Money Saving Tips Businesses Can Use to Cut Shipping Costs

I was wondering whether or not to start shipping coffee beans from a really good coffee roaster that I know. I haven’t worked out the shipping costs yet, so when this guest post came through, I read it eagerly for advice.

If you’re setting up an online store, I’d suggest working your way through this article, too.

Weather it’s a person selling on eBay or a business that runs a complex supply chain, shipping costs are a cause for concern because it can account for a large percentage of a business’s operational costs. While it’s impossible to cut out this expense completely, there are things that business owners, both small and large, can do to save on shipping costs.

Find a Company That Works With Small Businesses

While there are lots of shipping solutions out there, not all of them cater to small business owners. David Kiger’s profile, who is the CEO of Worldwide Express, talks about the need for small companies to find advanced freight and shipping options that will help them reach their goals.

This becomes even more helpful when small companies start trying to ship overseas. Advanced freight and shipping services help protect small businesses by keeping them informed about international shipping and customs laws that they might not have otherwise known.

Avoid Guesswork of Shipping Costs

Another problem that small companies have, especially for those that are just starting out, is that they never know how much shipping they will be doing. They don’t know the size, weight or the shipping cost.

Not knowing this information turns out to be an added expense later. The result is that companies often overpay for shipping because they aren’t really sure what the price should be. Removing the guesswork from the equation can save a lot of money.

Use Shipping Tools When Provided

Some companies try to figure out what shipping will be by themselves. However, many shipping solution providers offer free online tools that they can use to help determine the cost. These providers offer the tools because they want to draw in more business by being as helpful and upfront as possible.

Most of the online tools will help companies calculate their shipping costs for both international and domestic shipments. Other tools allow them to track shipments, print forms or even standardize addresses.

Watch Those Hidden Fees

When shipping internationally, there are a number of fees that companies might not be aware of and that end up hurting their businesses. For example, export compliance and proof of delivery all come at an added cost. Additionally, taxes and customs duties alone can often amount to nearly 30 percent of the total shipping fee on international shipments.

It’s important to know which party is responsible for paying these fees because it can affect the bottom line of a business.
While all of these tips are good, the only way for any of these tips to be helpful is to do the research to determine what the appropriate costs will be for the business’s shipping operations. Understanding these costs will help companies like yours more effectively manage the pricing, the budget, and profit margins.

How did you manage to control your shipping costs, especially with items that were unexpected by you or the client?

Useful Resources

Screencast: How the Shipping Cost Calculation Works in  your WordPress eStore

YoutubePayPal Shipping Calculator

Buzz: Trading Concepts – Can you make money on E-Mini?

Since 2007, Linkworth has been providing me with regular reviews for some time now, and now I’m looking at a website that aims to help traders perform much better in the stock market. The website is called Trading Concepts, Inc. and you can find the URL at www.tradingconceptsinc.com, and aims to teach investors how to trade on a daily basis (daily trading), as well as options and futures for the emini market.

Who is Todd Mitchell?

A search on Google also brought up the fact that this company run by Todd Mitchell had been trading since 1994. Todd Mitchell has been providing study-at-home courses and training in trading since then. So he is a veteran in the ‘teaching sells’ market online. You can listen to his introduction on MP3 (link removed).

trading concepts

Traders Need Concepts, right?

Given the highly volatile nature of the markets that this website is focusing and the potential risks for traders in these markets to lose all of their investments, creating and marketing a website that helps to teach investors about these markets seems like a great way to make money.

Since this website’s purpose is to make money from teaching, customers are expected to purchase a membership which now costs $2,495 $1,795. While the website claims that this is quite inexpensive compared to other courses, I can’t verify that claim. I do know that workshops and seminars can be QUITE expensive. The real question is: Is the course WORTH $1,795?

Is the price right?

When you order this set of courses, you will receive:

  1. “…a 250 + page Comprehensive Manual,
  2. 4 Professionally Shot Video Tapes (50+ page manual),
  3. 3 Hours of Professionally Recorded Audio CD’s (50+ page manual),
  4. FREE Unlimited Phone/E-Mail Consultation,
  5. FREE Unlimited Access into the Members Area of your website and
  6. A FREE Day Of LIVE Market Training.

It’s clear from the list of items that the key lies in WHAT information the books, videos, and CDs contain, rather than the quantity of such information. A trader who’s trading daily and looking for an edge may decide that the price offers great value for money.

With courses that promise to unveil the techniques it’s difficult to find exactly what inside information or techniques they are selling but the website offers a number of pages that can help: Exactly What Is The S&P 500 Futures Market?, Trading Links, and there are some short articles that can help point you in the right direction:

  • 20 Survival Skills For The Trader – The road to Trading Success is never a straight line
  • Exactly What Is The E-Mini/S&P 500 Futures Market
  • Trend Trading vs. Counter-Trend Trading
  • Traits Of A Successful Trader/Investor
  • Glossary Of Trading Terms

If you are interested in finding out more, Todd offers a free sample of his materials that can help you evaluate whether the product is suitable for you or not.

Conclusion: Experience Counts For Something

Todd clearly has a lot of experience in the marketplace, and has been offering his products online and offline for more than 13 years. In a here today/gone tomorrow internet world, this offers a certain amount of confidence to the trader or investor who is looking for solid, verifiable experience in what is otherwise a very risky market.

This post has been sponsored by Trading Concepts, Inc. via. Disclaimer: I currently do not trade options, futures or e-minis myself.