a box no smaller than 7-by-4-by-2 inches. Make sure to use a signature confirmation to confirm receipt. No seller wants to hear that their high-dollar item “never arrived”. Also, don’t attach anything to the outside of the box that could reveal the item’s value.

• Shop Around!

To get a sense of how much it will cost to send a package somewhere, call these numbers and use the automated rate services: U.S. Postal Service, (800) ASK-USPS (275-8777); FedEx, (800) GO-FEDEX(463-3339); UPS, (800) PICK-UPS (742-5877); DHL, (800) CALL-DHL (225-5345). You’ll need ZIP codes, the weight of the package and its basic shape (so you can choose whether to ship it in a box, envelope or tube).

• In Summation

As Cliff Shaw said, “It's the little things that count, hundreds of 'em.” This can truly make a difference when it comes to your business’ bottom line. Taking into account some simple shipping tips can help you save that money and stack up that pile of chips!

Don’t forget, good packing methods lead to good feedback and good feedback leads to better sales!

Keep it real,

Jay

If Only Santa Claus Used FBA....

A Sellers Guide to a Successful Holiday Season Using FBA

I have been graced with the esteemed honor of composing the first posting on the Amazon Seller Support Blog and I can’t think of a better topic than to share some tips for sellers who use the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service.  In fact, you can also apply some of these tips to your own merchant fulfilled business practices during the most wonderful time of the year.

Here are my tips:

1.    Get your inventory to the Fulfillment Center as early as possible.

You may see a spike in sales over the holiday season. The more products you have sent to the Amazon Fulfillment Center prior to that spike, the less you’ll need to worry about running out of stock in the middle of the shopping season.  A good rule of thumb:  Start sending extra inventory to the Fulfillment Center starting November 1st. Send enough inventory to cover the volume you expect to sell over the holidays.

2.    Be attentive to the labeling of your products. 

Sellers who need to label their products prior to shipping to the Amazon Fulfillment Center should pay extra attention to how you label them.  The only scannable bar code that should be visible is your FBA sticker, and it must be completely affixed to the product.  Unreadable and missing labels can delay the availability of your product, so please make sure all other bar codes on the product are covered.

3.    Double- check the amount of products you have reported to be in the shipment. 

“So did I put 30 Red Ryder BB guns in the box or 29?”  When you pack your boxes being sent to the Fulfillment Center, please take the time to recount and verify the exact number of products in the box accurately matches the amount reported in the shipment information summary in Seller Central.

By following these simple guidelines you can greatly reduce the stress of this upcoming holiday season and ensure that your products will be available in the Amazon Fulfillment System.

Please check back often as we have many exciting information and tips that will assist you in your day to day selling operations and help you navigate this E-commerce river called Amazon.com.

--Joe G.

Welcome Amazon Sellers!

Hello and Welcome to our Seller Support Blog!

Our mission is to pass on helpful information to make our Sellers even more successful on Amazon.  Our blog posts are authored by our most experienced Seller Support staff. We also hope to have special Guest Bloggers share their wisdom with you as well!

We appreciate any comments on our posts that will make this information source even more valuable to you!  Also, if there are specific topics you’d like to see discussed in this blog, please let us know.

Our motivation is simple: If our Sellers are successful, then so are we. So let's get blogging!

Mackenzie Smith
Director, Seller Support