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Packing Questions
I know there are a ton of different ways to pack an order for your customer. Everyone seems to do it a bit different. I would like to hear your experiences and what works for you. And what works best for you as a customer.
How I do it now. I have 2 shipping options when it comes to First Class. Standard First Class and Custom First Class (they are not actually named this if you look, but I am going to fix that). First Class is standard packaging. Some lots (usually 10+ parts) are packed separately, other lots may be bagged together. I try not to pack too many parts into a single bag. New and used are never packed together. I have been doing it this way since day 1. It has worked. No complaints as far as I know. My Custom First Class is where I will bag each lot individually. 1 or 100+, doesn't matter. I just added this last week. No customers have chosen it as of yet. I did make the shipping bands a bit higher in cost for this and I'll tell you why...
In December, I thought I would test out packing each lot individually for every order for the entire month. I had 50+ orders between the 2 sites. So a pretty good sample size. It worked, I went through a ton of 1.5x2, 2x2 and 3x3 zip baggies though. What I found was, for larger orders (say 50+ lots), the extra weight from the baggies was making the order go above the shipping cost band the customer paid for. Not a huge problem, but throw in the extra cost for more baggies and possibly a larger padded envelope or box and there is quite a bit of extra cost to pack orders this way. I don't exactly track my packaging cost for each order, but I know that amount increased for the month. It just seemed like I was not making the profit I wanted to on each order.
As a customer when I receive orders, I do not expect each lot to be individually bagged. Its nice on larger orders, but not necessary for me. I do not like it when the lots are all stuffed into 1 bag. Not that I will give negative feedback for that, I just may not order from you again.
So how do you do it and what has worked for you?
How I do it now. I have 2 shipping options when it comes to First Class. Standard First Class and Custom First Class (they are not actually named this if you look, but I am going to fix that). First Class is standard packaging. Some lots (usually 10+ parts) are packed separately, other lots may be bagged together. I try not to pack too many parts into a single bag. New and used are never packed together. I have been doing it this way since day 1. It has worked. No complaints as far as I know. My Custom First Class is where I will bag each lot individually. 1 or 100+, doesn't matter. I just added this last week. No customers have chosen it as of yet. I did make the shipping bands a bit higher in cost for this and I'll tell you why...
In December, I thought I would test out packing each lot individually for every order for the entire month. I had 50+ orders between the 2 sites. So a pretty good sample size. It worked, I went through a ton of 1.5x2, 2x2 and 3x3 zip baggies though. What I found was, for larger orders (say 50+ lots), the extra weight from the baggies was making the order go above the shipping cost band the customer paid for. Not a huge problem, but throw in the extra cost for more baggies and possibly a larger padded envelope or box and there is quite a bit of extra cost to pack orders this way. I don't exactly track my packaging cost for each order, but I know that amount increased for the month. It just seemed like I was not making the profit I wanted to on each order.
As a customer when I receive orders, I do not expect each lot to be individually bagged. Its nice on larger orders, but not necessary for me. I do not like it when the lots are all stuffed into 1 bag. Not that I will give negative feedback for that, I just may not order from you again.
So how do you do it and what has worked for you?
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Comments
Similar sized parts will usually be bagged together as well; 1x1, 1x2, etc. I know that stacking is frowned upon so I try to avoid where possible, but as I deal generally with used parts occasionally I will 'soft offset' stack (so the parts will not be tight but will be together). This helps to maximize the packing space and prevents further moving around in transit. Minifigures usually have their own bag.
As a buyer I wouldn't insist on a bag per item or lot, partly for the environmental impact of unnecessary plastic, partly because I'd rather not have loads of them lying around, and partly because LEGO themselves don't do it in their sets!
I've never had negative comments regarding my packing, so I assume all is well with how I do it. If a customer has a particular packaging request then I will do what I can to accommodate them, otherwise it's how I've always done it.
I always make sure to bag my orders in a way where there's little/no chance of parts connecting during shipment. For example, I'll put a 4L bar in the same bag as a tile, but I won't put a Technic beam in the same bag as a Technic pin. My minifigures are ALWAYS in their own bag: one minifig = one bag.
I probably go a little overboard on the baggies, as I'll put smaller baggies inside of bigger ones (two 1x1 baggies inside one 2x2 bag or three 2x3 baggies inside a 4x4, for example). I feel like it keeps the order "cleaner" when the customer opens their package (two or three large bags vs. dozens of small bags), and provides a microscopic bit of extra padding.
I've never gotten any complaints with this method...some of my store's feedback actually compliments the packing!
From a buyer point of view, I prefer if my lots are bagged individually. I'm just going to reuse the bags for my store anyway, so nothing will be wasted. It also helps me double-check that the quantities are correct with a quick glance. My orders tend to have triple-digit quantities across a few dozen lots, so having them "pre-sorted" helps with the auditing and eventual storage. I actually had one seller seal my parts in plastic wrap instead of bags, which wasn't something I'd ever seen before (they still separated the individual lots). I'm...okay...with the "dump-it-all-in-a-bag-and-send-it" method some stores use, but it makes my sorting/storing/auditing harder.
As a seller I try to use the least amount of bags possible. Separating new and used. I don't put all pieces in one bag but have been asked to do so. One lot per bag seems too wasteful especially to buyers who have no need for lots of little bags. I saved all mine and used them when I started to sell. I have buyers who recycle the bags back to me for store credit.
None of this is perfectly strict though. If we get an order that only has a new minifigure and a used accessory, for example, we'll probably put them in the same bag. Haven't had any issues so far using this method.
Again we get many compliments on the packing of our orders so I assume we are getting it right or the buyers
Plastics are a major ecological problem, being ignored by the powers that be.
I'd love to find another solution