1.Buy Stamps in advance.
Many of the items that I sell are similar, CDs , audio tapes and books. Therefore I know exactly what the postage is for these items and I buy in advance a quantity of stamps for the various denominations that I use. I can then pack, stamp them and just drop them into the post box without the need to wait at the post office counter.
2.Get a set of scales
Certainly one of the really helpful tools is a set of postal scales. This not only saves you time by allowing you to pre stamp packages but it is also very useful when you list an item. You can quickly and accurately calculate the exact cost of postage for every item. This can save you making mistakes under estimate the true cost of posting an item or have to make a special trip to the post office only to find out how much it costs to post.
3. Buy packaging materials online
A thriving industry has grown on eBay offering packaging materials. This really is a case of selling spades to miners, but as a result of competition is very fierce in this field. This means that you can make big savings if you go to Category Business, Office and Industrial and saw Packing and Postal supplies. Also many of the major stationers such as Staples and Viking offer a good service 24 hours and often have some attractive special offers or gifts to make a better deal. Most offer free postage for orders over a certain amount is quite low.
If it is suitable for your products one of the great time savers is the use of padded envelopes. They come in a big range of sizes and thickness and are suitable for a wide range of products. It is much easier and quicker just to pop something into an envelope and seal it than putting something in a box, put in padding and using tape to seal it. Also these days padded envelopes can work out cheaper than other forms of packaging.
5. Hold a stock of Post Office Forms
These days forms control our lives and it is no different with the postal authorities. Normally if you are a regular postal user your local post office will be happy to supply you with a stock of the forms that you might need. The ones I keep handy are customs declarations, recorded International and national forms and supplies of airmail and fragile stickers. Completing these and applying them to your packages before you go up to the post office can save considerable time.
6. Use Rubber stamps
I also have a selection of rubber stamps with First Class Mail, Do Not Bend, Small Packet Rate, This saves the time rather than writing these phrases over and over again.
7. Pre print return labels
I will never send a package without a return address on it. Over the years that I have used eBay I have about 5 packets back to me because they were undeliverable for one reason or another. If I do not have a return address label on them and their contents would have been lost forever. You can of course order a pack of name and address of local label printer but I have found most effective is to use a plain sheet of labels such as Avery, the 65 labels are ideal for sheets and print them off as needed sheets at a time. I then just stick one on every package I send. And of course it also makes you look a little more professional with your packaging.
8. Select the time you go to the post office
There are always several times in a day or days of the week when your local post office tends to be busier than others. If you ask the counter staff I am sure they will be glad to notify you when this time is likely. Also they will also be able to tell you the times they expect to be less busy. If you are using this information you can save the time you spend in line at the post office.
9. Copy addresses from Paypal notification.
Whenever you get payment notification from Paypal it will contain the name and address of the buyer. I always highlight and copy this and using my labelling software I paste this into the label template this saves having to write or type the information in. I always print my labels on the AveryL7160, 21 labels to a sheet paper.
10. Compare prices
There is plenty of competition to ship larger items and it is worth comparing prices for the various shippers and couriers to get the best deals. In my experience with smaller items it is difficult to beat the Post Office but for items that need to be shipped fast or weigh over 2 Kgs (4 1/2lb) it is worth looking for the best deal.
