Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

When it comes to selling physical products, rather than intangible or digital services, one of the biggest thorns in your side can be arranging delivery. Because when it comes to packing up a parcel and taking it to the post office, the whole matter is out of your hands as soon as you hand a parcel over. Now it’s up to the delivery system to ensure you deliver, and for some small business owners, that’s just not enough!

So it’s time to get to know your delivery options as a home-based business. There are a few out there, and they have some prime benefits for a small operation like yours!

Rely on courier services

Courier services help to keep you in control, and there are a lot of benefits to using them. After all, you pick who takes the parcel, you pay for good care of your parcels, and you can keep your customers properly up to date on where and when their products are.

But these aren’t the only benefits. Courier services are often cheaper, thanks to using bundle prices and bulk shipping options. At the same time, a courier service saves time, because it’s direct, and it provides a very professional image for your company. A package delivered by a professional, brand named courier? That could work wonders for your home business’ image!

Get a quote

Of course, once you’ve scouted out your courier or any other third party delivery options, you’re going to need to secure the best price for your business. You can’t afford to spend a massive amount on shipping, especially if it’d be cheaper to make deliveries yourself, and thus, it’s time to get a quote.

Don’t worry; this is easy to do. Collect together the companies you’d like to work with, and then get in touch with them – any courier service worth its salt is going to offer quotes for you to base your budget off of, such as websites like https://www.shiply.com/us. Seeing as you’re a small operation, make sure the quote is just right for you, and see if you can negotiate it down a little.

Do it yourself!

And finally, you could always make some deliveries yourself. If you’ve got the time, and you’ve got the vehicle with enough carrying capacity, you could always make trips around your local area (and even beyond) if you want full control over your delivery service.

This is also a good way to ensure your products are kept in good condition, especially if you run a home bakery or professional kitchen – fresh food and goods have a very clear sell by, and damage in transit can occur very easily. So why not make a trip or two yourself, and present a caring and proper brand image for your home business?

Your home business is going to need to deliver some products, so get to know your options ahead of time, and always keep your budget in mind.

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.