Shipping and Packaging Your Handcrafted Work
Did you know that the time it takes you to make and ship
your product to your customer has a direct relation to whether
or not that customer buys from you again? Although this seems
like common sense, many crafter's just "don't get around
to" shipping their crafts to customers who have already
paid for a week, or more.
If you order something online, you expect it to be shipped within
a reasonable amount of time. Three days is reasonable. Thirteen days
is not. And the faster your turnaround time is, the more likely you
are to get a reorder, particularly from someone who is shopping competitors
too.
If your policy is to ship within 24 hours of payment, or every weekday
be sure to place that prominently in your booth or on your order form.
If you only ship on Saturdays, state that on your form, so that people
who may need it as a gift can decide accordingly if they still wish
to order.
If you will make exceptions, be sure to mention that too. When a shipping
time frame is not mentioned, potential customers will either assume
the best or the worst. If you ship in 7 days, but your customer assumes
you would ship immediately, you could end up with a cranky customer
who demands a shipping or product refund.
You should also take special consideration on how your items are packaged,
and what a customer would reasonably be expecting. I recently received
a pair of beautiful beaded earrings in a paper envelope. What was a
reasonable expectation? A bubble envelope, Tyvec mailer, or a small
box, particularly since the shipping costs would still have been the
same. And on top of the price of shipping, I paid almost a dollar extra
for handling. Would I likely order from that seller again? Not a chance.
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Get all of your shipping and packaging supplies at "bare bones" pricing. Wholesale pricing on all the materials you need to send your craft business "packing"!
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