Small businesses often approach shipping packaging the way they approached it in the beginning — whatever worked at low volume — without revisiting it as they've grown. Here are the most common mistakes we see, and what to do instead.
Using One Box Size for Everything
Standardizing on a single box size feels simpler, but it usually means overpaying on materials and dimensional shipping costs for smaller items while cramming larger ones. A small range of sizes matched to your actual product mix pays off quickly.
Underestimating Shipping Damage Risk
What worked for local pickup or in-person sales often isn't durable enough for the handling that comes with carrier shipping. Products that seemed adequately protected can arrive damaged once they're going through a full shipping network.
Not Accounting for Dimensional Weight
Many small businesses price shipping based on product weight alone, missing that most carriers charge based on package dimensions too. An oversized box can cost significantly more to ship than a right-sized one, even for a lightweight product.
Waiting Too Long to Semi-Automate
Many businesses stick with fully manual packing long after volume has made it a bottleneck, simply because the current process "still works." Revisiting your setup periodically as volume grows avoids getting stuck there longer than necessary.
Ready to Revisit Your Packaging Setup?
Contact our team to talk through where your current packaging might be costing you more than it should.
