Order fulfillment is a huge responsibility when selling books on Amazon. It's hard enough to get a system down where you've got to be buying shipping supplies, picking books from the shelves, packing orders, printing postage and getting the orders to the post office. Obviously, it is a necessary evil for any online merchant. Don't you wish those pesky buyers would just give you the money and not expect anything in return? :) Successful online booksellers also have to provide exceptional customer service through prompt answers from potential customers as well as followup questions from previous customers. Fortunately, Amazon customers typically require little hand-holding but you will still get various questions and issues that need addressed and one of these issues is non-delivery. Here are a few tips I have used to prepare books for shipping that minimize non-delivery issues.
1. Pack books tightly in a box or bubble mailers. Things can fall out from their packaging when traversing the trucks and conveyor lines of the USPS. Always leave as little space as possible inside whatever medium you choose so the book cannot move around. It needs to be snug. I use Royal Mailers for everything.
2. Seal the packaging well. Again, you don't want anything falling out of your packaging along the way. Always seal mailers with an extra strip of packing tape even if they have a self-sealing adhesive flap and ensure all boxes are sealed tightly with packing tape. How about considering the book burrito?
3. Use USPS delivery confirmation (DC). A book can go missing for a number of reasons. Always use delivery confirmation to track when the item was delivered. It eliminates nearly all problems right off the bat. Even though delivery confirmation is a few cents more it's worth it. However, always buy it from an online postage vendor like Endicia. It's MUCH cheaper than going to your local PO.
4. Choose the most cost effective and timely postage. Expedited orders should be shipped USPS Priority Flat Rate envelope Standard orders should be shipped USPS Media Mail if over 7oz else First Class International orders should be shipped either First class international or Priority International
- First Class International for lightweight packages or packages being shipped to Canada or Australia (if in the US)
- Priority Flat Rate international if the book is heavier
Even after you have carefully packed the book, chose the right postage and promptly shipped the book what if you still receive a "Where is my book?" question?
1. Apologize and inform them of the delivery confirmation number that you had used and a link to the USPS's delivery confirmation page. 9 times out of 10, this will end the conversation before it begins. It is excellent proof where the book is in it's journey to the customer. Unfortunately though, the USPS states that DC is not supposed to be used for actual "tracking" of your package. They simply state that it will be updated when the book is delivered. This is why you will occasionally see DC numbers stating that "Electronic Info Received" which means they just know that postage was printed from an online postage vendor.
2. Confirm the address it was sent to. I have seen a handful of times where customers have changed addresses since the last time they bought from Amazon. This means that the book is sent to the wrong address. If this is the case, inform them where you have sent the book and ask if that is the correct address. If not, they will need to wait if the PO forwards it to their new address or wait until it comes back to me. At that time, the order will be refunded and they will have to order again with the new address.
3. Check to make sure the customer has a legitimate complaint. Check your ship date and what shipping method they chose. Expedited orders should be expected within 2-6 days while Standard orders can take up to 21 days. Are they still within this time-frame or is the book considered late? If it's still within the Amazon-specified time-frame, inform them of this with reference to the DC number. If it's late, don't argue just refund promptly and forget about it. Ask them to let you know if the book ever shows up and to either send it back or purchase it again.
4. Inform the customer of possible places the book may be. If the DC number doesn't show any useful information or it is showing that it was delivered offer a few suggestions. Could a family member or friend may have picked it up and forgot to tell you? Do you have mail delivered to a box in an apartment complex? Perhaps it couldn't fit in the box and the landlord has it. You get the point. You're trying to tell them that you have fulfilled your end of the bargain and offer friendly suggestions at the same time. When you get non-delivery questions from customers reference these few tips and above all else KEEP YOUR COOL! No matter what the circumstance, there is no reason to be rude or disrespectful to any customer regardless the reason they are contacting you. Offer calm, helpful and courteous service to them and maybe you just might get a repeat customer in the future.
!!BLOG NEWS!!
I'm happy to announce that I have added a voice-mail line. This will be used for numerous activities I hope to get going in the future and also provide another method to give me feedback and ask questions. If you haven't got on lately I'm trying to get you guys more involved! The response to the forum has been great and I hope that the introduction to the voicemail line can be another great asset to this blog! It will open up another channel for your feedback and, if you give me permission, I'd like to share some of your experiences via audio. Feel free to call me with your stories, successes, failures or whatever you'd like to talk about. Access the service at the "Call Adam" link at the top of the main page.
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