Packaging

It's no secret, I mail ALOT of packages.  I typically ship a couple times a week and during the holidays it's almost everyday.  I wrap my pieces in polyfil, tissue paper and bubble wrap.  I take all my boxes to the post office and mail them first class with delivery confirmation. 

I have had a few people ask me why I still go to the post office and do not use paypal shipping.  For those of you who do not know, paypal shipping is where you print out your own shipping postage which includes a delivery confirmation and you can schedule a pick up of your boxes.  Customers then get an e-mail that their packages have shipped.  The postage would be about $1.00 cheaper per package for me to do it.

I have been shipping all over the world for at last 3 years now and have debated about switching over to paypal shipping in the past.  While many businesses use paypal shipping and it works well for them,  this is why I decided not to change how I ship.

- I would have to print my own postage and buy a scale...that would cost me more money and time (which equals money).

- That bright green sticker (delivery confirmation) has saved me quite a bit (especially around Christmas). The label I would print off doesn't get noticed as much and I have seen too many horror stories on how many times it doesn't get scanned.

- That bright green delivery confirmation sticker gets "accepted" and put into their system directly at the post office.  Meaning I have proof that the post office had/has my package.  I then get a receipt with an expected delivery date.  I also can see the package scanned every time it gets to a destination.   That does NOT happen when you print one from your computer.  It generates a number, but the delivery confirmation info along the way is not the same.  (My local post office person explained this one to me a few weeks ago.)  Remember before how I said that you generate an e-mail letting your customer know you shipped their package...have you ever gotten that e-mail and tried to click the link?  It typically tells you that there is no information at this time.  The only time it tells you anything different is when the post office actually delivers the package.  I prefer knowing where my package is...ever have a package redirected?  I have, and felt better being able to tell my customer that information. 

- I would still have to drive to the PO. I want less people handling my packages...I have seen way too many people post on their facebook pages a whole patch of packages go missing or not get picked up after scheduling a pick up. 

I am all about saving money, but for my my piece of mind and my customers piece of mind I would rather charge the extra $1.00.   

On a side note...the people at my post office (along with a few other post office's I frequent at times) are awesome.  (I only have a problem with one guy...he doesn't like the small size of my packages not to mention he is SLOOOOOWWW.  Whatever, I let who is behind me go to him if he is working and wait for a different person.)  They are super sweet and Lily LOVES to visit her post office friends.

{Lily last Friday all ready for her Pre-K Graduation.}