Online Shipping for Small Business: How to Set Up Shop and Ship It Out

Shipping is –– in my professional opinion –– one of the most difficult aspects of selling online. This is especially true for SMBs just getting started. Ecommerce costs can bring down your margins. Various companies want to sell you their services. Customers want to see same day shipping.

It is a lot to handle –– and few people get into the ecommerce game specifically for the fun of fulfillment. But managing that fulfillment process, likely from the comforts of your own home or garage, is very often part of the starting an online business process.

Nine Line, now one of the 5 fastest growing retailers in the U.S., began in their garage. Today, they have a massive warehouse, but it was only after an overflowing garage and a police raid a residential home they were using as a shipping center forced them to warehouse territory.

Man Crates, another one of the 5 fastest growing retailers in the U.S., has a similar story (just without the cops!). They also began in their garage –– using bet between a husband and wife to light the fire of getting the boxes shipped out ASAP.

If you are struggling in wrapping you head around this, you are not alone. That is why we sought out the leaders in the shipping space –– ShipStation –– to help us understand what you need to know to get shipping as quickly as possible.

In this guide, they will walk you through:

• How to set up an efficient warehouse flow right in your own home (if needed)

• All the supplies you need to start shipping now, and spend less time at your local office supplies store

• Everything you need to know about shipping rates –– and how you can get those costs even lower than you thought

• Common shipping mistakes, and how to avoid them

• How to know when it is time to hire additional employees specifically for fulfillment, or how to know when you can afford a shipping software to help the process along

• And finally, tips to evaluate and choose the right option for your shipping strategy

You are so close to launching, and that nagging feeling in your gut saying shipping is important is right. This guide has everything you need to know. And when it’s time to move on to the bigger leagues (i.e. warehouses), we’ll be right here for you with information on how to get to the next level of ecommerce shipping, as well.

Happy selling (and shipping).