You did it. You made your first sale through your Etsy store.

You feel like a million bucks. You knew you had a great idea but actually seeing that first order just feels so good.

But now what?

How do you get what you just sold to your new customer?

There is a ton of information out there and it can be overwhelming for a first–time-shipper. (That’s a word right?)

To help you get started here are three tips to make your Etsy selling life a little bit easier:

1. Padding, padding and more padding

The last thing you want is for your customer to open up their package only to find their new product broken. What a terrible first impression! Find cheap or even free shipping supplies. Don’t overspend when you can find what you need for less or even free. Did you know many dollar stores sell packaging supplies? If you are shipping numerous packages, find a way to use leftover boxes from other businesses like grocery stores. They usually have more boxes than they know what to do with. Even better, they are usually brand new and in good condition. Approach the local manager in a friendly way and help him with his excess box problem! Try florists too.

2. Create a how-to training manual

Right now it may just be you working on your business, but consider documenting what you do and how you do things. This will help you visualize your business processes and work out the most efficient ways to things. It will also make your life much easier when you start to grow and hire your first employee!

3. Listen to your customers and adjust accordingly

Keep a close eye on what your customers are buying. If you sell a wide variety of items but start to notice a good chunk of your customers seem to be interested in a particular category of products, consider focusing your efforts there. You may be able to expand that category to provide you already interested customers with more interesting choices to drive more sales. Start blogging about those items. Become an expert. People will notice.

You are now on your way to building your Etsy empire. But what happens when one of your packages gets to a customer late? I guess that depends on your customer service policy and if they even complain.

But either way, you are entitled to a refund when you send a package with expedited shipping and it arrives late. Problem is the shipping carriers don’t automatically refund your money nor do they tell you when you are eligible for one. On top of that, they make it a hassle.

Don’t worry though. You have a secret weapon. PackageFox tracks all your shipments and automatically gets you a refund when you deserve it. Cool right?

Sign up for your free account today. It only takes a few minutes, then, presto. Get back the money you’re due from late shipments!