Save money on postage
Ecommerce and online markets have changed everything, including the way small businesses use and pay for the mailing and shipping services of the major carriers.
Discounted postage stamps are available to everyone online. You don’t have to own a business to qualify for online postage and shipping services. But the more you mail and ship, the more time and money you can save. These savings are available at some major carriers’ websites, as well as online shipping services like PitneyShip.
Let’s look at a few ways you can help your business save on shipping costs with online postage.
Ship it like an ecommerce expert
You don’t have to be an ecommerce expert to save on postage and shipping. Online, brick-and-mortar, spare room or garage, savings are available wherever you do business. Online merchants, however, have led the way.
First, they understand that when it comes to shipping the cost is only one factor to consider. Shopping online is all about customer experience, and an important part of that experience is how a product is delivered. That’s why it’s always a good idea to start with a shipping strategy that will both save you money and please your customers. Some things to consider:
- To charge or not to charge: Decide whether you want to charge for shipping (that’s one way to save on postage). Or whether to enhance your customer service offerings with free or flat-rate shipping.
- Packaging choice. Selling the same items consistently? You should package it consistently. Carriers such as USPS®, UPS® and FedEx®, offer free packaging, although some online stores like take advantage of the branding opportunity and used customized packaging. Whichever way you go, don’t over-package. Choose the smallest, lightest package type for your needs.
- Standardized shipping: Once you’ve chosen your packaging you can ship with consistency, too. PitneyShip takes care of this for you with pre-sets based on size, volume, etc. that help standardize your shipping process and costs. Carrier’s like USPS now offer rates by package dimensions (DIMs) and with balloon-rate for lightweight large-sized packages.
- Bulk mailing: It’s not all about shipping packages. You have marketing to consider, too. USPS offers stamp and postage discounts to mailers who use postal barcodes. PitneyShip technology prints the codes for you and can offer even more discounted rates.
Find the right online postage service for you
Now that you know you can save on postage by purchasing it online, where do you start? Who offers the most savings?
USPS and UPS both offer special services and rates to small businesses on their websites, but it does limit your options to that one carrier. Online shipping services provide even more savings and offer all your carrier and service level options in one convenient platform. Here’s how much you can save with PitneyShip:
