Don’t do what I did — a Logistics Checklist your Online Shop
Test your shipping logistics. I learned the hard way after receiving an unexpected last minute holiday order. In a scramble, I filled the order after spending $80 on shipping and using a 6 ft PVC pipe as the ‘box’. Below is a checklist to help you avoid what I did.
Shipping Logistics Checklist
Review your packaging.
How does the customer know who the package is from? Do they know what to do when they get it? Do you have to pack it a certain way. Know these answers below you go live.
Ship it once.
Are you picking FedEx, UPS or USPS? How much does it cost? Even if your online store helps buy the shipping label, a dry run of shipping it is easy to do and worth it.
Run the numbers.
Did you factor in shipping costs in your margins? Are there ways you can save costs. Don’t just accept the numbers. Look for ways to save! (e.g. Etsy offers discounted shipping).
If it’s live, be ready to ship.
Don’t make the same mistake I did. If you make it live, someone will buy it and you will have to ship it. Be ready when that order comes in or pay the price in chaos.
The Story behind the lesson
Late summer in 2021, Carsia, Hutch and myself set out to build a better yard game set for a game called BeersBee (aka ‘Polish Horseshoes’). We make our sets bigger (6 ft vs 3ft), and make them out of wood (vs plastic). We launched the new business in 11 days after our first prototype with an online shop.
The initial orders were local making shipping a non-factor. But then, 2 days before Christmas, we got our first order that had to be shipped. Chaos ensued but we delivered.