Shipping woes and tips on avoiding them

[KnotsnKneedles]

It's what every etsy seller dreads.....a lost package! Yesterday I realized a rather large package had been misplaced by our postal system somewhere between Colorado and Arizona! PANIC! After my freak out I called the USPS customer service. That got me absolutely no where! Where I did find help though was to call my local post office and talk to the supervisor. She was able to find my package and get it moving again toward it's intended destination. *sigh of relief*
I know you can completely avoid shipping woes, but I can lessen the chances.

1. Don't ship large packages via USPS. Fedx is cheaper and more reliable.

2. When shipping smaller items USPS don't even bother with First Class mail use Priority. It only costs a little more. During busy times first class can get delayed. (Thanks Katie for this tip!)

3. Buy a postage scale so you can weigh your packages and have an accurate shipping estimate.

I'd love to hear more tips on avoiding dreading shipping woes.

[TCCTN]

That is a great tip about calling local post offices! I have always got a lot better answers as well as calling post offices locally.

And I believe Fed Ex labels are available for printing on ETSY now too!

I also would like to hear more about everyone's experiences and any advice as well!

[KnotsnKneedles]

I just bought a shipping label through Etsy. It was so easy and saved me money! I will be shipping this way all the time!

[TCCTN]

Yes! When I first started selling seriously I went to the post office to buy labels the 1st christmas one time I had to buy 30 ish labels in one transaction and I though the other customers were going to kill me! So I took some money I had made and invested in a good printer that ink refills were reasonably priced on. Best thing I decided to do! If you ship international ETSY is the way to go too! ETSY automatically fills out the info for you and it will put an electronic signature on it for you too! All you do is pay and print. Takes so much longer to manually put in the customs info at retail locations.

[Former_Member]

I just have to say that the two of you (Katie and Anita) are always so helpful and nice to others! That is so nice to see especially with so much craziness going on in the world. I love how you guys are so supportive of the Etsy community!!

[KnotsnKneedles]

Thank you, Julie! This is so encouraging to read this morning! I am apart of a few different teams but Simply Handcrafted is my favorite because it's more than just a place to promote my shop. It's my community. I know many of your names and shops and what you create. I like that!

[TCCTN]

Thank you! I really appreciate these sweet comments :-)