The Internet is a beautiful thing.
The world wide web allows many of us to make a living out of an ecommerce business.
Consumers all over the world now have direct access to a variety of international brands and products without the need for travel, import partners or cross border trading. 1980’s shoppers would be amazed at the opportunities we have in the 21st century.
But we still need to rely on old fashioned physical transport to make these ecommerce transactions happen.
An effective shipping strategy could be the difference between your ecommerce brand’s failure or long term success.
Ecommerce businesses are run profitably on the premise that any item can be shipped from one corner of the world to another.
The process of shipping heavy items can be the most-hated, most-costly and most-difficult operation of many business owner’s operation.
Finding the right courier, the right packaging and the right price are three critical choices ecommerce business owners confront when shipping heavy packages.
There’s never a one-size-fits-all approach to fulfilling oversized product deliveries. Here at Transdirect, we want to help your shipping processes easier so you can focus on growing your ecommerce business. We’ve prepared a list of the most important and useful tips you can follow to make posting heavy items simple, effective and painless.
Package heavy items well for optimal protection
Just because your item is heavy doesn’t necessarily mean it will be respected when shipped.
Unfortunately, not all couriers have the same level of respect for your packages, so prepare and pack your heavy item as carefully as you can to keep it nice and safe during the journey.
Some quick tips for protective packaging from the Transdirect team:
- Use cushioning materials (foam peanuts, newspaper, cardboard dividers etc). This guide to packaging from Ebay gives you some useful insights for choosing the right material for your product.
- Pick a small box. The smaller the box, the tighter the fit and the smaller the risk of your package moving around and breaking. This will also help your courier when moving the package, as the item won’t be sliding around in the box.
- Use high-quality tape or hot glue to secure the box. If you’re shipping a heavy item, you can’t risk the box opening at any point – glue that bad boy up and keep your items safe in transit.
Pick the right courier for posting heavy items
Not all couriers will ship heavy packages – keep this in mind when picking your courier.
Some couriers require you to post anything over 25kg in a pallet or crate. You can read about our specific postage requirements for more info.
It’s super important to remember packages over 25kg are a health and safety risk for the couriers who transport your packages. You can make their job safer by splitting your heavy package in two.
If you can split the package – adapt your shipping prices so you don’t bear the brunt of the costs.
Insure your heavy packages for peace of mind
Sending your products can be an emotional time – it’s your passion and lifeblood being sent around the country, or even the world. You want to keep your products safe at all cost. A problem can cause any number of anxieties and dramas, waste your time and divert your focus.
Package insurance is an easy way to keep your mind at ease when sending those heavy packages.
Different couriers have different transit insurance – this should be a deciding factor when you make your courier selection. Do your research in advance and build the insurance costs into your business model.
Transit insurance can cost a bit extra – but the extra expense is almost always worth the risk. By including an insurance option in your checkout process, you give your customers an extra option to protect their purchase. If you’re really set on including insurance on all your packages, look at absorbing the cost of insurance into your postage or product prices.
The right insurance is just one of six critical factors in an effective shipping strategy
Try out different couriers when you send your heavy packages and figure which alternative works best for your business. Transdirect gives you the choice of nine different couriers – and these couriers are the best in the ecommerce delivery business. Our courier partners will help get your package delivered on time and in one piece for the best possible price.
Learn more tips and tricks about setting a successful postage strategy by downloading our Shipping Made Easy guide.
