Your shipping costs can have a direct impact on your profitability. Most shipping companies revise their shipping charges annually. With the demand from the e-commerce industry soaring over the years, shipping companies have no reason to bring down their prices.
While shipping tariff is not in your control, there are some things you can do to keep your shipping costs in control. Packaging is an effective way to keep shipping costs low. In this post, we share some practical tips on reducing shipping costs with packaging.
Bring Down the Weight and Size of the Package
All carriers calculate the shipping cost of a package using volumetric weight, where the shipping cost depends on the size of the package. Let's say you want to send a lightweight item that's packed in a huge box. You will end up paying more because the volumetric weight is high.
The easiest way to avoid paying higher shipping is to use the right size box. For instance, you can pack cosmetic products in small size boxes with ample dunnage instead of packing them in a large box with a lot of bubble wrap.
Optimise the volumetric weight by creating custom packaging tailored to your goods. This will result in a snug fit, thereby optimising your volumetric shipping cost.
Be sure to use "ships in own container" packaging. This means that your product packaging is where you place the shipping label rather than packing the box in another box.
Buy Packing Materials on Discount
Another great way to save on shipping costs is to buy supplies at discounted prices. At the same time, you must not compromise on the quality of the supplies. Low-quality packing materials can increase the chances of your product getting damaged in transit.
Buy supplies such as dunnage, boxes, air-fill, bubble wrap and poly mailer envelopes in bulk quantities. This can help you to save huge on shipping costs.
Another option is to buy from a supplier known to offer high-quality supplies at competitive prices. Tripak offers a whole range of quality packing materials at the lowest prices. Because we operate online, we pass on the savings to our customers.
Switch to Poly Mailers
If you are selling non-fragile, small products like wallets, belts and clothing, consider shipping your orders in a polybag or mailer envelope. These are not only cost-effective but they can also help reduce the volumetric weight of your package thereby reducing shipping costs.
What's more, using poly mailers does away with the need to use packing supplies such as bubble wrap and tape, which can further help your shipping costs.
Reuse Shipping Materials
Another way to save on shipping expenses is to reuse packaging materials.
You can reuse and repurpose packaging materials from return orders or packages received from your suppliers. This can help cut down your shipping costs.
Be sure to remove any previous shipping labels and replace them with your own labels. This will not only expedite delivery but also prevent any undue delays. Recycling and reusing shipping materials can help save on transportation costs as well.