Well, if you've followed my first three chapters, you know how I got started in the online used book business, where to buy books, how to grade them, and what to expect, in terms of turnover. But how do you get the books to your customers?Fortunately, most book selling venues provide a shipping allowance. The amount varies, depending on the type of shipping the customer chose at checkout. The majority of customers will choose Media Mail. But a few will choose Priority. For Media Mail, you will need to have padded envelopes on hand, so once you're shipping more than 10-15 books a week, it's better to buy these in bulk. There are plenty of shipping supply sites online, and many offer a discount if you buy in bulk. Priority Mail envelopes are provided by the post office. These, of course, cost you nothing, which is great.
In the beginning, you'll probably take your packages to the post office to be stamped and mailed out. But at some point, as your sales increase, this will become too cumbersome, especially around the holidays. That's when it's time to look into stamping the envelopes yourself from home. The U.S. Postal Service offers a service called Click-N-Ship, where you print your own postage. And Pitney Bowes offers shipping meters which can be loaded by phone. You weigh your packages, print the shipping labels, and drop them in the neighborhood postal box. Easy!
Two words of caution. One, package your books carefully. If necessary, add a strip of tape to the envelope to be certain it stays tightly closed. Second, make sure you stay on top of the shipping. It's easy to let it get ahead of you. Try to ship all packages within 24 hours of purchase. That way customers are happy and leave you good feedback. And remember in the world of online book selling, feedback is king. Coming soon...Chapter Five