I have found that the increase of online shipping in 2020 is asstounding. The COVID-19 pandemic has consequences that changed the way our entire economy works. We have not switched due to laws and regulations from shopping in person to shopping online much more this year. The shift in the dynamic has left many companies struggling to figure out what to do or how to do it.
This is a real issue in the business world and has created panic for many companies that are moving from brick and mortar to e-commerce companies. The reality is that they are lost or simply do not know how to scale their company in this way and it truly is a big change. But some of the things that are involved in this that actually have a big fiscal impact on a company are the shipping supplies side of the company. Where do you get the best supplies to enable you to ship your products online? This question perplexes many and tons of managers are finding out that they are spending way too much on products that they shouldn't be. So let us go over a few locations and what advantages they have and the disadvantages they also have.
The first place people always look for their shipping supplies is Amazon. Inevitably that will be the first google search and in reality, many companies never look elsewhere for the products either. Now for quick shipping and finding a product in a flash or for a small office purchase I usually use it myself. This makes sense for a few rolls of scotch tape or maybe even some printer paper. But for a large office or a company, the cost versus conveniences is not worth it. For the most part, this is going to be more expensive in the long run by purchasing from Amazon. This is because Amazon takes a cut of each sale and each company has to either increase their prices to do this or not offer greater discounts for bulk orders. So if you need 5 boxes to ship a few things. Amazon is just fine and is easy and quick. But if you are a company and will be shipping say 100-400 products a day this could cost you a massive percentage increase and cut into your margins.
So where should you shop? If you know you are going to be shipping regularly then you need to be buying from the source. I like packaging supply stores because they are not middlemen. They can offer products straight off the line and give larger discounts because the middlemen is simple not involved. They also can provide real advice on what you may need. You may be spending 5 times the amount you need to on tape or 3 times the cost on the boxes or bags you are using.
The discounts they can offer on simply purchasing the right products can be worth it and them giving real discounts on bulk products is even better. So if you are new to the industry or are stepping up your shipping game then this is the wisest choice for increasing your shipping efficiency and lowering your cost.
I hope this helps. I wish you the best of shipping and a safe year.
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