This article was taken from ECommerce-Guide and was originally written by Michelle Megna. This discount can be applied to a bulk shipment, but will not apply to shipping rates that pull up on a Volusion store, as these will not factor in bulk.

For the first time ever, the U.S. Postal Service is offering discounts based on volume, as well as other incentives including online discounts, for Express Mail, Priority Mail and other shipping services, effective May 12, according to the USPS. These rate changes are now possible due to a change in federal law, enabling the Postal Service to better compete in the shipping market, said Steve Rifai, director of marketing for Endicia, an Internet postage service and an approved licensed vendor of the USPS.

“Before, you could negotiate rates, say, with FedEx, but you couldn’t with the post office because the rates were set by its over-site committee,” said Rifai. “Now with the new law, the post office can act as a competitive organization, so it has much more flexibility in setting prices.”

With the new rates going into effect May 12, the good news for e-tailers is that the post office is offering discounts for those who use online shipping tools.

Postal service shipping products are currently priced by a “one price fits all” approach — customers pay the same price per piece regardless of the number of packages sent or the method of payment. Beginning May 12, customers will be able to take advantage of commercial volume pricing, minimum volume rebates, online price breaks and other pricing incentives. For example:

* Express Mail, a premium overnight delivery, is switching to an industry-standard, zone-based pricing system, resulting in lower prices for closer destinations. Customers will enjoy a three percent price reduction by purchasing Express Mail online or through corporate accounts. Up to an additional seven percent price reduction is available for customers who meet quarterly volume minimums.

* Priority Mail will be available at an average three-and-a-half percent savings to customers who use electronic postage or meet other requirements.

* Parcel Select, the Postal Service “last mile” advantage of delivery to every door, will feature pricing and volume incentives for large- and medium-sized shippers.

* Parcel Return Service, an easy and convenient way for customers to return items to businesses, will move entirely to a weight-based pricing system, resulting in significant price reductions for lighter packages.

“These innovative published pricing incentives will make our products more attractive to all shippers, especially small businesses,” said Postmaster General John Potter in a statement. “We’re pricing our products to sell in today’s competitive shipping market.”

For overseas shipping, Rifai said there are additional discounts for e-tailers using online methods. Merchants will get an eight-percent online discount on Express Mail International, a five-percent online discount for Priority Mail International and a 10-percent reduction on Global Express Guaranteed.

Rifai also said that volume shippers may qualify for quarterly rebates on Express Mail. “At the end of the quarter, based on a sliding scale, for instance if you’re sending more than five packages a day on average, you get up to an additional 10 percent back.”

If you are currently using Endicia for your shipping needs, the software will update automatically. “When a customer starts up the software, the new rates will be updated May 12 and they will receive all the online commercial discounts that they qualify for,” said Rifai.

For more information on the postal rates going into effect in May, download the USPS price page.

New Freight Tool, Free Sidekick Scales
In other shipping news, there’s a new “Expedia-like” online tool at www.freightnshipping.com that can help people who sell large items streamline the process of finding freight services.

After being assigned a “personal freight assistant” to help with their needs, says the company, sellers log onto the site and enter key information, such as destination and origin zip codes, and the weight of the shipment. They then get free quotes from more than 60 freight and shipping carriers. The company claims this saves on shipping costs by matching the best options to your needs, and also saves Web shop owners time because they don’t have to track down viable sources.

Finally, Shipping Sidekick, a Web site that lets you compare shipping rates and transit times, just announced it is offering a free shipping scale (after rebate) to anyone shipping through its discount shipping console. These digital shipping scales feature a 35 to 150 pound capacity and a lifetime warranty and are perfect for eBay sellers, small businesses and home-based businesses, according to the company.

Michelle Greer, Marketing Specialist
michelle_greer(at)volusion.com
http://www.volusion.com

Technorati Tags: Ecommerce Shipping, Volusion Shipping, Volusion Features, Online Store Shipping, Bulk Shipping USPS, Postal Service Shipping, Discount Shipping Store, Volusion, Shopping Cart Software, Volusion Reviews, Sell Online, Ecommerce Software

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Although the two took their first scuba lesson by accident, Phil Ellis and his son Brad quickly fell in love with scuba diving. “As soon as I went underwater for the first time, I was hooked. Both Brad and I began immediately thinking how we might make a living doing that great sport,” said Phil. After becoming a more active diver, he decided to quit his job in industrial quality improvement and manufacturing process control to open a scuba shop in Decatur, Alabama. When the travel industry came near to a dead halt after

September 11th, their brick-and-mortar store ended up not fairing so well.

Rather than just close up shop, Phil decided to take his business online with Dive Sports. He and his son had some success with a website they had built from scratch in 2002. After experiencing some growth, they soon realized they needed something more robust to maintain a sustainable business model. A friend had recommended Volusion and they set up the live store in January 2008.

Since opening their Volusion store, Phil and the crew at Dive Sports has since reached out to the online community in scuba forums, chat boards, and blogs. Phil even started his own blog to discuss scuba products and tips. By reaching out to the community online, Phil developed an edge over his bigger, less personable competitors. “No matter how much our internet business grows, we are still just a bunch of scuba divers that love the sport and love sharing our knowledge and information with our customers. We like for our customers to think of us as their local scuba store, no matter where they live,” says Phil.

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James “El Tigre” Booker felt robbed back in 2001 when his four putt putt wins in one year was dubbed “the Booker Slam” rather than a Grand Slam. “It shouldn’t matter that they weren’t all in the same calendar year. I held all four titles at once. That should count for something,” he said then.

Tigre faces an uphill battle, as he has not proven as dominant as in previous years. Some speculate that his putt putt skills have declined since leaving his first coach and marrying his bikini model/nanny girlfriend. Some say he’s lost his swing. Tigre vehemently denies anything of the sort.

Booker decided that 2008 would be the year to prove his critics wrong. However, after the first day of the Volusion Masters, Booker’s name is nowhere on the leader board. “I just lost my concentration. Tomorrow is another day.” At one point, geek/marketing ninja Michelle Greer took a picture of the golfer in midswing. The incident triggered an outburst by Tigre, who demanded that Greer be escorted out of the tournament.

“He’s been doing this crap for years. If I let it get to me, I wouldn’t be doing my job,” she said.

Will Tigre come up with one of his legendary comebacks this weekend? We shall see. Check out/comment on Day One’s highlights on Flickr.

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Apparently if you can finish reading this blog article start to finish, you will get more done in the day.According to a study done by the American Psychological Association, the often heralded act of multi-tasking actually ends up costing us time instead of saving it.

David Meyer, a researcher at the University of Michigan, explains how this process works. “Whether people toggle between browsing the Web and using other computer programs, talk on cell phones while driving, pilot jumbo jets or monitor air traffic, they’re using their ‘executive control’ processes — the mental CEO — found to be associated with the brain’s prefrontal cortex and other key neural regions such as the parietal cortex. These interrelated cognitive processes establish priorities among tasks and allocate the mind’s resources to them. For each aspect of human performance — perceiving, thinking and acting — people have specific mental resources whose effective use requires supervision through executive mental control,” says Meyer.

Meyer did a study with Joshua Rubinstein of the Federal Aviation Administration and Jeffery Evans of the University of Michigan to monitor how the brain performs when multi-tasking. According to the study, “subjects lost time when they had to switch from one task to another, and time costs increased with the complexity of the tasks, so it took significantly longer to switch between more complex tasks. Time costs also were greater when subjects switched to tasks that were relatively unfamiliar. They got ‘up to speed’ faster when they switched to tasks they knew better, an observation that may lead to interfaces designed to help overcome people’s innate cognitive limitations.”

Do you answer emails, chat with suppliers, track your profits on Quickbooks, and watch the news all at the same time? Give your brain a break by tuning into one project at a time. You’ll find you will have accomplished a lot more at the end of your workday.

Michelle Greer, Marketing Specialist
michelle_greer(at)volusion.com
http://www.volusion.com

Technorati Tags: Multi-Tasking Business, Multi-Tasking Small Business, Small Business Management, Multi-Tasking Studies, Volusion, Sell Online, Ecommerce Software, Shopping Cart Software, Start Online Store, Online Store Management

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Jen Houghton went shopping at the outlets in Kittery, Maine for a hat for her baby. The hats she found either didn’t offer enough shade or were not very cute. I can remember my sister remarking about people who didn’t put hats on their babies, no matter what the season was. Hats weren’t a fashion accessory; they were a necessity.”

Jen decided she’d had enough. “After literally four hours of shopping, amidst a couple of diaper changes and feedings, I headed to the fabric store. My mind went wild with all the different fabric choices. It was the sales clerk who suggested I line the hat with cotton flannel. I know I raised my brow to her- thinking it would be way too hot for a young baby. She laughed and said that it would stay cooler because of how well the fabric breathes.”

Jen was very comfortable sewing, so she bought $150 worth of fabric and started making hats that were both cute and practical. “When I had finished six hats, I was so proud of myself. I ended up making two for an upcoming birthday party. I brought the other four to my friend, who then ordered six more for upcoming baby showers! ‘Aaggh!’ Was this a business starting? The same friend told a local store owner about the hats and she ordered 18 for her toy store. At this point, my dining room had ceased serving meals and was now covered in even more fabrics, trimmings and hats, made up in various stages. My background is in business development and marketing. Knowing it didn’t make sense to have just one account I was sewing for, I got six more stores within that first month. The Little Hat Company was officially started in June of 2006 with the original 18 hats being put on consignment at G’Willikers Toy Store in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.”

Jen then turned to the both word of mouth and the web to get an audience for her hats. “Thelittlehatcompany.com launched in September of 2006. We quickly became an international brand. Within the first month of the launch of the website, we shipped hats and our new Lovey Blankets, to five continents. It was thrilling and exhilarating. To get the word out, I sat down at my computer and wrote a short email telling friends and acquaintances that I had done it again – started a new business. I asked for their help in spreading the word by forwarding our story to people in their address books. I sent that email to 50 of my closest friends and family. Since then, our email database has grown to nearly 1000 names worldwide. People from South Berwick have taken ownership of, and pride in, our business. They have helped to spread the word about the hats to people they know.”

Although Jen has been asked to make hats for adults, she understands that having a specific niche can pay big dividends in the end. ‘We are The Little Hat Company,’ I often reply. Right now it is important that we cement our production process, marketing strategies, and operation management for the products we currently have. As we become more profitable, and gain experience in manufacturing and retail marketing, I am confident we will expand our product lines. It is important to make sure we are prepared for the growth and not buried by debt or silly mistakes.”

With the help of Hannah Bulger of Good Girl Graphics and Meghan Littlefield of Melange Studio, Jen created a theme for her website that matched her market and business style. The theme proved so consistent with the business that The Little Hat Company won Volusion’s Ultimate Seller’s Contest for March. Congratulations, Jen!

Michelle Greer, Marketing Specialist
michelle_greer(at)volusion.com
http://www.volusion.com

Technorati Tags: the little hat company, craft ecommerce, craft online store, etsy online store, etsy ecommerce, childrens hats, baby hats, start online store, ecommerce software, shopping cart software, volusion

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