Shipping can be a headache.
Lost packages. Damaged products. Hidden and additional fees. Problems with the customs.
Thankfully, for both you and your customers, every shipping problem out there has a solution. After all, as a business owner, your responsibilities don’t end with the successful sale — you need to make sure that your product or products actually make it to your customers.
Safe packaging 📦
Packaging your products for safe shipping is often overlooked even by large e-commerce companies. Important factor to make great first impression is your packaging, no matter what you are selling. The product or products need to arrive safely to your customers in order you to make a profit. Packaging can be expensive, however, it is better to put a little extra investment in order to send your item without defects or broken parts. We advise you before you even start exposing your products online to consider the right boxes you will use in order to ship them worldwide. For safety reasons it is best to pick boxes and right material to support your products while travelling. Pick light materials for the inner box packaging like styrofoam or airbags in order not to make your box too heavy and make your expenses more. Another important part is the box itself. There are a lot of places you can find less expensive solutions for the boxes, depending on your preferable size. It is going to be more efficient for you to look over those solutions instead of last minutes bargains at your local shipment provider. For a fragile product types ensure quality boxes or double wall boxes. You should also ensure that there is a space between the product and the box. All void space should be filled with material to support it. Another important factor is to use pressure sensitive tapes when putting the final touches. It is also good to have a label on your box. This way to prevent misplacements and give additional branding to your products.
Tracking parcels 📦
Businesses need to make deliveries quickly and without long delays, or worse, missing parcels which will reflect poorly on them. In an increasingly competitive trading environment, it is vitally important for brands to be seen as being highly professional. However, tracking in some shipping service companies is often supported as an option for more expensive shipment methods. Depending on the price of your items and whether you can afford to lose a package you should decide whether to include an option for tracking. Your customer should as well have that option in mind before making a purchase, so we advice you to provide at least two shipping options for your customer to evaluate. They may be more inclined to benefit from the expensive option and to be able to track down their parcel.
Parcel tracking systems offer greater transparency and accountability, which has benefits for both the sender and the recipient. If a customer has ordered a product and is expecting a delivery, they are likely to welcome information about its whereabouts. They may be eager to learn that their parcel has been shipped or is in transit – allowing them to make provision for receipt at the delivery address.
Shipping costs 💶
There is a special article dedicated to shipping fees with detailed information on the best practices to calculate your exact shipping fee. You can read the whole article here. Here’s a set of shipping calculators for some of the biggest mail carriers worldwide:
You may find additional information for shipping services providers here.
Damaged products
Probably the worst thing that may happen is a broken or damaged product and it is unpleasant for both the business and the customer equally. The good news is that every shipment provider has a cover which is included in the fee for the services. It is different with handmade products and custom orders, so every Seller has to make sure that cover will be sufficient to actually cover his or hers expenses. If this happens the best way is to react as fast as possible and comfort your customer that you will make everything possible to get the item to him or her. For more expensive pieces of art or collectible items that are one of a kind it is best to have insurance in order not to suffer substantial losses. However, please note that excessive damage claims may be a sign of bad packaging design and that is why you should first make sure your package is durable, sufficient and safe enough. You can also turn to your local shipment provider for more instructions on how to make your packages safe enough.
Lost Products
Although over 97% of parcels are delivered successfully, there are some occasions where packages do go missing. In those cases each Seller should first get in touch with the customer, ordered the item and explain the situation and turn to the company, providing the shipment. In most of the cases packages get lost because of the misplaced or missing labels. To prevent this from happening make sure before you sign with your shipment company the order to have a good look at your parcels`s coverage as well as to put additional branded stamp or etiquette to the parcel. Thus you will have reassurance in case the label goes missing. The one thing you should remember is that the commitment to secure delivery begins with prevention and that is why if you can you should carefully pick your shipment services provider and their coverage policies in cases a product goes missing.
Delays
Delays can be a bit of a challenge for each business owner. In order to prevent them each Seller should state correctly in each listings delivery time. It is good to have one short delivery option for each listings as your customers maybe in a rush to have the item by specific period. Customs and government agencies want to see a clearly identified country of origin, as well as accurate descriptions, quantities and values. Triple-check that documentation and make sure it meets the required standards so you can avoid time-consuming delays and unhappy customers.
If you need more advice on shipment and return issues, please reach us at support@chopni.com and we will be happy to assist you.
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