Despite the rise of e-readers and digital disruption, physical books are still a popular and high-demand product. Last year, US book publishers in all formats made almost $26 billion in revenue.

Despite Amazon being the most popular ecommerce site to purchase books, fast-growing ecommerce businesses are able to stay competitive by partnering with a third-party logistics (3PL) company. The right 3PL can offer the fulfilment expertise, technology, support, and infrastructure to grow your online book business. 

Ship books safely with ShipBob

ShipBob is a tech-enabled 3PL that works with ecommerce booksellers to fulfil and ship books safely, affordably, and on time. Our goal is to make the fulfilment and shipping process as seamless as possible, so you can focus more of your time and energy on growing your business. 

5 common challenges online booksellers face when shipping

Book lovers can’t wait to get a new books delivered to their door, but it can be a real disappointment if books arrive with dents, rips, or another form of damage. It’s enough to ruin the entire unboxing experience.

Here are some common challenges of shipping books. 

1. Books delivered damaged

Are your books arriving at a customer’s door damaged? Part of the appeal of reading a new book is to have it in pristine condition. The right 3PL will ensure that the book is packaged correctly with just the right amount of dunnage to make sure it gets delivered safely.

2. Expensive shipping rates

Ecommerce shipping costs keep rising every year. If it’s costing you more to ship an item than its value, you won’t make any profit. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce shipping costs, such as working with a 3PL that offers shipping carrier discounts. 

3. Unorganised storage and inventory

Without proper storage and inventory management, it can be hard to keep your ecommerce inventory organised with the right inventory counts at all times. Not to mention, unorganised inventory storage can lead to higher inventory costs.

4. Slow shipping speeds

Amazon originally started as an ecommerce store to buy books. Even though they’re now a marketplace that sells all types of products, books are still some of their best-selling products. Book lovers want their orders delivered quickly, so offering 2-day shipping can help you compete with major brands and marketplaces like Amazon. 

How ShipBob combats these challenges

ShipBob is focused on making the book fulfilment process as seamless as possible for you. As one of the leading 3PLs for ecommerce businesses, our focus is on handling fulfilment logistics so you can focus on other areas of your business. 

High-quality, customised packaging

ShipBob works with custom packaging partners to create an ‘unboxing’ experience your customers want. Unique, branded packaging makes your shipments more memorable, which can help keep your brand top-of-mind for future purchase decisions. After a positive ‘unboxing’ experience, your customers are more likely to return for a repeat purchase.

Carrier discounts

When you ship with ShipBob, you’re able to tap into carrier discounts with USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL. This reduces shipping costs and makes your business more profitable. 

A growing network of fulfilment centres

ShipBob offers a growing network of fulfilment centres. If you’re only shipping from one location, you’re limiting your business’s reach in key markets where your customers reside — and probably paying too much for shipping.

Working with a 3PL that has multiple fulfilment centres allows you to split your inventory across several locations. In turn, this puts your inventory closer to your shipping destinations, meaning more packages ship to lower shipping zones and therefore cost less for you and your customers.

Stop paying hidden fees

Some 3PLs are notorious for having hidden fees with their pricing. ShipBob isn’t like other 3PLs. With transparent pricing, you can calculate your monthly costs without having to worry about hidden fees. 

Here’s how ShipBob’s simple pricing structure works:

Receiving fee: Flat fee

We charge $25 for the first two hours ($35/man hour after the first two hours) for receiving and storing your inventory.

Storage: Monthly fee

ShipBob’s storage fees are monthly:

• $40 per pallet/month
• $10 per shelf/month
• $5 per bin/month

Pick and Pack: Included

For our customers, ShipBob includes the cost of picking and packing for the first five picks. Then you only pay $0.20 per pick for the sixth pick and after.

Standard Packaging: Included

ShipBob supports custom packaging solutions. However, if you don’t have custom packaging, we can use free plain boxes, mailers, tape, and dunnage used to pack orders. None of our packaging has the ShipBob logo on it, so you brand stays front and centre.

Shipping: Major carrier discounts

ShipBob has shipping discounts with UPS, USPS, DHL, and FedEx. The pricing for each shipment varies based on destination, weight, dimensions, shipping service, and more. 

ShipBob works with book suppliers just like you

With thousands of customers, ShipBob works with many ecommerce booksellers, from best-sellers to independent publishers. Click here to request a quote and learn more if we’re the right for you.

Common book fulfilment FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions related to book fulfilment and shipping.

Is media mail good for shipping books?

Yes! Media mail is meant for shipping books and other media. Here is a list of USPS requirements for Media Mail eligible products. 

What packaging is best for shipping books?

Cardboard boxes or poly mailers can be used to protect paperbacks and hardcovers. For dunnage, air cushions provide much-needed damage prevention.

What should I do with returned books?

Cardboard boxes or poly mailers can be used to protect paperbacks and hardcovers. For dunnage, air cushions provide much-needed damage prevention.

Conclusion

Even in today’s digital world, customers still have a love for physical books. If your ecommerce business is selling books, you’ll want to ensure they can be delivered in the cost-effective way possible and free of damage. That way, you can improve customer loyalty, increase profits, and continue to grow your business. 
Ready to partner with ShipBob. Fill out the form below to request a quote. 

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