When coming to sell something online, other than shipping cost, what else that we need to take care? Any idea? Please comments. Thanks
- for own product -> of course you also have to take care the production too. one thing you have to concern when your business is growing is services. if you are fast response, easy to contact and always give the best services, your customer will loyal. Sometimes if you don't have a time for this, you can hire people to do this - affiliate (ex : amazon) -> none - dropshipping -> none
Other than the shipping cost that UPS or USPS will charge the shipping materials can add up in cost. Consider time and gas to travel to the Post Office. You will also be charged fees on collecting the shipping money so will need a cushion. Consider insurance and delivery confirmation as well as it will protect you against chargebacks and damaged items.
Of course the production : cost, time of production, quantity, quality control. Warehouse : where to keep, how long to keep, the safety Selling: shipping,it's cost, time and others
Should also consider if you want to insure what you're shipping (if it's worth that much) - or if you want to have the buyer cover the insurance costs
Depending on your budget and costs and volume there are companies you can hire to package and ship your product they are often referred to as fulfillment companies and most larger cities have these around. You would still have to handle the charges, costs, returns the fraud and everything that goes along with it.
Selling a physical product isn't much different than selling an electronic product. The biggest difference is just the shipping side of it. For both you need to ensure you have good customer service, know the product well, etc. Shipping can sometimes be a pain the tail-end but I still prefer selling real products over electronic products for various reasons. The biggest reason is the fact that people aren't so skeptical for whatever reason based on my experience. They buy the product, once you give them the tracking number they know it's on the way and you usually don't hear much from them once they receive the product. In an electronic product where you make moneyback guarantees and bogus promises about products, they often will call you out, request a refund, you are out a product and the money all in one. People are just more shady about that type of thing it seems and are always wondering if they got a good deal, and will tell you if they get the "buyers remorse". With tangible products you don't see that from your buyers.
Customer service will be a high priority when selling a physical product. I'm not saying that it isn't a priority when selling digital products, but you're factoring in the whole process of actually making sure the physical product arrives safely, and that your customer is happy. I've sold a wide variety of tangible products on eBay for years, and I must say it can be quite time consuming just making sure that the whole sales and delivery process goes smoothly. Good luck with your sales! Kevin
Customer service can be one of the biggest expenses. I use a help desk and direct them there when someone responds to tickets, but they will still call you, email you, and even send physical letters asking questions or just checking on orders. If the items merits it, you definitely want order tracking. Customers will often ask for a tracking number, and they don't mind paying a little extra for tracking.
These are some very important points to sell online: Initial Research Listing Your Art: The Title Line Minimum Opening Bids and Reserves Timing Your Auction Displaying Images of Your Art Describing Your Art Customer Satisfaction
Charge back is a real issue especially when you are accepting paypal. From my experience, some customers will request a charge back immediately they get the product. This can take away your profit.
I think returns are an area that many people overlook. Whether you're selling camping accessories or kitchen sinks, the reality is that you will occasionally get returns, no matter how well made your products are. So factor in the costs when doing your initial projections.