Never Set Foot in a Post Office Again

Posted by Ellie Jacobson on 2/15/10   |   Categorized as Etsy Tips,For Sellers

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by brainscan on etsy

As a mom of 2 little boys, under the age of 4, juggling the day to day “duties” for my business and motherhood are a constant struggle.  I hate to waste time, especially at the post office.

I’ve been at my Etsy business for about a year now and it’s taken me about that long to seamlessly integrate shipping into my day to day life so I don’t end up with a headache at the end of the day.

There are many options for shipping and what works best for you depends greatly on what you are shipping.  For example, I sell heavy pieces so flat rate Priority Mail shipping works the best for me so I do all my shipping through USPS.

by CraftyAnna on etsy

You can get all your supplies, boxes & envelopes for free and sent you to you from www.usps.com Click on “order supplies” and you will need to sent up an account but once that is done you are set to go.  I don’t have a large studio but I have enough room to have a table that serves as my “shipping department” and I keep all my shipping supplies
underneath the table and visible so I can see when I’m running low on boxes, peanuts, etc.

You can also print your postage right on the same website.  I like the batch shipping feature since many of my packages are the same weight so I just enter in the basic info and then enter in the customer’s info.  I cut and paste right from Etsy to make it go a little faster. The customer will also receive an email letting them know you are shipping their package.  You can store your customer’s shipping info in an address book which I like as well since I have repeat customers now (another time saver!).

by karaku on etsy

You can also print international postage as well and fill in all the info you would need to fill on a custom’s form which will print with your postage, another huge time saver for me. My favorite feature is scheduling carrier pickup.  I live in a townhome development so I wasn’t sure if this feature would work for me as our mailbox is a few blocks away but it does and it’s a life saver.  You can schedule a pickup up to 2am that day and you don’t have to be home.  I pretty much use this everyday.  I get packages
together in the evening when my boys are sleeping, set the packages out in the morning and continue my day being a mom instead of running around worrying about getting to the post office.

All Things are Possible by angelellie on etsy

This is all a free service and something I truly appreciate to help me juggle the demands of being a happy mom and a happy business owner.

  • http://www.mysticknotwork.com Matt Beaudoin

    Have you found a solution for International First Class? The International priority is usually 5 times more expensive, but the post office removed the 1st class feature. Right now, international mailings are the only reason I go to the post office. And that is generally twice a week.

    Aside from that wrinkle, you have a great plan, I hope everyone learns from you.

    Matt @ Mystic Knotwork
    http://www.twitter.com/mysticknotwork

  • http://grannyscraftattic.etsy.com Judi

    I am in agreement with you about using the USPS site. I buy my priority boxes, print shipping labels and purchase stamps. It is a great time-saver!

  • http://www.labebadesigns.com Irene

    This is great information, I do all of this already. The only time that is not convenient is when I don’t need to send my items priority mail. The mailman will not come to my porch to pick it up.

  • http://joannasphotography.etsy.com Joanna

    Similar like you- I do all my shipping from home and just drop of the packages at the mailbox.
    I have to say, I find paypal shipping system very convenient to use and it gives me just the options I need.

  • http://www.chickadeesigns.etsy.com Lindsay

    Wow! I wish I had learned of this sooner!! I went and found a post office farther from my house about 6 months ago purely because I couldn’t stand one of the postal workers at my local post office…that’s how much I hated going there! But now I don’t need to travel far afield or go to the hated post office! This is great!!!

  • http://andymathis.blogspot.com Andy Mathis

    I often use the multi-shipping option in paypal as well.
    It has some options, like parcel post, that isn’t available at the usps site.

  • http://www.angelellie.etsy.com Ellie Jacobson

    Matt..no I haven’t found an easy solution for First Class International (maybe endicia.com but there is a fee attached to that). I don’t ship too often first class because my items are heavy so priority is the way I have to go. Anyone know of an easy way to deal with First Class International?

    Lindsay..I totally understand..I hated going to one of our post offices because they were short staffed and it was a very busy PO, horrible experiences! I hope the info will help you!

    Irene..yeah I forgot to mention in my article they will not pick up packages if you only have first class..they will if you have Priority/Express which I generally do.

  • http://www.suepariseaupottery.blogspot.com Sue Pariseau Pottery

    Excellent article Ellie. I also ship heavy items, but unfortunately, they are frequently too large for flat rate boxes from USPS. Because of this, I frequently have to price my shipments a couple different ways to find the most reasonably prices. Smaller items go USPS while larger boxes tend to be more resonable through UPS or FedEx.

    I look forward to more informative articles in the future.

  • http://www.ubervu.com/conversations/handmadespark.com/blog/never-set-foot-in-a-post-office-again/ uberVU – social comments

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by StampGarden: My 1st article for Handmade Spark, great resource for crafters! RT @handmadespark Never Set Foot in a Post Office Again http://ow.ly/1oFfsa...

  • http://www.thestitchinchicken.com Cheryl

    I haven’t tried printing from PayPal, but I do use the priority mail function from the USPS. I usually just drop off my package on my way to work (not selling full time yet), but it allows me to drop right into the package box, before the PO is open. Great time saver, and no need to purchase supplies!

    Thanks for the article!

  • http://www.icarusbeads.com Judith

    For International First Class packages, I use the USPS Shipping Assistant in combination with stamps.
    It’s a piece of software that you can download onto your PC. You can select First Class International, fill all the details and can print the combined shipping label and customs form right away from there.
    It’s calculating the required postage and I stick normal stamps onto the package according to the calculated amount. Still a bit cumbersome, but it means that I need to go to the post office only every couple of months to buy more stamps with different values.

  • http://balanced.etsy.com Rach

    man, you folks in the states have it made!
    I’m jealous.

  • http://www.grahtoestudio.etsy.com Kim Sandberg

    Thank you for putting this out there! i just started doing this as well, although i am using endicia.com and it has helped immensely on the time and stress of shipping!
    Keep the good tips coming, you are appreciated!
    Love to you,Kimi

  • http://softshellbodyshop.etsy.com Shannon Rea

    I love using the automated postal center at my local post office. The regular line is always so long and they are very slow, but the automated machine is very quick and easy to use. I ship smaller packages, most by first class, and many by flat rate priority. I do not feel that using the paypal shipping saves me any money due to the large amount of printer ink and labels that have to be purchased, so for those who feel the same, I recommend looking for an automated postal center in your area. I can go to the post office at midnight if I choose! I did this during the holidays and it was so nice not having a hundred people shoved in the lobby! Better yet, its not my ink, and the labels are the right size for my packages, I am still hoping they will figure out a way to do international shipping on the automated machines, but at least most of my packages ship quickly and easily!

  • http://ArtSnark.blogspot.com ArtSnark

    I’ve used the USPS site & Paypal to print labels. I really like Endicia- http://www.endicia.com/default.cfm

    However it is not free which may put some people off. But it is super easy to use & will handle all USPS shipping options (including Intl. & customs forms).

    I often use my own packaging, print label & leave at the front door for carrier to pick up. Very easy.

    I know you can do this free at USPS site too, but for me Endicia is easier to use

  • http://thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com Gayle

    Question on International First Class Shipping.

    I’ve been reluctant to ship internationally, because I’ve heard you have to drop off at the post office. I currently use the paypal feature for printing my shipping labels and let my carrier pick up at my home.

    Can I do international shipping the same way I do my U.S. shipping and let my carrier pick it up as long as I have the custom’s form filled out on the label?

  • http://www.TheNightJar@etsy.com TheNightJar

    i wonder what the advantage to using Endica would be if you have to pay for it? Paypal is super easy, the label is already made for you and the fee is nominal -is the fee less than Paypal?
    USPS is also so easy but you do have to register info so i havent gone that way yet (too lazy) next time i run out of boxes i will register….but never go to the post office again (not with twins like i have!)

  • http://www.angelellie.etsy.com Ellie Jacobson

    Gayle~

    For first class international shipping you would need to drop off at the post office or use Endica (I personally have not used it). I pretty much use Priority Shipping for my international packages because of the weight of my items and those you can print through usps.com, and the mail man will pick those up as well.

    thenightjar: I’m not sure what the advantage is for Endica since I haven’t used it. I pretty happy with using Click N Ship through the usps.com since everything I need is right there (address book, batch shipping, etc) but maybe someone who uses it can chime in in terms of any extra features.

  • http://allaboutthefiber.etsy.com Barbra

    My items go from the weight of a sheet of paper to 6-7 lbs!!! But I have to be at the PO 3 days a week for my job and thankfully my guys are really nice there so it’s bearable.

  • http://www.prairieprimitivesfolkart.com Tana

    I’ve been using PayPal postage since it was first introduced — just guessing but that’s probably been 7 or 8 years now). In the beginning, I had to “train” the post office clerks about this concept. They thought it was just a label and so they tried to charge me the postage. Then I started carrying information about this feature with me and they (slowly) started to believe me. Back then, I even had at least one POSTMASTER deny my package because he didn’t understand the system (and I didn’t have cash or plastic on me that day so I had to return home w/o shipping!).

    The only time I’ve had issues lately with PayPal postage is when shipping international. The clerks at the post office I usually use think they should get all 4 copies of the customs paperwork. They don’t feel I should get one of those copies, and that if I want a copy, I can make an extra stop at a copy shop! It’s been a couple months since I’ve shipped international using PayPal postage but I believe that one of the 4 pages is labeled “Customer’s Copy” or some such …

    I’ve never used the home pick-up service because I live in an apartment and work FT away from home. There is NO WAY I’d leave anything of value sitting unattended outside my apartment!!!

    Oh, and to the person who said using PayPal postage was expensive due to the cost of LABELS, why are you buying labels??? I just print the postage on a regular sheet of paper and tape it on the box/envelope with clear shipping tape! Tape is super-cheap, paper is super-cheap. Not a problem! (Don’t tape over the large bar code!)

  • http://1of1jewelrydesign.com Chavon

    Thank you so much all of you for such a great post and great comments. The paypal shipping sounds like the best way to go! Convenience is key!

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