The shipping news

Have you ever wondered what’s involved in getting a product from a listing on a website to someone’s front door? You sense it involves vans and a storage facility somewhere, but you’re not too sure about the details.

To many people, fulfillment, shipping and third-party logistics is a mystery. But we say: why the secrecy?

Fulfillment explained

That’s why on this blog, the TBM Solution team will take you behind the scenes of a working warehouse – (ours!) – and lift the lid on every stage of the fulfillment process.

Over a series of posts, you’ll learn about how supply chains work, what pick and pack involves, and why barcodes are essential even for non-retail businesses. We’ll also demystify some of the jargon that gets thrown around in the business.

Stick with us, and you’ll soon know your 3PL from your SKU.

You also might not realise the paperwork involved in shipping products from one country to another, or even across continents, so in a future blog we’ll also cover the issues around taxes and import duties (but we promise to not make it boring).

Who’s this for?

If you’re packing and posting products from your own business, or even a back bedroom, and wondering if there’s a better way, this blog’s for you.

If you’re developing a product from a Kickstarter campaign and you want to reward your backers with an early release product, this blog’s for you.

If you’re an established eCommerce business but you’re finding it hard to scale without adding to your costs, this blog’s for you.

If you’ve ever thought that selling products would be a great add-on to your business, but you don’t know how to make that work … you get the idea.

Of course, maybe those descriptions don’t fit you. But we’re willing to bet that, like many people, you found yourself buying online more frequently during the Covid-19 lockdowns. And if you were naturally curious about how quickly your online order turned into a knock at the door from a delivery operator with a parcel in hand, then hopefully this blog will scratch that itch too.

Too many companies hide how they work, as if they’re scared of losing something precious by revealing the tricks of the trade. We’re not afraid of you knowing what we do. When we work with a customer, it’s an exchange of ideas. We like to learn their business and they learn from ours.

And we want to hear from you: so if you have any questions about any part of eCommerce or fulfillment, get in touch and we’d be happy to answer.