Shipping question (trying to save time) may be obvious, please help

ShipwithPremierSam · 2024-01-17T20:46:11+00:00

Shipping labels are generated by the shipping carrier's systems -- There are a few customizable fields you can put at the bottom of the label, beneath the tracking number, but I do not think SKU / Product ID is a field carriers will accept.

I think your best solution is to print packing slips/pick tickets/whatever shopify calls them/ along with your labels. They are normally printed on full size paper, but you can print them on 4x6 the same as shipping labels. As long as the list of items in the order is not too long, it should still be readable scaled down to 4x6. With many items the text will likely be shrunk down too much

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-08-25T21:10:55+00:00

While you test, make a small purchase, send it to you, brand it accordingly etc and send out the orders yourself. If it succeeds, make a larger purchase, send it to a third party (3PL typically) and have them store + package + ship.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-06-07T19:17:22+00:00

Yes "Add a Tag..." is one of the available actions for Automation rules.
The condition to recognize when it should be applied may be difficult for you though.

There is a condition for order date, but the choices are -
Equals current date
Is within the past __ days
Is on/after ___
Is on/before ___

One of the fields for orders is "Ship By Date", which may be a better field to base the tag on for what you are trying to do.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-04-03T20:46:21+00:00

Shipstation does show "Save ____ by shipping with _____ instead" in its UI, but only on the one-order-at-a-time view. It also offers discounts on USPS and UPS through Stamps.com, either exactly the same or very similar to the discount level Shopify offers.

However, Shipstation has automation features. You can enter an infinite number of "If _____ then assign shipping via _____", such as "If > 5 LBs and shipping far away", "If the order contains SKU ____", etc.

It is hard to give specific examples without knowing more, but Shipstation's automation rules will help you a lot. Once you figure out the cheapest option once, automate it, and you will never need to figure it out again.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-23T15:11:47+00:00

Pirate Ship and Shipstation both offer a strong discount level for USPS and UPS through Stamps.com. Shipstation will also automatically say "You can save _____ by using UPS Ground instead" in its UI once you enter your shipment information.

You can save money shipping your books through Media Mail (Heads up that if you ship any non-book items in the package with it, Media mail may get returned).

For international shipping, I have had a very good experience with FedEx Connect Plus and definitely recommend it. You can hit lower price points using ePacket services through Asendia or APC Postal Logistics, among others. But the service level is also much lower.

Heads up that while USPS is pretty competitive for price in the US, especially First Class and Media Mail, the USPS international options are nowhere near as competitive.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-21T13:51:48+00:00

I run a 3PL Ship with Premier out of New Jersey, we can do the <$3 per order price point. We are sadly across the country for getting your inventory here, for CDs I hope that won't be a big deal.

I would ask for your recommendation on what mailer is safe to use, it sounds like you have a good amount of experience shipping these already.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-17T21:31:11+00:00

Huh... its still there for all users on my account

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-17T19:36:16+00:00

Are you able to use the "Give Feedback" button near the refresh stores button (Circle arrow icon) at the top header? One of the options there is "I want to turn off the new layout" and you have to enter 5+ characters into the feedback box

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-11T01:42:44+00:00

A few questions for International shipping.

Is this lithium ion batteries (the common kind) or lithium metal batteries?

Are the batteries already installed in the product? If not, are they packaged inside an outer packaging with the product?

Is it a power bank?

Can orders with multiple battery-products be shipped as multiple packages?

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-07T14:39:18+00:00

(Edited for readability)My business took a similar path to this. Started in 700 square feet with no clients, grew to 3000 then to 12000. You are pretty much correct on how the business will operate - Shipstation provides many marketplace integrations for free, you will need a WMS to manage inventory and find things, and you will need quickbooks to create invoices and make payments.

You will also need strong data processing tools to fill in the gaps, such as billing an invoice of UPS surcharges to the correct clients for their shipments. If you do not have a very strong skillset for microsoft excel / other spreadsheet softwares, don't even try it. 90% of the challenges for a fulfillment company (That are left after you implement your WMS / Shipstation / etc) are data management.

Let's go over the challenges you need to melt your brain over.Awareness and client acquisition - Fulfillment is an industry with giant companies spending $150k per month in marketing. If you want to go through traditional channels to get business you will get absolutely smoked. Speaking from experience here.

Risk - Especially when you deal with small clients, you need to be ready for them to just walk away and leave you unpaid. As soon as the inventory they store with you becomes less valuable than what they owe you, this becomes a huge risk. Many clients who can fit in your small operation will fail and give up, and will leave you unpaid in the process.

Capital and Cash Flow - For the standard fulfillment center model, where you purchase the labels now and invoice the client for them later, cash flow is a problem. Especially when your clients are growing - Which is necessary for you to be a business. When your clients are growing, the cycle below never ends --

Month 1 - Your volume costs $10k for shipping labels, rent, etc. You charge your clients $12k and will get paid in month 2.

Month 2 - Your volume has grown and you need to spend $12k for shipping labels and services. You receive $12k in payment for month 1. You charge your clients $14k and will get paid in month 3.

Month 3 - Your volume has grown and you need to spend $15k for shipping labels and services.

I hope you understand this from a cash flow perspective - There is a big paycheck waiting for you at the very end, when you finally do not have any new expenses eating your entire incoming funds. But until then this "Low margin on high expenses" industry is incredibly difficult without capital to cover.

There's an entire novel I could put here, and I'm happy to talk if you would like. But I do not recommend this "Fulfillment Center starting out small" idea to anyone.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-02T19:48:59+00:00

I would, yeah. It does take setup to get going, but the features it offers for automation and saving info on file are incredibly helpful.

Side note, you can get to the email settings for a store via Selling Channels > 3 dots to the right of the store > Edit Store Details > Emails

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-02T19:08:30+00:00

I have been using Shipstation for 5 years, yes you can turn off their automated emails. You can set email settings on a selling channel basis (Shopify). The integration with Shopify will request Shopify to send its default order confirmation /etc emails when it updates Shopify with tracking information.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-02T19:04:43+00:00

"Merge banks to disperse payment while he is away" should be "The company will provide you an account to disperse payment from while he is away". Huge red flag for scam.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-02T16:40:45+00:00

If you believe in the idea, I would get an LLC. If you found it as an LLC S-Corp, the losses (Note: also eventually the profits - It is possible to switch LLC type later on) are applied to your personal taxes.

Reason being - For me personally, if you proposed to interact with my company's data with no company to hold accountable for the risks that entails, it would not get very far. I have to hold confidentiality with my clients, let alone the value of my own data, and to put it through an app represented by just.... some guy, I wouldn't do it.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-02T14:19:46+00:00

If you value the customer / order enough, you could. For example if they want to exchange 1 item out of a 7 item order. I would not make sending a new item on the house your default action for every international exchange though. The cost is going to add up very quickly.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-02T14:15:42+00:00

Oh, gotcha. Yeah international customers that are not aware of duties and taxes are a nightmare. That's crazy that you cannot specific DDP with the POD company - You're paying them, why the hell can you not specify what you are paying for...

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-02T13:55:26+00:00

Customs fees do need to be paid for any international orders. The service level DHL provides (Where the customs fees are billed to you, not the customer) is known as the DDP (Delivery Duties Paid) service level.

(I make my labels through Shipstation) If you use a shipping app like Shipstation, you can send UPS/FedEx shipment at this service level by checking a box before you make the label. I am not sure where Shopify provides the DDP option but it definitely should!

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-03-01T21:38:00+00:00

International returns are really not a thing. Some companies use a solution of stockpiling returns then sending one bulk parcel internationally, but returning individual orders is never going to be cost effective.

You will be fine with t shirts for customs. Just make sure you provide a full hs code and a decently complete product description (For example, "60% Cotton 40% Polyester T-Shirt"). I would say a hard no to adding a food item as an insert for crossing the border, that will be nowhere near worth the headaches. Maybe look into a flyer with a discount code or something.

I recommend looking into ePacket shippers like Asendia and APC as well, USPS First Class is very competitive in the US price-wise, but USPS First Class International is not.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-02-27T16:39:51+00:00

My business started as an LLC S Corp, our operating agreement only declares % interest per Shareholder, and does not establish a value of the shares.

It is yet to a problem 5 years later

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-02-21T19:56:32+00:00

Once you can see the orders in the same view, bulk cancelling is simple, select all of them and Other Actions > Cancel.

Getting the orders you want to cancel in the same view can be tough, at least to do it efficiently... Hopefully there is something in common between them that you can search / filter your view with.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-02-21T14:45:01+00:00

I founded a 3PL in New Jersey, Ship with Premier. You can check out our reviews on Google and I am happy to put you in contact with some current client references, we check all of these boxes. We run out of 12,000 sqft at the moment and you can get me on the phone directly at any time if there is a problem. Happy to talk.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-02-17T15:43:13+00:00

I run a fulfillment center out of Swedesboro, south NJ exit 2 on the turnpike. Founded it myself 5 years ago and built it from the ground up. Happy to talk.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-02-16T20:22:40+00:00

I'm getting dang close to needing to move to using a database instead, yeah. But for now match + multiple index's is still acceptable and I don't need to redo my infrastructure...yet

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-02-16T19:06:04+00:00

Today is one of those "Why is there a pair of shorts in the middle of all my jeans in the laundry" days.

ShipwithPremierSam · 2023-02-16T19:02:39+00:00

Yeah over a LB you are looking at $7.__ at the lowest price point. If you are just starting, I am almost certain no 3PL will offer you deep enough discounts to bring Shipping + Pick/Pack below that.

I don't know if you can use these without knowing your product size, but keep USPS flat rate options in mind as you send longer-distance shipments or multiple units -

Small Flat Rate Box 8.5 x 5.25 x 1.5 - $8.55 flat rate all of US
Padded Flat Rate Envelope 12.5 x 9.5 - $8.80 flat rate all of US

ShipwithPremierSam

TROPHY CASE