Confessions of a Compulsive Book Packer
- By Renee Roberts
Lay the book on brown paper, fold it over and tack.
By Renee Magriel Roberts
Today I added another dealer name to my "never buy from again" master list when a book that I ordered arrived thrown bare and banged-up in a Priority Mail envelope. So, before I launch into this packing "how-to" article, kudos to all you dealers -- you know who you are -- who take the time to carefully examine, repair, and beautifully package your products and ship them promptly and in the right way -- you need read no further.
In Internet commerce there are several critical points at which there is customer contact: the quality and care taken in the book description, the pre-sale communication and negotiation, the arrival of the book, and the post-sale follow-up.
I pack, or assist in packing, every single book that leaves our shop. I do not view packing as some kind of lesser blue-collar job, unworthy of my experience and education. As any experienced shipper in any industry knows (and shippers, by the way, in the real world, are paid some serious dollars), proper or improper packing and shipping can make or break a business.
Packing for me is really a relief; after spending most of my day researching books, communicating with customers, marketing, editing, making decisions for our publishing company, basically hanging out on the computer, packing is an active, Zen, three-dimensional activity -- a way to demonstrate to every customer, no matter how large or small the sale -- that we care about the quality of the product we are selling and the integrity of the transaction. We want that book to arrive in precisely the same condition that it left our shop, period.
It is simply not enough to have a good book, create an accurate description, and charge a fair price. The way in which a book is packaged is critical to your customers' perception that they are receiving a quality product. Good packaging leads to that after-sale glow which may result in additional sales, and conversely, it may avoid the return or buyer's remorse, which is an after-sale disaster. Bad packaging conveys the message that you do not care about the book and you do not care about the customer. Cheap packaging conveys the message that you would rather save a dollar or two than put that oversize, easily-bruised book in a box (or even a double-box) to ensure that it gets where it is going without damage.
Good packaging is good marketing. Why do businesses spend so much money on designing packaging for their products? Simply, because attractive packaging conveys a "super-message" to the customer, over and above the quality of the contents. While I don't waste money on "designed" packaging, I do try to pack well.
|
Confessions of a Compulsive Book Packer
- By Renee Roberts
Fold the ends and tack, and place package on bubble wrap.
So what does good packaging look like? First of all, it does not look like you are emptying your trash and sending it to the customer. I do not use newspaper to wrap books, because the ink is not stable (some people are even allergic to it), and in my opinion, it feels dirty and used. I do not use obviously pre-used packing material or bubblewrap with scraps of other people's tape on it. I never use styrofoam acorns. If you find the packing material irritating, it is likely your customer will as well.
Let's start with the basics. The goal is to protect the book while at the same time making the packaging easy to open. You do not want anybody to damage the book, or themselves, in trying to open something completely swathed in shipping tape. That is frustrating and it makes people angry. And frankly receiving a parcel entirely covered with tape, head to toe, makes the packer appear neurotic.
I start with brown paper of a reasonable weight, say 30 - 40 lbs. or even butcher paper, which is really nice, but a bit harder to work with. I use 18" and 24" sizes, stored in two rollers in our shipping area. I use a good quality scotch tape from a dispenser to tack the folds down (make sure the tape works well with the paper). With precious books, we may use layers of archival tissue first, before the brown paper.
I have a little ritual: the book is placed face up on the paper. I fold one side so it is about halfway across the face of the book, and then fold or double-fold the other side so that it overlaps the first side (but does not go all the way to the edge). One piece of tape. Then I push in the sides of the bottom paper, fold the top down and press it against the book, then fold up the bottom and tack it with one piece of tape. I do the same to the top. It makes a nice, neat package, easily opened with one motion, but keeping the book -- be it a hardcover or a paperback -- from moving around, or being hurt by accident from other packing.
I buy bubblewrap in 3/16" size bubbles on long rolls, pre-scored at 12" intervals. Two sections generally are needed for each book to cover not only the two faces but the top and bottom. I put the book on the bubblewrap with the bubbles up (the smooth side is against the table), place a bookmark, the invoice, the shipping slip, a thank-you note, and anything else to be enclosed neatly in the middle of the book, with the most attractive piece on top. Then I fold the right side of the bubblewrap so that it is about half-way across the book and then fold or roll the rest of the bubblewrap around the book. One piece of tape tacks it.
|
Confessions of a Compulsive Book Packer
- By Renee Roberts
Fold over the bubble wrap and seal the ends.
To finish up this stage I take a short piece of packaging tape from a tape machine and put it against the open end of one side and then fold the bubblewrap and tape over to make a solid seal. I do that with both open ends of the package. The net result is a completely enclosed and protected book which can be opened with one motion. I should mention here that I do not bubblewrap paperbacks, as that can distort the book in transit; I either ship them just in brown paper, add additional pieces of cardboard for strength, or enclose them in a simple plastic bag before putting them in a padded envelope.
In the case of books too large for the two 12" pieces of bubblewrap, I use 3 pieces or more, and lay the book down lengthwise, following the same procedure as for the smaller books. In bad weather we may bag everything in plastic before putting it in its ultimate container.
Since we often use flat-rate postal envelopes for shipping, which offer very little protection, the bubblewrap is required for hardcovers. Paperbacks can often benefit from being placed in a simple padded envelope before being put in the flat-rate envelopes. I never, ever, just throw a book bare into either a padded envelope, or a postal envelope, no matter what kind of book it is.
We also sell oversize pictorial hardcover books that have easily bruised covers. I wrap these books in brown paper, followed by 3 pieces of bubblewrap, and then box them. Occasionally the books are double-boxed if they are then going into a priority mail flat-rate box, or if they are going via m-bag service (the Post Office's very economical surface mail rate to foreign countries). When we box a book we make sure that there is no empty space in the box which can allow the book to bang around. Moreover, since many people might use a box cutter to open a box, we make sure that there is cardboard protecting the top of the book so it is not accidentally slit while opening the box.
If you are sending very heavy books, it is critical to know the tensile strength of the box you are using. Just because the books physically fit inside a box, it does not mean that the box will arrive at its destination intact if it is overloaded.
I always cover the seal to both padded envelopes and postal envelopes and boxes with an extra piece of heavy-duty packing tape. I do not automatically trust the seals that come with these materials. If I am covering a box with extra-heavy brown paper, I make sure that there is a label with our address on the bare box, in case the paper is pulled off in transit. I try to take no chances that the material will be lost or damaged if the outer packaging opens accidentally.
|
Confessions of a Compulsive Book Packer
- By Renee Roberts
A finished book, ready to pack up in an envelope or box.
We all know that shipping can either be a profit-center for the book business, or a money pit. Shipping is always a balance between selecting the mode that will most please the customer vs. saving on the cost, particularly since many Internet sites make a habit of inadequately reimbursing sellers. I understand that shipping requires a kind of balance between the competing desires to do well for the customer and to take home a few dollars at the end of the day. There is no reason, however, to compromise on properly packing books.
The few extra minutes and nominal extra cost convey a powerful marketing message and help avoid returns -- the worst kind of transaction because you've not only spent the time and the money, but now you have to give it all back, roll back the credit card transaction, re-list the book, and replace it in your warehouse. It is unlikely you will have a return customer. Worse yet, you may get a bad evaluation on a public site like eBay or Amazon that slows sales. What does that cost?
Deeds speak volumes over words. A well-packed book conveys more to the customer than a fancy web site, expensive print materials, a brace of email thank-you's, or hollow customer service promises.
There is no shortage of places to buy packing materials; we use Viking Office Products here (www.vikingop.com). I personally enjoy the convenience of having an Internet account and getting next-day FedEx shipping at no charge with a nominal order, and we find their prices competitive. We order our postal packaging directly from the United States Post Office store at www.usps.com to avoid depleting our local branch. All USPS materials are free, including the shipping.
Most importantly, every book that goes out has a little unsaid message with it: we care about you, we are proud of what we do, we value this book and we want it to get to you safely. We appreciate your patronage. And, of course, we hope that you will return as our customer.
|