Hello amazing women entrepreneurs of the e-commerce world! Today, let's talk about an aspect of the business that often goes unnoticed: shipping costs.
Having been through the thick and thin of e-commerce, I've seen how the thrill of international sales can quickly turn into dismay when faced with shipping challenges. Picture this: Your $30 product, a solution for pet health issues, is being shipped from Canada to Australia. Your loyal customer, anxious about their pet's health, pays a whopping $70 for expedited shipping. But, alas, the product arrives late! Who gets the blame? Sadly, it's usually the seller. And in many cases, this means refunding that hefty shipping fees.
Sounds stressful, right? It is, especially when it starts affecting your bottom line. However, every challenge has a solution. For us, the game-changer was discovering late delivery guarantees. Most carriers will refund for packages delivered later than promised. Can you imagine? Such a refund can counteract any refunds you might have to give to your customers.
Even now, it surprises me how many e-commerce businesses aren’t aware of this. And the savings don’t stop at late delivery refunds. From my experience in the Canadian market, where shipping fees are notoriously high, we discovered multiple other ways to save on shipping.
Make sure to keep track of all your shipped packages. If they arrive late, claim a refund. Consider automating this process because doing it manually can be cumbersome and prone to errors.
Be careful! Printing a label doesn’t mean it's free. If for any reason you don’t use a label, ensure you void it in your shipping software to avoid being charged.
Always file a claim for lost packages. Carriers usually include basic insurance for such occurrences, and you should make use of it.
This represents the space a package takes up, not its actual weight. Make sure your packaging is as close in size to your product as possible. An unnecessary increase in box size can bump up your shipping costs significantly.
Implementing these strategies helped me save substantial amounts on shipping costs. If you're keen on diving deeper into this, check out the link I've provided in the podcast description. It’s packed with more details and tools that can help you streamline this process, making it nearly effortless.
Remember, every penny saved on shipping can be reinvested into your business, be it for marketing, hiring, or other growth avenues. It’s all about smartly reallocating resources!
Finally, if you've found this information useful, I’d be super grateful if you could rate, share, or subscribe to our podcast. Let’s empower more women in the e-commerce space and help each other grow. Until next time, keep hustling, keep inspiring, and keep pushing boundaries! 🚀🌍📦