As the price of manufacturing rises, keeping your shipping costs to a minimum is essential for small businesses. Shipping costs encompass everything from the cost of shipping packaging supplies to the cost of courier services, so it is easy to see how costs can build up.
In this article, we’re going to give you some tips on reducing your shipping costs so that you can continue to operate and serve your customers! Keep reading to find out more.
Reducing Package Weight
Several courier services increase the cost of the package as the weight of the package increases. This is because couriers can deliver fewer packages if they weigh more. So, an easy way to reduce your shipping costs is to reduce the overall weight of the packaging.
While you can’t magically reduce the weight of your products, you can take out any unnecessary packaging materials and opt for lightweight mailers, like a poly mailer bag rather than a mailer box.
Consider Using Third-Party Insurance
While insurance may be essential for the goods you ship, a lot of people choose shipping insurance with their shipping carrier as it is the easiest option. However, just because it is the easiest, doesn’t mean it is cheaper.
You can usually find much cheaper insurance rates with third-party insurers, so doing some research could help to reduce your costs quickly.
Reduce The Distances You Ship
Shipping services tend to increase their costs over longer distances. Reducing the distances your parcels ship to is an easy way to reduce shipping costs, but how can you do this?
It’s pretty easy and could reduce other costs too. All you need to do is use fulfillment centers across several locations so that you cover areas where shipping costs would be higher to ship to.
Another option here would be to partner with a 3PL who you would pay to take over all aspects of picking, packing, and shipping to make it a more efficient process.
Make Sure You’re Using the Right-Sized Packaging
Have you ever received a parcel and wondered why they put such a small item in such a huge box? Well, this is one way to effectively reduce the cost of your shipping – putting your products in the right-sized boxes.
It probably seems very obvious but finding shipping packaging supplies that are the right size means you will pay less in shipping and your customers won’t be confused as to why you have been so wasteful!
Offer Pick-Up Where Possible
If you know that you’ve got a lot of local customers, a really easy way to reduce shipping costs is to not ship at all! You can offer local pickup for customers nearby and help customers to avoid shipping costs too!
Do Your Research
Ultimately, doing your research on the best shipping rates is what is going to keep your costs down. You can reduce weight and parcel size easily but finding the right shipping supplier will save you the most money.
Don’t be afraid to shop around and ensure that you find someone who can ship to where you need and that fits within your budget.
For High-Quality Packaging Options, Contact The Packaging Company!
Are you in need of high-quality packaging supplies? We’ve been serving customers in the U.S. and Canada for years and we pride ourselves on our ability to meet all of our customer’s individual requirements. Order your high-quality packaging supplies from our extensive catalogue today!
