{via Pocket Carnival here} 

Once, when I bought some fabric online, the parcel travelled all the way from America to Australia covered in only a flimsy paper envelope with no further packaging. Fortunately it arrived unscathed, but it could have been a WHOLE bunch worse – think ripped envelope, dirt, rain…

I wrote to the seller (who had only just started on Etsy) and politely encouraged her to be more careful in wrapping her orders. She was grateful and gracious, and said she had been thinking about exactly that problem, and was intending to make her packaging more secure and waterproof. So, no harm done and problem solved.

Sadly, many new sellers start out doing exactly this kind of thing, trusting the postal service to treat their parcels like fine china. Now, the postal service are pretty good most of the time, but THEY’RE HUMAN. And they deal with THOUSANDS of parcels every day. So if you’re a small biz, and you want your lovingly handcrafted goods to arrive in top condition, make sure your packaging is up to the task.

 

Not only does your packaging have to protect your goods, it is also another avenue for you to express the personality of your business.

 

1. Choose the wrapping to suit its purpose, AND your brand.

Your brand is your business. It’s what makes you different from everyone else. Your branding is your attitude and aesthetic approach, which should be reflected in every aspect of your business. Is your aesthetic clean and modern? Wrap your parcels in plain white tissue, and finish with silver ribbon. Shabby chic? Wrap it in soft blue, finished with a bow in floral ribbon and/or string. Crafty? Wrap it in brown kraft paper and tie with baker’s twine. Straight forward and practical? Finish your plain package with a printed sticker or a stamp featuring your logo.

Your wrapping can take many forms. Depending on your item, it can be as simple as tissue paper, or it can be as fancy as you like – wrapped like a gift. BUT please don’t go over the top. Excess packaging is wasteful of resources. It is also expensive and adds weight to your parcel, and hence adds to your postage cost.

You can spend time making your own packaging, or if you like you can you can buy strong, light, pre-made boxes and more from suppliers like PackQueen.com.au (a wholly Australian company, run by women!).

 

2. Your business card.

Nothing looks cheaper than a piece of paper with your biz details printed on it, shoved in the package with the product. And believe me, it gets chucked in the bin. There are plenty of excellent professional printers out there – you can get great cards you design yourself through Saltprint. They’re a wholly Australian owned company, based in Brisbane; I use them and I’m very happy with the quality of mine. Or you can go Vistaprint, or Moo (they’re both multinationals, and the quality is different).  And only ONE card in each parcel, please! Unless of course it is your special aunty/fave cousin/best friend – your casual customer won’t be into carrying those spare biz cards around with the intent of building your empire – again, they end up in the bin.

3. An invoice

Another essential is an invoice (unless your customer has specified that this is a gift). It helps you keep track of things, it helps your customer keep track of things – especially if it’s a business expense for them.

 

4. Care instructions

If your item needs special attention to keep it in tip top condition, care instructions are always a great idea (remember your customer doesn’t know your product as well as you do).

 

5. Surprise bonuses

Depending on the value of your product, you might also like to include something extra – bonus product or a sampler, a discount voucher on their next purchase, gift tags, fridge magnets and more. Make it useful, and your customers will thank you! For large orders, I include a handmade greeting card or two, which also has my details stamped on the back – the bonus for me is that the card gets passed along, WITH MY DETAILS. If you’re an artist, you could do the same thing with a postcard featuring your artwork.

 

Got all that?? Here’s a checklist.

• Fragile items need to be packed carefully. Use protective wraps such as bubble-wrap, padded envelopes, corrugated cardboard.
• Flat items need to stay flat. Pack photographs and artworks between 2 sheets of heavy cardboard.
• Will it be damaged by water? Wrap in a clear plastic sleeve sealed with tape, or put it in a zip-lock bag.
• You can make it look pretty, but excess packaging adds postage weight and expense.
• Include  a business card. It’s essential.
• Include an invoice. It’s also essential.
• Care instructions – if they’re necessary.
• Bonus extras. If you do, make them useful to your customers! And bonus brownie points for you if it’s got your biz details on it. 

 

This list is by no means exhaustive! There are a bazillion (I swear that’s a real number) ways of presenting your product, and beyond the practicalities of packaging your product securely, you are limited only by your imagination. Get to it!

 

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Do you sell online anywhere? I would LOVE to hear your tips for packaging your product. Leave me a comment below, with a link to your small biz too!

Cheers, Julie

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Disclaimer : tractorgirl partnered with PackQueen on this post. But rest assured I only ever share things I believe in, and think that will be genuinely useful for you!