Get to know your business contact in China through your legal counsel, in addition to doing your own research. Establish a very specific contract. With a business associate who resides in another country, it’s a good idea to employ more detailed terms than you might with a U.S. Associate, just to make sure everyone's in agreement.
Use your repeat customers to drive new business. One of the best things about repeat customers is they can help get the word out about your business. Inn at Seaside encourages their customers to leave reviews for their business, which they feature in their email marketing, as well as social media. This is a large-scale example, but any business can do something similar on a smaller scale. Collect feedback to identify the problem, work to solve it and then launch a “We Fixed It” campaign. Download our free customer loyalty success guide to learn how to drive customers back 2x more.
This article has been updated to reflect 2020 postage rates
Any e-commerce seller will tell you that it’s very easy to overspend on shipping. This is often not because sellers are careless, it’s because they’re unaware of the options available to them—and don’t have the time to learn. Let’s take a look at some common shipping pitfalls e-commerce sellers face, with alternatives and suggestions that can help you save money on shipping every day.
Flat Rate Boxes are a simple way to ship. If you can fit it in the box, it ships at the same price every time. However, before you adopt this method universally across all of your shipments, there are some cases where another option might be less expensive.
Alternative 1: Regional Rate Boxes
Regional rate boxes work very similarly to flat rate boxes. The only real difference is there are three weight tiers (compared to Flat Rate’s acceptance of any weight) and a shipping rate that varies based on the distance the package will travel (broken down by shipping Zones). USPS provides the boxes for FREE and if your shipment is headed to Zone 1-4, you’ll find this option can typically be cheaper than Flat Rate Boxes.
Below are some examples of when Regional Rate actually beats Flat Rate:
Comparison: Regional vs. Flat Rate (For packages up to 15 lbs.) | ||
---|---|---|
Regional Rate Box A 10' x 7' x 4 3/4' | Flat Rate Medium 11' x 8 1/2' x 5 1/2' | |
Houston to Miami | $8.92 | $13.20 |
New York to Los Angeles | $12.10 | $13.20 |
Dallas to San Antonio | $7.92 | $13.20 |