Jump to content
jmik26

Shipping Baits the Cheapest Way?

Recommended Posts

How do you guys ship your baits out? I was going with UPS but the prices are a lot higher then USPS. It seems that USPS flat rate boxes and envolopes are the way to go? I just want to make sure I am offering the best option to our customers. Any help, stories, or ideas would be greatly appreciated.....Jeff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff,

Between 2 businesses, we ship over 1000 packages a year USPS. The service is really pretty good, and if you are shipping to mainly residental addresses, by far the least costly. Also, if you use Priority Mail the shipping containers are furnished at no cost to you. With that said, I would recommend looking at USPS.com. I would use delivery confirmation on every shipment. If you print your own shipping label there is no cost for this on Priority Mail, and it is discounted on 1st class and this gives you a way to track the shipment. Are there problems with shipping USPS? Sure, but I could tell you some real horror stories about UPS and FedX as well.

Ben

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we first opened our shop up here in Nova Scotia we used UPS to have baits shipped to us from the states.Not anymore as we were totally taken back at the amount of duty they would charge coming across the border.Now we ask our suppliers to ship using USPS...what a difference in shipping costs.When it comes across the border using USPS we pay a flat rate of $5.00 for duty and % 7 GST on the $ value.Now we know what to expect and so far the USPS service has been great.

Sammy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had one problem with USPS losing 2 packages of Ebay items that drove me nuts. Even though I had delivery confirmation they did not refund the items which I could not replace. At first I told myself I would never use USPS again. Then I started shipping stuff out UPS and shortly realized it was costing $3 to $5 more a package to get it there 2 days later? Now Im back to USPS.

I have recently went online and ordered all the stickers, boxes, and delivery confirmation stuff for free which is a bonus. I went with the flat rate boxes just to make it easier for the customers and myself.

Thanks for the input guys, just wanted to make sure I'm on the right track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Using USPS flat rate envelopes/boxes + click-n-ship is a no brainer to me!!! You get free delivery confirmation as previously mentioned AND a free online address book so when you ship to previous customers, you just click to submit their address. The great thing is you can access that address book from anywhere you are!!! Rates are great and in 4+ years, I have not had a lost package!!!

Makes it easy for accounting also as you can print out your postage use for the month as well...

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, 2marshall8 said:

Yeah the price on a pack of baits is cheaper than flat rate shipping. It’s around $7.65 to $8.05 for the shipping, so if yur only selling a single pak of baits yur margins are super low . 

Maybe you could figure out the minimum order that you can ship and still make money, and have that as a minimum order for free shipping.  I've seen that on other sites.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, 2marshall8 said:

Yeah the price on a pack of baits is cheaper than flat rate shipping. It’s around $7.65 to $8.05 for the shipping, so if yur only selling a single pak of baits yur margins are super low . 

Then go first class in a padded envelope. The cost will be around $5.00. And maybe take a day longer for delivery

Link to comment
Share on other sites

USPS has screwed up plenty of our orders, but they are still the best way to go with large numbers of small packages & envelope type stuff. 

We ship 3K  to 4K  packages & envelope's a year. Small flat rate for over 13oz is the best. Most of my padded envelope's are around 5oz, that cost is 2.65.

Don't think we could stay in business shipping small packages thru UPS. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How much are you paying for your padded envelopes? If you’re mailing those first class USPS isn’t giving you those padded envelopes for free, correct ? I think most of my orders will be under 13 ounces due to the way I’m marketing my baits and so that $2.65 Cost per package is really attractive. I Just wanna make sure and understand how you’re keeping shipping costs that low And if there’s anything else hidden that’s raising your actual total shipping cost to more than $2.65

 

thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, R Glover said:

My wife said that USPS charges an average of 3.00 now got a 5oz envelope. The 11oz one that we shipped today cost 4.25,  prices varies on what part of the country that you are shipping to.

yah those margins are super tight if yur only selling one pack of baits. this makes it hard for small time bait making to make a sale and crack a profit. tough industry indeed :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just charge the customer for shipping. If you are selling one pack of baits, after deducting plastisol, color, scent, flake, heat stabilizer, cost of molds and equipment,  electric, and your time has to be worth something, there is no way you are going to make a profit if you pay shipping. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/31/2020 at 10:49 AM, Driftwood said:

Just charge the customer for shipping. If you are selling one pack of baits, after deducting plastisol, color, scent, flake, heat stabilizer, cost of molds and equipment,  electric, and your time has to be worth something, there is no way you are going to make a profit if you pay shipping. 

I think there is a lot of assumption here regarding charging more for selling baits and this might work if you have an established customer base who buys from you regularly. If you are like me and starting out with tons of competition, I'm forced to bring down my prices to make a sale. I just sold a pack of baits on ebay for $4.99 today. I thought I had bought the correct packaging to put my item into the large envelope category. The dimensions were correct but there was a bulge in the middle of the envelope so it wasn't an even surface across. So they categorized it as a package and I was charged $4.65. If I had spread out the baits into a package which kept them even across and stayed within those large envelope dimensions:

"The maximum size for large envelopes is 15" x 12" x 3/4" thick. The maximum weight for large envelopes is 13 ounces."

I would have been charged $2.00, drastically helping my margins.

I'm going to return these 6x10 padded envelopes to amazon and look for an padded envelope which is close to that 15x12x3/4" thick allowing me to spread out the baits more evenly and stay within their required dimensions to bring me into this large envelope category.

 

 

Edited by 2marshall8
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...


×
×
  • Create New...
Top