What are you waiting for? You got your first order, so let's package stickers! Your packaging is the first thing your customer sees when they open your package. Do you want them to be amazed? Or do you want them to struggle? There are two common types of packaging for e-commerce customers. Plastic is the best option if you have an item that needs protection from water or other liquids because it's waterproof, but it comes with a high environmental cost. Paper products are cute and cheap, but not as durable.
Packaging your stickers for Etsy is about keeping them safe in transit and making them memorable on opening. We've got a few ideas down below to help you go the extra mile while staying affordable and speedy. Check them out.
Can't I Just, You Know – Mail The Stickers?
Slipping some stickers into an envelope sounds so easy. Throw a stamp on it, and you're good to go. Unfortunately, you'd be missing out on a huge marketing opportunity if you just put some stickers in an envelope and left it at that. Sure – this is the most eco-friendly option. But it's not necessarily going to win you back any customers.
There are a few different components to mailing that can help you retain customers. First – the outer package. If it's minimal and has some nice design elements, like it's easy to open – your customers will love it. If you use a giant box to ship two small stickers, your customers may get annoyed with you. Similarly, although it's very green to reuse packaging, you risk confusing your customer if you use packaging with a big box brand on it (like Amazon or Walmart).
We recommend using a simple A6 envelope for mailing 3″ stickers or smaller. Larger stickers may need an A9 envelope. You can still purchase tracking with these envelopes on Etsy, or on your own through Stamps.com or other retailers.
Should I Decorate My Package With Stickers?
It can be hard to turn a profit on small items like stickers. Yes, their profit margin is great, but the overall order total tends to be small. This means that you can accidentally eat up your profit with packaging bells and whistles if you're not careful. Stick with simple packaging.
You should consider customizing your envelope or poly mailer for the biggest bang. The other thing to keep in mind is scaling – you want whatever you do with packaging to be quick, so that you can package and ship 50 orders as easily as 5. This means that manually applying something every time will get old – fast.
I would not recommend decorating your package with stickers. Instead, use patterned envelopes or customized poly mailers to get your branding on your packaging in a consistent way.
Do I Need To Package Stickers With A Backing Card?
Should you just send the stickers naked in an envelope, or should you attach them to something? I know I had a hard time making this decision with my own sticker business, Nonbeenary Designs. There's not a lot of information about this choice out there online. Backing cards can add $0.02-$0.10 per order if you're not careful.
I use backing cards for my stickers for a few good reasons:
- They include my branding and social media handles on them. This makes it slightly more likely that a customer might give me a follow after a purchase.
- They keep stickers safe during transit. If they're not attached to something, they can get caught or bent in the corners of envelopes.
- They're easy to use for retail stores and in-person events too. It's a lot easier to display stickers on backing cards because they're a uniform size.
- They're easier to manage in my own shop. They're a uniform size, so I use a grid wall and some hooks to store my extra stock.
So, overall, I think yes. You should package stickers with a backing card. It's more professional with minimal cost.
Don't know where to start with a branding card? Use my free template!
Should I Include My Signature On Stickers?
When someone receivers their sticker package, we know what happens. They open the packaging and throw it out or recycle it. Then, if your sticker has a backing card – that goes next. Finally, they peel and stick. At the end of the day, the only link they have to your brand is whatever is on the sticker.
Because of this, some people – including myself – put their brand or signature on the design itself. If you do this, it needs to be unobtrusive. You can't sell a straight up watermarked sticker. But a little tag at the bottom or in a blank area? It's doable and classy.
I sometimes include my signature on stickers – but I very often forget too. I don't think it's a big deal either way. It will definitely help people find the same sticker if you have branding ON your sticker, otherwise – you're at the mercy of search engines.
How To Package Stickers And Include Tracking
Stickers are affordable because we can send them as letter mail. Most package shipping rates start at $3.50 or more – that's usually more than the cost of a sticker itself. The problem with letter mail is that it doesn't include tracking. You just put a stamp on it and hope for the best.
Most online marketplaces like Etsy and Facebook and even Amazon are beginning to require tracking, even for small packages. This is because of scamming on both the customer and the business side. Customers may claim that they didn't receive a package, and there's no way to prove they did or didn't. And businesses, likewise, may claim that they've sent a package – but without tracking, there's just no evidence.
The thing is, there are affordable tracking options available for envelopes. They're just not well known. If you're on Etsy, you just want to use the “letter” rate. Click “get shipping labels” on your order, then select “letter” under “I have my own packaging.”
If you're not on Etsy, you're not out of luck. You can use Stamps.com, Pitney Bowes, or other mailing retailers to get tracking for envelopes. Pirate Ship, unfortunately, does not offer this service. You can also use a service like Letter Track to add a barcode to a traditionally stamped letter. Experiment to find what works for you.
