Are you tired of going to the post office? Tired of waiting in the long holiday lines? Or are you just to damn busy to get there? This easy start guide will help you send your sold items out to your customers with out ever leaving the comfort of your own home! Stop Paying for Boxes
The first thing you thinking about when you make your first sale is how you are going to actually get your items to their new owners. Shipping supplies can become incredibly expensive, but luckily our wonderful United States Post Office offers free boxes. This can be very helpful when you are starting your own business and are already spread thin with listing prices and supplies for your products. It feels like the Post Office has read your mind, just as long as you use their priority mail option which is usually the cheapest option for shipping anyway. The boxes are available in different sizes to meet your shop's needs. They come flat but are easy to assemble and are self adhesive, but I still like to use a little extra packaging tape just to be safe. If you sell online like I do you will want to keep a small stock of boxes at home, that way when you get that thrilling sale you'll have everything you need ready to go. Positive feedback means fast shipping! If you really hate the post office or just are too busy to get there you can actually have the boxes you need delivered to your home. Make sure you order the boxes about a week in advance because that is how long they take to be delivered. So you've made your sale and you've packaged your item. Now let's talk about shipping.
Print Shipping Labels from Home
Let's face the facts, going to the post office was fun when you were a kid but it is not anymore! The long holiday lines, the dreadful weather, the PO'd clerks that just want to go home and spend time with their families around the holidays. Well if you have a printer at home then you really don't need to make the trip anymore! Printing shipping labels from home is easy! When you arrive at USPS.com you'll see this exact picture in the lower left hand corner of their site. Just click on the Get Started button! You may need a USPS account to get started. This process is fast and easy. Just fill out the fields it requires in the step by step process and make sure you select the correct Priority Mail box that you are using.Free Pick Up
At this point you should have your items packaged and sealed and your label printed. Take some of that clear packaging tape to adhere your label to the box and you are ready for USPS's free pick up. Just follow the directions to set up your free pick up and a mail man will come to your home to pick up the package and send it out for shipping. Personally I use the smallest priority shipping boxes and have a really nice mail man, so I just put my boxes in the mail box with the flag up! Viola! You're items are out for shipping and you should be receiving feedback on how quickly the shipping was in 3-5 days!
