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Pack Carefully If an item arrives broken or damaged, you'll have to replace
damaged item or refund customer's money. If you replace, you'll incur costs of additional shipping and handling.
Pack at least two inches of filler material around each item. Use more if items are delicate. Place your items in robust boxes. For international shipments, seal your packages with pressure-sensitive or water-activated tape.
Negotiate Better Rates Once you have an established relationship with your carrier, negotiate better rates for shipping and handling. Tell them you're comparison shopping for best prices. You'll get their attention if you're a regular customer. You can pass savings along to your own customers. Be sure to present your good S&H rates as a benefit.
Check out Competition Try to discover S&H rates that your competition is charging. If you can come in under their price, you'll want to make sure your customers know savings they'll enjoy by ordering with you.
Reward Good Customers Offer a discounted price in S&H to customers who place large orders or to customers who buy regularly. One online company, for example, offers 15% reduction in shipping and handling costs to customers who make a monthly purchase for four consecutive months.
Pick Best Payment System Shipping companies typically offer a variety of payment methods. You might choose among pre-paid shipping, online purchasing or payment by credit and debit card. Your businesses' bookkeeping system will influence your payment decision.
Avoid Overnight Shipping If possible, avoid overnight shipping. Be sure your employees are aware of costs associated with overnight shipping so they don't promise overnight delivery unless necessary.
And lastly, if you are taking orders over Internet, your customers have come to expect order tracking to be available. Consider adding that feature to your web site. If you're outsourcing, you might add a link to your service's web site. ================================================ How to Write Business Plans, Business Proposals, JV Contracts, Human Resource Package, More! No-cost ebook "Beginners Guide to Ecommerce". Business Writing by Nightcats Multimedia Productions http://www.nightcats.com ================================================
June Campbell is a self-employed writer. Her work has been published internationally in a multitude of print and electronic publications. Prior to making a career change in the mid-nineties, June spent close to twenty years working as an addictions counselor and clinic director in Canada.
