Ready to ship your finished tees to your buyers?

Here are my helpful tips for small business owners getting ready to send their goodies out the door. Of course, there's no hard and fast ONLY way to ship, but just things I wish I knew when I started out (some of the links below are affiliate links):

WHERE TO PURCHASE POSTAGE: Do not go directly to the post office. Do Not Pass Go and save your $200, ha! The price is WAY higher in person at the USPS counter. Instead, ship with PirateShip. It's free AND you get discounted rates. You can import your transactions from Etsy, Shopify, and more. I *think* if you ship through PayPal you get the same discounted rates as well? Some of the Shopify plans also have discounted rates. But PirateShip has always been my go-to. Ahoy, matey!  

LABELS: When just starting out, a lot of people use their regular printer, and sticky labels like these. But when you start doing a lot of business, check out thermal printers, like Dymo 4XL or Rollo. They use NO ink and NO toner. Mind blown! They print 4" x 6" sticky labels, and you can even print smaller labels on them too (for barcodes, etc). I've had my Dymo for years and am waiting for it to conk out so I can get a Rollo (I really want the flat stack of labels instead of a roll, for some reason) but it just keeps on going. I used the Dymo-brand labels like a total rule follower until it was out of warranty, but looking back I wish I had gone straight to the generic labels from Amazon that I use now. I haven't had any issues with them. 

OTHER SUPPLIES: I fold shirts with my handy folding board (because my free-hand shirt folding skills are horrible) and place them in a clear cello bag with a thank you sticker that has my logo on it. For shipping one or two shirts, and other lightweight non-fragile items, I ship in 10" x 13" polymailers NOT boxes. The rates for soft packages are much lower than cardboard boxes. You may want to double-bag your polymailers to protect the clothing inside (especially if it's not already in a bag). 

If you do need cardboard boxes for large orders, or fragile items, check out the USPS's website. You can order free Priority Mail packaging and boxes (make sure you use them only to ship Priority Mail). Compare rates for flat-rate Priority Mail, as well as "Regional A" and "Regional B" boxes. 

Weigh packages with a scale to get the lowest USPS rates based on the exact weight. I have a small scale that weighs up to 3 pounds, and for larger shipments I use a heavy duty scale that can weigh up to 400 pounds. I haven't been able to find the perfect scale; something that can weigh from 1 ounce to hundreds of pounds. If you find one, let me know! 

FREEBIES AND FILLERS: Buyers love finding extras in their packages; scrunchies, little candies, or cute nail files, stickers, handwritten notes, and more. Check out our assortment of thank you gifts here.

Finally, when your order is ready to go, see if your address is eligible for free pickups from USPS! Schedule the day (or more) before and they will take your shipments from you. No more trips to the Post Office!