Starting a pack-and-ship store: what you need on day one

A pack-and-ship store sells convenience. People come to you because sending a parcel themselves means finding a box, choosing a courier, filling in forms and waiting in another queue. Everything below is about making that convenience real from the first day.

A counter people can find

Choose a spot people already pass: a busy street, near offices, markets or a bus stop. Make the sign readable from across the road and say plainly what you do: "Send parcels, all couriers". Inside, keep the counter clear and the waiting area short. A customer judges how you will treat their parcel by how tidy the counter looks.

The equipment

You need less than you might think:

• A computer with a browser. The counter system runs in it; no special machine is needed.
• A digital scale that is accurate for small parcels and strong enough for the heavy ones you expect.
• A label printer. A thermal printer is quick and needs no ink. Until you have one, labels can be printed on an ordinary printer.
• A receipt printer, or receipts sent by email or WhatsApp.
• A barcode scanner, which makes drop-offs and collections a scan instead of typing.

None of this should stop a sale when it fails. If the scale is off, you type the weight; if the printer jams, the label prints later.

Packaging to sell

Many customers arrive with a parcel that is not ready to send. Packaging is both a service and income:

• Boxes in three or four common sizes.
• Strong parcel tape, bubble wrap and paper fill.
• Plastic flyers for clothes and documents.

Sell them at the counter on the same receipt as the parcel.

The carriers you will offer

Customers will ask for carriers by name, and different carriers suit different routes and budgets. Offer a choice, compare their prices for each parcel, and let the customer pick between the cheapest and the fastest. In EviPostal you switch on the carriers you want and every one of them is asked for a price on every parcel.

Pricing that pays the rent

Your price is the carrier's rate plus your own markup. Decide your markup before you open: a percentage, a fixed amount, or both. Show the customer one clear total, and never guess at the carrier's price from memory: it changes with weight, size and destination.

Money habits from the first shift

• Start every shift with counted starting cash in the cash drawer.
• Record every sale, cash, card or transfer, on the system, not in a notebook.
• Count the drawer at the end of the shift and write down any difference. A small shortfall noticed today is a lesson; one found at the end of the month is a mystery.

Services that bring customers back

Shipping brings customers in once. These bring them back:

• Drop-offs: customers who booked online bring a labelled parcel for you to hand to the carrier.
• Held parcels: you receive parcels for people who are not home and they collect them from you, with ID.
• Mailboxes: a private box rented for a term, renewed before it runs out.
• Packing: you pack fragile or awkward items for a fee.

Paperwork

Register the business properly and keep your records from day one. Ask a lawyer or an accountant which registrations and permits your kind of shipping business needs, and ask each carrier what they need from you before they will collect.

See how EviPostal runs the counter on the shipping stores page.