B104.12 - Outbound Mail, Package ,and Freight Handling |
As with inbound processing, outbound processing is a big deal to.
Sections below include:
Sections below include:
- Outbound Mail Processing
- Outbound Package Processing
- Outbound Freight Processing
1) Outbound Mail Processing
This needs to be automatic and robotic. Most people use snail mail less and less and as a result, this non-daily habbit gets forgotten by those who are busy. That is a real problem when it includes sending out checks for bills and invoices for accounts receivable.
Material and Equipment:
Keep it all in one drawer or one location. Order multiple return address stamps if you use them for other things like stamping receipts.
Process:
Sounds fundamental right? you'd be shocked at how difficult some people working solo make this little process. Typically, the items make it into envelops and those never make it to the post office. With mail slots, there's no intuitively easy way to set mail out for the mail carrier and that little "feature" futzs up a lot of people.
Material and Equipment:
- Proper envelops for your work. Self-sticking privacy are the basic envelop and after that it's whatever your needs demand.
- Self-inking return address stamp
- Stamps
- Postal Scale (optional)
Keep it all in one drawer or one location. Order multiple return address stamps if you use them for other things like stamping receipts.
Process:
- Do whatever needs to be done and stuff the envelop, making sure all relevant parts for the recipient make it in the envelop.
- Stage envelops somewhere where you an all others know they need to go out.
- If mail is not picked up, get it to a mail box!!
Sounds fundamental right? you'd be shocked at how difficult some people working solo make this little process. Typically, the items make it into envelops and those never make it to the post office. With mail slots, there's no intuitively easy way to set mail out for the mail carrier and that little "feature" futzs up a lot of people.
2) Outbound Package Processing
The shipping world has gone into pricing chaos as of 2018. Prior to that, it was affordable. Something transpired during that time that was not good.
Generally speaking, your Vendor options are:
Recommended Supplies
Designated Packing Area
Generally speaking, your Vendor options are:
- United States Postal Service (USPS)
- United Parcel Service (UPS)
- Fed Ex Air and Ground
- USPS Priority - Flat Rate - They provide bags and boxes and flat rate shipping for items that fit into those. it was very nice until the pricing skyrocketed about 2013 or so and again in 2018. At one point, reprinting labels was a little confusing. You can pre-purchase postage and drop boxes in the mail boxes if they fit, but when you do it that way vs dropping it in the post office, you don't (didn't) get a tracking number.
- USPS Parcel Post - If you bring an item in packaging other than the USPS Priority, it gets weighed and priced like the old days. For short shipments it's better pricing than UPS, but for cross country, it's gotten expensive.
- UPS - If you just walk into a UPS store and ship an item, it's damn expensive. If you setup an online account for your business, you typically get about 20% off list price and that use to make it reasonably priced. It's not that way any omre unless you are a volume shipper. Their online system for printing labels is a little older looking, but in general it is fast and convenient.
- Fex Ex --Having had a fed ex account at the same time as a UPS account, the pricing was a little more than UPS and in general, the website and the options weren't as desirable. There were more UPS stores around to drop off and having a UPS box to check made it more conducive for UPS shipping.
Recommended Supplies
- A good tape gun can't be beat (if you don't ship much, the packing tape on the small plastic holders can work too)
- A scale
- A tape measure
- If you aren't in the shipping business such that you don't have boxes around, always keep a few shipping boxes around (break them down to save space)
- Box Cutter
The scale and tape measure are required for prepaying for shipping
Designated Packing Area
- Designate an area for packing that is a minimum of about 2' deep by 3' wide. Kitchen tables and office desks can work but shouldn't be used unless there is no other option. Make space and do it right. If you do it on top of other items on your desk, invariable something that was suppose to go in box gets left out, or the tape gun falls over onto something important or something else...
3) Outbound Freight Processing
Shipping by freight (tractor trailer, train, bus, plane) can be surprisingly affordable. (until 2018).
500 pounds of metal art was shipped cross country on Amtrak for half the cost of UPS. (but all rates doubled in 2018...)
If you aren't in the business of shipping freight, it can take a while to figure out how it all works. Items that will add to your costs are 1) residential deliveries vs deliveries to business locations and 2) if you don't have a loading dock and if they have to use a lift gate, they will often add a fee.
Optional Equipment
There is more to share on this, but need to find those notes.
500 pounds of metal art was shipped cross country on Amtrak for half the cost of UPS. (but all rates doubled in 2018...)
If you aren't in the business of shipping freight, it can take a while to figure out how it all works. Items that will add to your costs are 1) residential deliveries vs deliveries to business locations and 2) if you don't have a loading dock and if they have to use a lift gate, they will often add a fee.
Optional Equipment
- Pallet Jack
- Dolley
There is more to share on this, but need to find those notes.