Parting out and Selling - If you aren't using a label printer, you are wasting time!

DoNotInsertIntoMouth · 2014-02-08T17:32:18.000Z

So the results are in! I bought a DYMO 450. Super easy to get going and set up with labels for USPS. I cannot believe I ever used a freaking printer. This thing is INSANE! I thought I could also give people a little insight into my methods too. Feel free to suggest your improvements! So here are some starting points - I am all about efficiency when working so I do a lot of timing myself and taking statistics. So here you go: I ship an average of 12 things a weekday - about 20 for the full weekend or more. Most of these are minifigures and parted out sets or used sets I sell without the box. I use USPS for the majority of shipments obviously - first class. My old Process is this: Look at Ebay and see what I have sold. As I multi-ship, I write down the purchases into my records along with the zip code. I then print all the labels Using my records, I write on the tops of the labels what goes in each I then make my way to my Lego storage - in a room in my house I have tons of drawers and shelving. I retrieve everything I need. Once I have them, I cut the labels all at once and lay them out and place what goes with each on each label. I package them all and fold the tops of the labels down so you can't see what I wrote. I then use my tape dispenser and pull off enough pieces for every package (I do this on my kitchen counter so I put them on the ends) Then I tape each package. Minifigures are the toughest as the packages are small and you have to get all the ends down (I use 4x8s). Sets are easy because I can just set the label on the them and apply the four pieces of tape. I then bag everything up to go to the PO. On a normal night, the records and printing the labels take about 20 minutes for 20 packages. Picking them out from storage is 10 minutes. As far as taping and packaging, timing myself I find it takes me 30 minutes to do 20 packages (about 16 minifigures and 4 sets as is my usual). Adding in the label printer affects several things. Super fast printing. The 450 prints 51 a minute and you can get faster. My printer was pretty fast, but it didn't match this. Everything attached together. Why does this matter? ORGANIZATION! I write my records down in the order I print so... Everything lines up! Easy to go right down the list and tell what label is what. Also much cleaner. Sometimes papers start flying out of the printer. No ink. No refills except labels which are honestly about the same price of paper. Right now my cost per label is $.015. NOT LOUD. OMG loud printers piss me off. Really small. It is seriously like 4 inches by 8 inches. Will fit anywhere. As for timing? For the printing and categorizing labels, I cut 20 down to about 18 minutes from 20. It doesn't help me pull them out of storage unfortunately. Packing and taping - NO MORE TAPING! I hate taping so much for so many reasons. I pull it off and stick it. 20 packages... 17 minutes!!! Insane cut in time. So for me, it is saving me 15 minutes per 20 packages. Considering my usual time was about 1 hour - thats a 25% decrease. What did I pay for this beauty? 70$. Just doing a bit of very rough math, lets say with an average of 10 packages per day over the next year, pulling out one day a week and guessing that I add two days of 10 packages to equal my control of 20 (although thats probably not quite true) then you are looking at: (3 sets of 20 packages a week x 52 weeks x 15 minutes) / 60 minutes per hour 39 hours in a year this saved me. Assuming you would at least use this for a year, you spent $1.8 per hour to have this help you. Worth it? Yes. Dymo 450 Link USPS compatible labels Edit: The dymo has gone back up to $87. Watch and it may drop again.