Dropshipping is as unique as you read. You can start a store within 30 minutes. You can earn money while traveling the world and even make $1,000,000 in your first eight months.
Dropshipping takes work. Shipping is one of the biggest things that takes effort and attention.
Dropshippers often find shipping a time-consuming and energy-consuming aspect of operating an online store. Dropshippers often ask us about delivery costs and other issues.
This post will cover 13 shipping tips to make your life easier and your customers happy.
Try out the shipping process by ordering your productsYou don’t have to call every variant for each item. Try to order one thing from each provider to understand how they ship.
Check how quickly your order is processed and your payment accepted. When the package arrives, look at it. Is it full of flyers and promotions? Check if your tracking number is working. The shipping information you receive with the tracking number from some suppliers could be more inspiring.
You can test the shipping methods of suppliers by placing a test order. This will help you determine the reliable ones to ship your customers’ demands.
Be sure to let your customers know the shipping timeframe
Set realistic expectations about ecommerce delivery today to avoid headaches in the future. Feel free to mention delivery times even if the time is extended.
Imagine your supplier told you it would take 20-40 business days to deliver the product. It might increase sales if you claim “Delivery in three weeks!” but it may also bring more emails into your inbox asking for refunds.
You might want to create a page with “shipping information” on your site that you link from the checkout or footer. The more transparent, the better.
You don’t want to have shipping information dominate your shop. It’s also not a good idea to tell people that shipping could take more than one month. Transparency will reduce complaints and refund requests.
If your supplier gives you an estimated delivery time, that looks something like this…
It’s better to write “14-35 Days” or “20 35 Days” than “7 35 days” for a couple of reasons:
A large delivery window might make shoppers more skeptical than a lengthy wait. A window of one month, such as “7-35 Days”, might be a red flag.
Your customers will probably be okay with your package arriving in just seven days.
Be sure to know the shipping time
It’s easier to tell your clients what to expect when you know what to anticipate. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell.
Estimates like “20-40 Days” are not very precise. Secondly, the information provided by suppliers is only sometimes accurate. For example, the shipping information from the same provider regarding the same order is here.
They guarantee 60 days. Estimate 20-40 days. Refund after 35 days. Um, okay?
It’s time to return to our first tip: order your products. Watch how fast orders are processed and how long before the items are shipped. You might see that a supplier says “7-35 Days,” but you can see it is seven days until the payment goes through and then another ten before the item is shipped.
You can also better understand shipping times by doing a first-hand…
Shipping questions? Contact the supplier
They will usually respond if you contact the supplier.
You can gauge the responsiveness of suppliers by contacting them. AliExpress has a supplier who is very responsive to shipping inquiries.
You should find another Dropshipping Company if you are still waiting to receive a response to your shipping questions.
Enjoy the slow shipping time
It’s easier to say than do. You can have fun being clear and transparent about the shipping time.
If you are in the yoga niche and your product may take several weeks, remind your users that yoga can help them develop patience. You can assure your customers that the sweaters will be just as cold once they come.
Shopify allows you to edit the content of automated shipping emails easily and which emails your customers receive during different stages of shipping fulfillment. Click “Notifications” in the Shopify settings, and change the most relevant emails.
You can edit the code by clicking on “Shipping Confirmation.” Do not be intimidated by the amount of code! You can select the code that is most relevant for your customers. If we were to change the example “yoga increases patience,” we could do so…
This is what I’m saying:
The paper trail will protect you against refund claims.
Use ePacket delivery
ePacket offers the most reliable shipping method – or at least, the most reliable one that costs little money.
ePacket, a way of shipping products from China and Hong Kong. It was initially developed as a partnership between China and US. Now, it is available for products shipped to dozens of countries, including Canada, Australia, and most of Europe.
You can see this sort of shipping breakdown with many products. If you combine speed and price, plus receive a tracking code – which is not always available with other shipping methods – ePacket will be the clear winner.
In “Settings,” you can choose ePacket as your default shipping method.
Even if a provider uses ePacket, the process could be much faster, especially compared to some more prominent ecommerce players. ePacket will be your best option, given the possibility of shipping chaos.
Ask your suppliers if they want FOB (Free on Board) shipping.
Flat shipping rate
Customers are often surprised at how much shipping costs can be when they reach the checkout. This is one of the most common reasons why they abandon their shopping carts. How you charge for shipping can determine your chances of making a sale.
Free shipping is often the best way to increase conversions. Some customers prefer to pay a little more for a product than to pay shipping.
Flat fees are a good option if you cannot afford free shipping. A flat rate for shipping every order is an excellent way to set customer expectations. Your customers will be able to calculate the amount they’ll pay immediately.
You could charge $3.99 to ship ANY order within the United States if it doesn’t include a heavy item like furniture.
Flat-rate shipping lets you be as upfront and direct with your customers as possible. This also eliminates the need to do some tedious calculations.
