Getting Ready for a Busy Season

Most sellers have a few weeks a year when orders jump: around holidays, at the end of the month when people are paid, as the nights draw in. Those weeks are good news, but only if you are ready for them. Without a little preparation, extra orders turn into late parcels and rushed replies.

Look back at last year

If you keep a record of your sales, check which weeks were busiest last time. Busy periods tend to repeat, so last year is the best guide you have to when the next rush will come.

Prepare stock early

Make, photograph and list your most popular items before the rush starts. Listing in the middle of a busy week means doing two jobs at once, and the listings suffer for it.

Stock up on packing supplies

Running out of envelopes or mailers on your busiest day is an easy problem to avoid. Buy a little more than you think you will need, and keep it somewhere you can reach quickly.

Write your common replies in advance

Busy weeks bring the same questions about postage times and availability. Have short, friendly answers ready to copy, so you can reply quickly without cutting corners.

Be honest about dispatch times

If you will take a day or two longer than usual to send orders, say so in your shop. Buyers are happy to wait when they know, and unhappy when they are surprised.

Leave room for yourself

A busy season is a sprint, so plan a quieter few days after it. A seller who is worn out makes mistakes, and the next rush will come round soon enough.