How I keep my online shops manageable

As you may know, I sell my work in 2 online shops - one on Etsy and one here on my website. Because I make the work that goes on the products and then organise customer orders, pack them and post them all on my own I’ve had to find ways to make this more manageable so it doesn’t eat into every day.

The main way I do this is to have only 1 day each week when I send orders out. So your purchases will always be sent to you on Thursday, no matter which day of the week you place your order. By having a single day for shipping I’m able to create a system for myself so that I don’t get confused about whose orders have been sent. And I don’t spend half the week going backwards and forwards from the Post Office.

I also create a cut-off time. So if you place your order overnight on Wednesday (even though I pack orders on Wednesdays), as long as your order reaches me by 9am UK time on Thursday, I’ll pack it and send it with that week’s batch.

This system might mean that you have to wait a few days before your order is on its way to you but I hope that’s something that my customers will be OK with when they’ve chosen to buy from a one person small business.

Occasionally there are exceptions to the rule. If you live within walking distance of my home (if you do, you’ll know who you are) then I’ll probably deliver your order sooner - by hand). And if I don’t have a particularly busy week then I may send some orders out on Fridays too, but generally Wednesday is when I pack and Thursday is when I ship.

That way I can spend the rest of the week making new work and keeping other parts of my business ticking over. I wonder if you run a business on your own, what systems you’ve put in place to help keep things running smoothly?