How to Ship Skin Care Products
Like many other goods from a wide variety of industries, e-commerce has revolutionized the way beauty and skincare products get into the hands of customers. Gone are the days when most consumers walked into the mall and left with a handful of Sephora or Ulta products. Consumers can now buy almost any skincare product online…which means more opportunities for these types of small businesses to pop up. If your ecommerce business sells skincare, we’ve got you covered. This guide is all about how to ship skincare products, including how to properly package these products and how to save the most money when you send it. It’s time for you to shine!
content
Do your skin care products contain harmful substances?
One thing to ask yourself before shipping is if your skincare products contain any harmful ingredients.Similar to shipping cosmetics and cosmetics, you will know that the carrier considers your product to be dangerous if Product is flammable. To see if your product contains flammable materials, just look at the bottle or box; it usually says so.
Shipping hazardous materials involves specific processes, so it’s important to consider this before purchasing any shipping labels. If your products are truly flammable, you will not be able to send them using any air freight service, such as Priority Mail from USPS, or 3 Day Select, 2nd Day Air or Next Day Air from UPS. Instead, you’ll need to ship them via a ground shipping service, which leaves you with a few different options.
Shipping Skincare Products via Ground Shipping Service
If your skin care products need to be shipped by land, there are two specific shipping companies you should consider: United States Postal Service and ups. Both operators offer terrestrial services, but when comparing the two, these services differ a lot from each other.In short, USPS Retail Ground (or Parcel Select Ground) will cheaper In most cases, than UPS Ground.However, UPS Ground will undoubtedly hurry up, No matter where in the country you are shipping to.
FedEx Ground is also a good option, but in our experience it is significantly more expensive than UPS Ground. Additionally, the delivery time frame for FedEx Ground is similar to UPS Ground. FedEx is the most expensive option of all three carriers in the U.S. and focuses primarily on commercial deliveries and niche freight. Because of all of this, it makes sense to use UPS Ground instead of FedEx Ground in almost all cases.
USPS Ground vs. UPS Ground: Which is the better deal?
In our experience, UPS Ground is the better service because UPS delivers these packages very quickly. UPS Ground is now faster than ever, and if you’re not shipping very far, UPS can sometimes even ship those packages overnight or in two days! On the other hand, USPS ground service advertises a 2-8 business day lead time. However, we’ve found that USPS ground shipping packages can end up taking up to two weeks (or longer) to finally deliver!
One thing to note is that in many cases USPS Ground is more expensive than UPS Ground. That said, we think it’s worth paying a slightly higher premium for more reliable service. So overall, we recommend UPS Ground as the better option between the two.
Correct packaging of beauty and cosmetic products
Most skin creams and products already come in sturdy packaging, such as plastic containers, screw bottles, or smaller boxes. So, all you need to do is put them in your cardboard box to keep them from moving around too much! It’s easy, right?
To fill the space inside the cardboard box, we recommend bulk packing peanuts, air pillows or Styrofoam products. Also, if you want your shipments to look more professional, another packaging material we recommend is custom molded packaging inserts. Most professional skin care brands use these. In addition to keeping your products in place and protecting them from movement and damage. Of course, molded package inserts cost more, but it’s well worth it to create a unique unboxing experience for your customers.
Learn more about the benefits of using custom packaging for your shipments.
Label the outside of the box in limited quantities
If your product contains hazardous substances, you will need to put a limit label on the outside of the box after packaging. This label indicates that your boxes contain products that contain hazardous materials and allows workers to properly designate and handle these packages. When sending hazmat, it doesn’t matter if you use UPS or USPS for ground service; either way, you’ll still need a label.
It is very important to put a limited quantity label on the outside of your box because if the carrier finds out that you are shipping hazardous material and you do not add it, they can reject your package!
Save the Most on Postage with Shipping Software
Whenever you ship a lot of skincare packs (even just one or two), shipping costs can add up quickly. That’s why it’s so important to save as much money as possible on your shipping labels…and the best way to do that is to use shipping software to buy discounted postage online.
When you use shipping software, you get special discount levels that carriers typically reserve for large commercial shippers. For USPS and UPS, these discount pricing tiers are as follows:
With discounts from shipping software, you can save up to 50% off UPS Ground labels and up to 56% off Select Ground labels for USPS packages*. You can also print postage from the comfort of your home and schedule pickup from USPS and UPS. With all these benefits, not only can you save a lot on shipping costs; you don’t even have to leave your home to run your business if you don’t want to!
*Ground service on USPS shipping software is called “Package Select Ground”, not retail ground…but it refers to the exact same ground service.
FAQ: Shipping Skincare and Beauty Products
Here are three of the most common problems we see when shipping beauty and skincare products.
Are Skincare Products Considered Harmful?
Some skin care products are dangerous if any of the ingredients are flammable. If you plan to ship products that contain flammable materials, you will only be able to ship them via ground shipping services such as USPS Retail Ground or UPS Ground. You will also need to put an appropriate limited quantity label on the outside of the package, which indicates that the item inside the package contains potentially hazardous materials.
What is the best service for shipping skin care products?
The best service for sending skin care products depends on whether you prioritize speed or affordability. If you’re looking for speed, then UPS Ground is the better option as delivery usually takes 1-3 business days. However, USPS ground freight rates have fallen sharply in 2022, making it a cheaper option that many shippers are willing to take advantage of in exchange for longer lead times. From a price point of view alone, in most cases, USPS ground service will provide a more affordable price. That said, USPS advertises their ground service as 2-8 days, but in some cases delivery can take longer – up to two weeks (or more).
How can I save on shipping skin care products?
You can save money on skincare packs by purchasing discounted postage online with shipping software. Shipping software allows you to take advantage of the largest postage discounts that carriers like USPS and UPS typically reserve for large commercial shippers.In some cases, these discounts can save you up to 50% On the UPS Ground label, up to 56% Ground service from USPS. This way, you don’t have to pay the retail price for any USPS or UPS shipping services you use, and you can even print your labels at home or in the office.
