Packing, shipping and returns
Pack and ship orders that arrive whole, and handle returns without losing the customer or the margin.
6 min read
Once a customer has paid, everything depends on the parcel. A broken jar, a crushed box or a parcel that takes two weeks undoes all the work of the sale. Shipping is also where online sellers quietly lose margin — in courier charges they didn't price in, and in returns they didn't expect. This lesson covers packing, choosing how to ship, and handling returns.
Pack for the worst handling
Parcels are thrown, stacked and left in the rain. Pack as if yours will be.
- Protect the product inside — bubble wrap, paper, or a snug inner box. Nothing should move when you shake the parcel.
- Seal against water — a plastic bag or wrap around anything that can be damaged by damp.
- Use a strong outer box or courier bag, sized to fit. Too big and the contents shift; too small and corners crush.
- Tape every seam properly.
- Label clearly — customer name, full address with pin code, phone number, and your return address.
Breakable goods need more than one layer of protection. Test your packing: pack a sample, drop it from waist height a few times, and open it. Cheaper than learning from customer photos.
Make the unboxing work for you
The moment a customer opens the parcel is the best chance to be remembered:
- Your business name clearly on the package or inside it
- A short thank-you note — handwritten if you can
- How to order again: your WhatsApp number or page link
- Care instructions, if the product needs them
This is how a one-off buyer finds their way back to you — see bringing customers back.
Choosing how to ship
| Option | Good for |
|---|---|
| Your own delivery, or a local rider | Same-city orders, food, fragile items |
| India Post | Wide reach, including smaller towns |
| A courier company | Tracking and speed across cities |
| A shipping aggregator | Comparing several couriers from one account |
Compare on the things that matter for your product: reach to your customers' pin codes, how long it takes, tracking, how damage and loss claims are handled, and whether they collect cash on delivery. Rates depend on weight, size and distance, and change — get current quotes for your real parcel sizes before you set your prices.
Price shipping honestly
Shipping is a cost of the sale, like the product itself. Either charge it to the customer, or build it into the price and offer "free delivery". Both work; what does not work is forgetting it.
Remember that couriers charge on the larger of actual weight and the space the parcel takes up. A light item in a big box can cost as much as a heavy one. Use the smallest box that protects the product.
A made-up example: a ₹600 product with ₹350 of profit sounds healthy. Add ₹90 shipping out, packing material, and the cost of one return in every ten, and the real profit is noticeably lower. Do the sum per order with your own figures.
Tell the customer what is happening
Send the tracking number the day you ship. Tell them when to expect it. If it is delayed, tell them before they ask. Most complaints about delivery are really complaints about not knowing.
Returns: decide the policy before the first one
Write a short return policy and put it where customers see it before they buy:
- What can come back — and what cannot (custom-made, food, opened personal items)
- How long they have to tell you
- Condition — unused, with tags, in the original packing
- Who pays shipping for the return
- Refund or exchange, and how fast
Ask customers to record a short video while opening the parcel. If something arrives damaged, it settles the question quickly, for you, the customer and the courier.
Handle returns generously, then learn
A return handled quickly and politely often keeps the customer. Then find out why it came back. If the same product keeps returning for the same reason — size, colour, damage — fix the photo, the description or the packing.
Ask the tool below about your own product and order sizes, and it will help you work out packing, shipping and return terms that leave you a margin.