The cross-border packaging and delivery process may seem simple, but it is a blind spot that is prone to mistakes. For many sellers, there are many areas that need improvement. Many sellers have switched from Taobao and Tmall to cross-border e-commerce, so they continue to use the previous packaging and delivery methods, simply thinking that the cross-border transportation distance is long and the packaging must be stronger. Regardless of the goods, they are all packed in cartons. This method is not reasonable and can even be said to be relatively simple and crude. In fact, packaging and delivery are very particular. If done well, you can get twice the result with half the effort, save time, effort and money. Otherwise, you may work in vain or even lose money.
To do a good job of packaging and delivery, you should consider the following issues.
(1) Selection of packaging materials
There are many types of packaging materials, which usually include bubble bags, document bags, bubble columns, pearl cotton, bubble film, cartons, etc. The selection of packaging materials is not random, and the following considerations should be made.
① Materials should be selected based on the characteristics of the goods, such as the form of the goods (solid, liquid, etc.), whether they are corrosive and volatile, and whether they need to be stored away from light.
② Packaging materials should be widely available, easy to obtain, low-cost, recyclable, degradable, and pollution-free to avoid polluting the environment.
③ Packaging materials should effectively protect the goods, so they should have a certain strength, toughness, and elasticity to adapt to the influence of external factors such as pressure, impact, and vibration.
④ The grade of the goods should be considered. The packaging materials of high-end goods or precision instruments should pay great attention to appearance and excellent performance. The packaging materials of mid-range goods should pay equal attention to appearance and practicality, while the packaging materials of low-end goods should focus on practicality.
(2) Freight generated by increased weight of packaging
International freight is generally charged in units of 0.5kg. The first 0.5kg is the first weight, and each additional 0.5kg is an additional weight. Usually, the cost of the first weight is higher than the additional weight.
Sometimes, if the weight of the packaged goods just exceeds the standard of the additional weight, an additional 120 yuan shipping fee will be required. After all, most cross-border sellers are small and medium-sized sellers, and they mostly face overseas end customers. There is no doubt that controlling the weight gain of packaging is also a direct beneficiary for customers, and it is naturally an important part of improving customer service experience.
Under normal circumstances, it is ideal to control the weight gain of the packaged goods within 10%~20%. If an additional weight freight fee is incurred due to the large weight gain of packaging, customer service personnel can consider changing packaging materials, reducing the weight of the filling material in the package, and choosing other logistics methods to control logistics costs.
(3) Packaging efficiency
Packing efficiency is directly linked to labor costs, which directly determines the seller’s profit and the delivery time of the goods. It is also a reflection of the seller’s improvement of service. Therefore, cross-border e-commerce sellers should work hard on the packaging process and methods. Commonly used tools to improve packaging efficiency are as follows.
①Label printer
At present, most international freight is shipped in small packages and various dedicated lines, and the shipping labels of these channels are mostly 10×10 (cm) in size. Many new sellers do not have many orders. They can use ordinary laser printers to print A4 paper labels, then cut and trim them, and finally paste them with transparent tape. When the orders gradually increase, you can purchase a label printer to print labels in batches quickly and paste them directly with adhesive tape. Otherwise, the efficiency is too low, which will not be worth the loss.
②Weighing scale
In the field of cross-border e-commerce, the calculation of international logistics freight costs often requires “calculation”. The calculation of international small packages is even more accurate to grams, so the choice of weighing scales also needs to be accurate to grams. It is recommended that sellers give priority to purchasing weighing scales with USB input function. When there are many orders, this type of weighing can directly input the weight into ERP through USB, avoiding manual filling, reducing errors and improving efficiency.
③ Barcode scanner
The current barcode scanner can also be used in conjunction with the ERP system. You can scan and know whether the goods have been shipped or not, and which channel they have been sent through. The use of barcode scanners is not only convenient, but also can greatly reduce delivery errors, improve delivery efficiency, and have evidence to verify.
In addition, there are air column inflators, rubber strips and rubber strip cutters, utility knives, scissors, cartons, paper cutters, etc. Materials can help improve packaging efficiency, thereby saving labor costs and increasing profits.