As you all know I recently launched Ada & Alfred. My designs and brand has naturally grown and evolved so it was time for a change from Lamb & Bear Wear. And it’s a change I’m so excited about!
I now cover adult clothing and accessories, as well as kids clothing, which means I needed to update the packaging I’m using to allow me the best possible postage price for my customers.
Lil Packing got in touch with me and asked if I wanted to work with them on a review of their packaging. I had a look at their website to see if they had what I needed.
I recently set up a Drop & Go account with my local Post Office, which means I’ll be using the Royal Mail more with Ada & Alfred orders. Lil Packaging have a section in their website called Royal Mail Maximisers – exactly what I needed!
When I send an order I want to know in advance what it will cost to send. So having packaging that fits within a certain size with the Royal Mail is really useful.
The product that stood out to me as being most useful for Ada & Alfred is SL3 Letterbox, which maximises the ‘Large Letter’ measurements with the Royal Mail.
The SL3 Letterbox packaging easily fits an adults size t-shirt, meaning I can pretty much send any of the the kids products, tote bags, pencil cases or adult t-shirts in this box as a large letter.
The box itself is easy to put together however I have come across a couple of minor issues. The sides of the box need to be really pressed down to ensure it fits through the large letter size guide at the post office. Basically if you gently close it together it won’t fit and you could be charged for a small parcel instead.
To get around this, I’ve been squashing the sides down firmly and adding a sticker or some sellotape to keep it I place. As I use the Drop & Go service I want to ensure they can send it as a large letter and not charge me more, without me knowing.
As well as being able to maximise the large letter measurements, using these Lil Packaging boxes also means I’m using less plastic, which is something I’m trying to do with my new brand.
There a couple of small changes I’ve made to try be a little more environmentally friendly. I’m using less plastic in my packaging; more tissue paper and cardboard that can be recycled. Any parcel bags I do use are 100% biodegradable.
I’ve also designed my new swing tags and business cards using recycled paper and card.
To continue using the SL3 Letterbox boxes I’d need to order in huge quantities to prevent eating away at my profits. Being such a small business I need to consider every last penny I spend. These boxes are £1.536 each if you buy less than 10, which is a huge cost for me.
If I was to buy 100 or more it would cost £0.963 per box. But if using these boxes means the postage cost reduces then the overall P&P cost would balance out.
Lil Packaging also sent me their E5-SP Royal Mail Small Parcel Cardboard Box which I can use for large items like backpacks and sweatshirts. If someone orders a few bigger items I should be able to fit them all in one of these boxes and maximise the small parcel measurements.
As my brand grows and my orders increase I could definitely consider using Lil Packaging regularly to supply my packaging materials.
~A~
* In collaboration with Lil Packaging
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