So you’ve got your storefront revamped and your storage organized – what next? Sales, of course! When an item sells, you need to ship it, and I’ve found shipping can be a huge time-sucker if the process isn’t streamlined. I’ve been selling online for almost a decade now (wow~what a realization!) and I laugh now when I look back at my very humble beginnings. I was so clueless! The process of selling each item used to take me forever, but thankfully over the years I’ve been able to perfect a few methods and shipping is one of them.

If you have the luxury of space, I highly recommend that you establish a dedicated shipping area for your business. This makes the process go much more quickly, and it’s easier to set up an assembly line to prepare multiple shipments at once. Because I sell a wide variety of items and not just clothing, I have more needs in my shipping area. Packing peanuts, foam wrap, tons of boxes, etc. If you are selling all or nearly all clothing, you will be able to have a much smaller setup.

Here are a few pictures from our shipping center (in an unfinished section of basement):

This is an unfinished wall with pegboard screwed into the wall studs.  As you can see, this area could use a little tidying up, but it certainly serves its purpose.  The re-arrangeable pegs make it very easy to expand to meet changing needs.  We use this space to store tape, priority stickers, customs forms, measuring stick, storage bags, etc.  On the shelf below (again, this was attached to the wall studs) are shipping scales and a jar of pens.

Next, one of the best shipping tools we’ve ever found – foam wrap.  My dad cleverly hung these bars from the ceiling to hold these huge rolls, keeping them up and out of the way, and very easy to roll out directly into boxes or around items.  Honestly, I think this is my favorite part of the shipping setup.  These rolls come from a local shipping supply company and they are 6 feet wide, but they will cut them down for you in any length you specify.  I use 12 and 16 inch boxes most often, so I’m able to have foam wrap in exactly the right width!  (PS – 3 printers on the table, all need a new home – in case you’re looking )  The table underneath was purchased inexpensively at a yard sale and it makes the perfect place to wrap packages!  The height wasn’t the most comfortable for extended use, so we recently purchased risers to bring it up to a better position.  That makes a BIG difference during the Christmas rush, when you spend a lot of time packaging!

This last picture is of shelves used for box and polymailer storage.  This is only about 1/3 of the length, but my camera battery died so I had to snap quick pictures on my Blackberry and it’s hard to get  good ones that way.  At the end of the shelves is a box of packing peanuts with a scoop.  We buy non-static peanuts in huge volume from our supplier, and the bags they come in are taller than me – not ideal!  I find it more manageable to have a smaller portion out at a time, and a box is easier to work with than a bag.  One day I’d love to have an overhead dispenser, but ceiling height in the basement isn’t ideal for a system like that.  As you can see, this section holds primarily priority boxes.  On the other (non pictured) end of the shelves are the boxes we purchase in larger sizes.  Those all stay flattened, but I try to keep a few priority boxes already assembled for convenience.  In busy times, that comes in very handy!

Again, I know that this type of setup won’t work for everyone.  If space is tight and you can’t keep a permanent shipping area set up, I suggest you consolidate supplies in a basket or bin.  In the past I have used a large wicker basket to hold my tape dispenser, stickers,  customs forms, etc, and this basket sat on a bookcase.  It’s easy to pull out when it’s time to ship, and keeps your work area tidy as well. 

If you don’t have a big room, don’t sweat it.  Most of us don’t!  Just because you don’t have a large space available doesn’t mean you can’t do something similar.  You can hang pegboard on the inside of a closet door, for example, to accomplish the same sort of storage system as I have pictured above.  Maybe you don’t have space for a table, but you could still hang a shelf on the wall.  And boxes definitely don’t have to be assembled in advance – you can easily save space by leaving the collapsed boxes standing on edge.

Finally, I find it easiest to create an assembly line for packaging and shipping.  Our process is to print out all of the orders, package them, then print all of the shipping labels.  When packaging, I enclose a packing slip and card, seal the box, and write the buyer’s last name on the outside of the box, where the shipping label will cover it.  I then weigh and measure the box, and write the weight and dimensions of the box on the order form.  Boxes can then be set aside to await a label.  Once I have this done for all of the shipments that day, labels can be printed in bulk from Paypal, USPS.com, Endicia, or FedEx, and I match them up to each package by last name.

This is what works for me!  What works for you?  I’d love to hear how you handle the shipping process, and what ideas you might have to help us streamline and regroup.  I said I’d perfected a system, but of course that isn’t true – there is always room for improvement!  Let us hear your thoughts, and you will be entered to win an office organization kit!  Also, don’t forget to check out yesterday’s post and leave a comment for a chance to win there, too!

Filed under: Better Selling Techniques, Organization and Storage by BellaBuggy
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William Blake once said, “I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s.”  I believe this to be true. In my house, this means that if I don’t create a system, my husband will throw it away!  If you have a similar problem, or if you’re just tired of sorting through piles looking for what you need, or tearing through the house trying to remember the last place you saw something, then grab a cup of coffee and read on my friends.

In my opinion, neatly stored inventory is one of the most important parts of my job.  Without this order, every aspect of my business would suffer.  Shipping times and subsequently shipping stars would be affected, which would impact my performance rating with eBay/Amazon.  If you want to be a top-rated seller or a featured merchant, you have to bring your A-game!

I believe the first place you need to clean house is online, in your storefront.  Assess your store layout and categories.  Are there enough?  Too many?  Do you have everything you need, or are a large number of items falling into an ‘everything else’ category?  Buyers need to be able to find your items before they can purchase, so make your store as easy to navigate as possible to encourage multiple sales.  Once your store is organized, it provides a guideline for the physical storage of your inventory.

I have my stores divided differently based on what I’m selling, but for this article I will focus on clothing.  My clothing store sells both new and previously loved items, as well as loveys and personal odds and ends.  I divided the clothing categories into boys and girls and broke them down according to size.  I did not separate new and used items, as I’ve found the majority of my buyers to be more concerned with size than tags.  My storage bins are labeled to correspond to the store categories, making it easy for me to locate a sold item according to size and gender. 

I was fortunate enough to find some awesome collapsable, heavyweight nylon storage bins on mega clearance at Target several years ago.  They have been a Godsend!  They fit together very efficiently, can flatten for storage when they are empty, and are the perfect size for my closet shelves.  The best part?  They were under 50 cents each!

Our current home was new construction so I was able to have closets built to my specifications for inventory, but this DOES work for existing closets – I’ve done it in the past!  The wire shelves can be purchased relatively inexpensively and they are easy to install, I promise.  If you purchase from Lowe’s, they will even cut them to length for you so all you have to do is get out your screwdriver (Important – do not have them cut to the exact length of your closet! Leave yourself at least an inch or two of wiggle room or else you’ll damage your walls in the process!)  Do not install your shelves until you’ve purchased your bins!  As you can see from the above picture, I was able to maximize my usable space by having shelves built to snugly fit my containers.  I have 6 rows of bins (plus floor storage) in this closet alone!

Definitely check your local stores to see if you can find a great clearance like I did.  I also strongly suggest that you estimate how many bins you will need, and then purchase at least 25% more than that.  You will not regret it!  I find it is easier to have a standard system as my business expands – if you need to purchase more storage later it won’t match and might not fit as well.  Also, and maybe this is just my own hangup, but once I have something looking good, I want it to stay perfect.  (Think Flylady and her shining sink!)

A few containers I found online that might be promising:

Kmart clearance – great price!  I’d snap these up; at this price I doubt they’ll last long.

Target – wide selection Target has a lot of good options – I particularly like the Itso’s and the RiverRidge 2-pc set.

Also, I couldn’t find them on the website but I purchased some great, inexpensive plastic bins from Walmart recently as well.  I’m using them in my daughter’s closets to expand their shelf usage, and they were around $4 each.

Another lesson I’ve learned is to package my items before I store them!  I used to put the clothing loose in the bins, and I wound up with this:

Lesson learned – not fun.  I now buy inexpensive, non-ziploc gallon size bread bags (I can get 100 for $1 locally) and I place each item or outfit in a bag before putting it in the bin.  I do not seal the bags at this point; I prefer to leave them open for one last inspection before shipping, just in case I missed a flaw or a spot.  Not only does this keep my bins in order, it keeps the clothes folded nicely and the pieces together as well.  Presto! – No more overflowing bins.

If purchasing new storage containers isn’t in your budget right now, all is not lost.  Consider using cardboard boxes until you can invest in something more permanent.  This is a great way to recycle and re-purpose!

I definitely understand that a system like this might not fit in your space.  Large Rubbermaid tubs can also be used, and they can stack neatly in a corner or a closet.  If you are going to use this method, I suggest that you label the outside of each container with masking tape so you know exactly what is in each.  Also, consider using cardboard dividers inside the containers to make sorting through sizes a faster process.  Finally, consider drilling small holes in the containers to allow for airflow.  Over time, clothes stored in a closed container can become damp and/or develop must and mildew issues.  I know I have received items with that yucky storage smell on them and it is not pleasant.

Some sellers use hanging racks for their clothing.  You might find that this works well for you.  I personally do not care for it (except for a select few very special items) as I find it restrictive in space and in ease of sorting, and I don’t like the clothing to be unprotected for any length of time.

One last storage suggestion I have is clear plastic drawers.  I have two sets of these that I use for blanks for my design business:

These work out well for my needs and I am happy with them.  However, they do have some drawbacks. 

•  They are expensive.  At around $20/set, these can add up quickly.
• They don’t hold much weight without the drawers sagging and not closing properly.
• They don’t hold much, period. You get more useable space with traditional bins.

For those reasons, they would not be my top pick for organizing all of my inventory.  However, they do come with rolling wheels, they can fit together to be stacked, and they are pretty easy to pick up later so you wouldn’t have to buy everything up front, you could expand your system over time.

For a point of reference, the system I am using, including storage bins and extra shelving for 2 double closets, cost less than $100 total.  Yes, it is an out of pocket expense, and I know those can be hard sometimes.  But, it is also a tax deductible business expense.  Consider it an investment in the success of your company – you won’t regret it!

Finally, I promised a giveaway.  Leave a comment here telling me how you organize your inventory, how you plan to organize, or how you’ve been living in disorganization!  Whatever your situation, we’d love to hear about it.  One lucky commenter will be chosen at random to receive a yummy assortment of hot drinks for cold days, courtesy of Garden Party Teas.  Additionally, every comment this week will be entered in a drawing for an awesome home office organization package that I think you’ll really love!  Drawings will be held on Friday, 1/8/10 at midnight EST, so be sure to get your comments in to be eligible! 

The fine print: GPTeas package to be awarded based on comments on this post only.  For the office organization package, only one entry per person, per post – each member can enter up to 5 times by commenting once on each post this week.  If you’d like an additional entry, you can post on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, your website, etc and link back to this post.  To receive an additional entry for spreading the word, please leave a comment showing where you linked.

Whew!  And now, with the details out of the way, I hope you’re inspired to tackle your storage issues and maybe win a few prizes along the way! 

Oh, and one last thing.  If you decide to tackle a makeover project this week, might I suggest you take pictures along the way?  Documenting your before and after will be immensely satisfying for you, and it might even come in handy in the future… (hint, hint!)

Filed under: Better Selling Techniques, Freebies, Giveaways and Prizes, Organization and Storage by BellaBuggy
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Here I am, getting ready to use it! Sadly, you can see my lovely wrist bands in this picture.My arm bands repell bullets, of course…but what you don’t know is they also dispense packing tape.

Funny, photoshop “officially” calls it a MAGNETIC LASSO. My faux pas! I’ve always called it Magic, and it seems so magical to me!! Here’s a tut that explains it much better than I ever could. She copies and pastes hers, I drag mine. BTW, I have CS3 and you do it the same way…it’s just my lasso is in a different place.

Filed under: Better Selling Techniques, Tips and Tricks by Rebecca
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