• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Labeling Bags

Status
Not open for further replies.

Jan

Stainless Bird Toys @ Blu's Bird Toys
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
11/9/09
Messages
9,093
Location
Pinon Hills, California - U.S.A.
Real Name
Jan
For years now, I have always bagged up the stuff I ship out in clear plactic bags, seal each one and I have printed stick on labels to indentify what is in that particular bag. For the most part most people know what the item is that they had ordered. I include my invoice/receipt along with the order as well so it shows on there what the customer has ordered.

I am most curious to see what some of you online store owners are doing where bagging toy stuff and if you label to indentify what is in a plastic bag. I have seen numerous photos on here where items are in bags and some are labeled and some do not label their items.

I am just wondering how neccessary it is to label the bag or more like how important is it to the customer to have their items labeled or not. I am showing what my current bag label is like below. If it is just other items then the lower part does not get filled out if it is not a jolly ball. If the order does consist ofa jolly ball then I circle the lower area for appropriate item that it is. I think I will change the label on the lower part and remove the jolly ball info because I generally attach a tag to the jolly ball anyway. So, these labels I write in for each bag I fill... sometimes I can be quite time consuming to write up for each and every bag, especially when there are 20 or more items that are ordered.

I also want to know from people who order in general on bird toy stuff, what do you like to see when you get your order from an online store? Also, do you look for how it was packaged up for shipment too?

Thanks for any input!
 

Attachments

Last edited:

Birdlover

Avian Addiction!
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/14/09
Messages
14,765
Some of my orders come labeled, some dont. It doesnt bother me either way really. Having the invoice inside is the only thing I really ever look for ;)
 

Deejo

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/29/09
Messages
9,483
Location
Vancouver Island, BC
Real Name
Doris
For toys & toy parts, I don't personally see the need for labels. Some of the places we buy from, have each item cello-wrapped & heat sealed, which makes for a nice presentation, but is certainly not needed...however, the majority of our parcels (toys etc) are not individually wrapped, which is what we prefer.
My own opinion is, and this is primarily for small business's that make their own toys-
time is money. All that extra time (and expense) of wrapping, labeling and/or heat-sealing individual items is not cost-effective, and more packaging 'waste' for the consumer to dispose of. Extra packaging and labels are not free- so, who is ultimately paying for it? the consumer of course.
Must add that our biggest pet peeve when opening toy order parcels, is when the box size is twice the size required for the items inside. We've had LOTS of broken toys over the years, when orders are packaged that way. (we cross those particular companies off our shopping lists!)

Just my opinion in response to your questions.

Doris
 

birdsafe

Walking the driveway
Avenue Veteran
Joined
12/4/09
Messages
200
Location
Virginia
Real Name
Joe Arbogast
I personally don't label -- as stated, it's on the invoice, customers know what they ordered, and it is an extra expense and time that you would eventually need to pass onto the customers!
 

Spinderella

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
11/3/09
Messages
1,568
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Real Name
Chloe
Writing all those labels yourself is going to give you carpal tunnel!!!

Like others have said; I too include an invoice so that they remember which items they ordered. The only reason I would think you'd need to label your items is so that you or whoever fills your orders will know what item is what. For that, you can use barcodes which are readable/printable by computers. :)

My store is integrated with an inventory system/barcode printer & reader so when I get a shipment in, I can scan the items and it automatically tells my store that X amount of XXXX item have just been added to inventory, and it automatically adjusts on the frontend of my site, as well. [That is how we are able to show a live stock status on all of our items; "In Stock" or "Out of Stock"]

As far as bagging, many toys come already bagged and labeled. If they are not bagged, I do not bag them. I do wrap up liquid bottles in case they leak so they won't ruin everything else in the box. I use the existing SKU for my store, but on our toy line; I get labels printed with the item's barcode already on it.
 

birdlover82

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
6,080
Location
Idaho
Real Name
Susan
I don't think the labels are necessary as long as there is a invoice.
 

avianantics

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
12/18/09
Messages
2,981
Location
Fountain Inn, SC
Real Name
Shelly Wing
I don't label either. I do include the invoice in the box and I pack as tightly as possible to avoid breakage.
 

Babybreau

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
4,125
Location
NB, Canada
Real Name
Tanya
I only ever look for the invoice.
The only time I look for packaging is when I order something fragile or is easily scratched.
 

Deejo

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/29/09
Messages
9,483
Location
Vancouver Island, BC
Real Name
Doris
I only ever look for the invoice.
The only time I look for packaging is when I order something fragile or is easily scratched.
We made the decision from the start, not to include printed invoices. We try hard to be as 'paperless' as possible, both in our business and our home. IE: our household bills (heat/phone etc) come via email - no printed bills in the mailbox.
Should we ever decide to use paper invoices, we would use an eco-friendly product.
Doris
 

Jan

Stainless Bird Toys @ Blu's Bird Toys
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
11/9/09
Messages
9,093
Location
Pinon Hills, California - U.S.A.
Real Name
Jan
Wow, thank you everyone for your responses. This is why I had asked because I am seriously considering on not doing the labels on the bags any longer. Labels are not cheap either so that added to my cost for packaging. I have always included a invoice/receipt (unless I forget to put it in) so a customer should know or figure out what is what!!
 

calibird

California Bird Nerds
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
6,783
Location
Palmdale, California
Real Name
Ann
I do not label my items. I use the heat sealer as in the long run it is much cheaper than purchasing baggies. With small toy parts it has to be bagged. I do print the invoice as this is what I use to fill the orders and also to double verify that I have everything when I box up the order.
 

Spinderella

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
11/3/09
Messages
1,568
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Real Name
Chloe
We made the decision from the start, not to include printed invoices. We try hard to be as 'paperless' as possible, both in our business and our home. IE: our household bills (heat/phone etc) come via email - no printed bills in the mailbox.
Should we ever decide to use paper invoices, we would use an eco-friendly product.
Doris
How do you know what to put in the box if you don't print invoices? I use invoices so that I know what to put in the box, what the order # is and who it goes to.
 

Deejo

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/29/09
Messages
9,483
Location
Vancouver Island, BC
Real Name
Doris
How do you know what to put in the box if you don't print invoices? I use invoices so that I know what to put in the box, what the order # is and who it goes to.
Orders are stored in files on our office laptop.
Copies then transfer to our shop computer - simple to refer to each individual order. Open the new order on file...fill the order in the shop, package the order for shipment...print shipping label...and off it goes.

Simple, and saves a ton of wasted paper.
We're starting our 4th year, and have yet to hear from a customer wanting printed invoices.
If that changes, we have eco-friendly options ready.
Doris
 

Spinderella

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
11/3/09
Messages
1,568
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Real Name
Chloe
Orders are stored in files on our office laptop.
Copies then transfer to our shop computer - simple to refer to each individual order. Open the new order on file...fill the order in the shop, package the order for shipment...print shipping label...and off it goes.

Simple, and saves a ton of wasted paper.
We're starting our 4th year, and have yet to hear from a customer wanting printed invoices.
If that changes, we have eco-friendly options ready.
Doris
Ohhh, Well that's handy!
 

birdstuff

Sprinting down the street
Joined
1/2/10
Messages
357
Location
Scottsdale, AZ
Real Name
Claudia
Hi Jan
Our toys are labeled on the back of each tag with the name & order # and we include the invoice with the order. I don't think it's really necessary but we do it mainly because of our wholesale accounts.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top