6 steps to being a shipping boss – posting made simple.

We know how important it is to deliver items successfully whilst offering value to customers. Providing the best delivery options can delight your customers, everyone wants their items fast! Postage is often the final touch point in the sale of an item to your buyer. Leaving your buyer with a really positive experience increases the likelihood that they’ll buy from you again. Choosing the right shipping solution can also help you save time and money, which you can use to buy more inventory or promote your shop.

Tips for becoming a pro at selling online:

Check out the different ways to post.

The weight, size, destination, and value of your parcel can all influence the type of solution best suited to each item. Add-ons such as tracking and insurance can also be beneficial and important for higher value items. They provide proof of delivery and peace of mind for you and the buyer. Our online postage calculator is ideal for this but if you are sending a lot of parcels at different weights, check out our business postage options for bulk discounts.

Buying the correct label/postage for the size of item.

Buying a label for a smaller item when in fact you have a larger one may result in the item being returned to you. If this happens, you will need to repost it with the correct postage. Keep this in mind when sending large items. If in doubt, use a weigh scales to help you assess the weight! If you don’t have a weighing scales don’t worry, you can weigh your item at your local Post Office.

Offer free shipping.

Offering free shipping will make your brand more desirable to a buyer, it makes you competitive when selling online. Offering free shipping is likely to help you secure more purchases. How do I go about offering free shipping? There will always be a shipping cost, it’s the way in which you factor it in to your overall strategy.  Here’s a few ideas to get you started.

• Increase the product price to include the cost of shipping. That way there are no surprises at the checkout.
• Increase the price of your products slightly to cover partial costs of shipping, so both you and the customer cover the cost.
• Offer free shipping on selected items, for example where you have a higher profit margin or items are cheaper to ship.
• Use free shipping as a promotional tool. Turn browsers into buyers by running a free shipping promotion over a weekend.

Give the buyer control over shipping choice.

Create a standardised list of shipping options for your buyers e.g. Next Day, Standard, and International. Buyers now expect this from their experience on other online sites.

You can also include incentives like “If the purchase is made before 2pm, it is posted that day.”

Offering international shipping is a simple way to grow your business.

Especially if you sell higher value items. Buyers in other countries are likely to pay for international shipping if it’s a unique or higher value item. How do I do this?

• Calculate the average cost of shipping by weight, size and destinations to determine and set a clear price.
• Have a clear policy on international shipping and the service you use so buyers feel confident.
• Finally, understand international shipping and customs rules to make your sending more seamless.

If selling internationally, it’s really important to make sure you provide all the right info on your parcel when sending. Our Click & Post facility does all this for you automatically so customs is hassle free and means your item gets to its destination much quicker (which is likely to influence a positive review).

If you a sending regularly, you can also buy a printer or print labels at your local post office.

This can also make your shop more efficient, instead of buying postage at the post office you can buy labels with Click & Post at home, print them and stick them on your parcels. If you have a Delivery Box, the postman will even pick up your parcels from your home. Simple!

If you don’t have a printer, you can still buy Click & Post labels online, and simply bring your email confirmation to your local Post Office where our team will print your label for you.