Warehousing – Tips to Receive, Storing, and Shipping Your Inventory

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Warehousing – Tips to Receive, Storing, and Shipping Your Inventory

When should I consider freight storage for my business?


So, your product design has been approved and your supplier is all set for production!
However, he wishes to know where you want the products shipped and stored. What’s next?


Volume of shipment


First of all, take into account the volume of items you’ll receive. If you run a small venture and plan to receive a few boxes of products at a time, your parent’s garage or a local storage facility should work fine. However, if you plan to receive containers, pallets, or truckloads, you need accessibility to a loading dock in a dedicated warehouse. The good news is there are many third-party logistics facilities for small businesses in North America. These facilities
will receive, house, pack, and deliver your products on your behalf. By choosing a 3PL provider, you’ll have to pay a monthly storage fee and your variable charges to receive and ship your products. A majority of these providers offer their services to all levels of small businesses.

Identify key customers


Online vendors that ship directly to their customers can operate cost-effectively right from the garage until the volume becomes unmanageable. Small businesses that work with mass retailers, however, have to ship products on pallets. They must have access to a shipping door at their own warehouse or a 3PL facility. Choosing a 3PL is a better bet as such a facility carries experience working with the retailers that you want to ship your products to. As well as saving time, you’ll save yourself from financial penalties arising from improper shipment.
During the early phase of your venture, you must not overdo yourself. Even if you don’t need a 3PL service provider, it doesn’t hurt to start small in the space you own (such as a garage or a spare room). Once the volume picks up and time management becomes difficult, relying on a 3PL facility turns out to be a better option.


Selecting a storage location


Once you decide to work with a 3PL service, choosing a storage location becomes the next important step. Go for the best location to ensure your inventory gets stored without any issues. Your choice should be based on a balance between proximity to demand and proximity to supply. For instance, if you target the US market, you should store goods in various freight trade storage warehouses in the country. If a California resident orders your product, he will get it faster because you have a warehouse storage facility in San Diego that you’re using. This point also applies to users in other areas such as New York City as you could be using a warehouse facility near the city.


Consider your costs


The needs of each business differ from others. You need to consider various factors when deciding how your goods must be stored and shipped. Invest time in building different models to understand your costs. It should also let you know the opportunity areas for enhanced efficiency. Although choosing a solution that facilitates scaling is important, don’t overburden yourself. This point holds when you don’t have enough resources to grow your
business.

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