Packing looks quick, but small delays add up: hunting for tape, trying three boxes before one fits, reprinting a label, opening a sealed box to fix a mistake. A minute lost per order is an hour a day at sixty orders. Most of it comes back with a better station and a fixed routine.
Set up a packing station
Pack in one place, every time. A sturdy table at about waist height is enough, close to where you store your best sellers. Keep it clear: the table is for the order in front of you, not for stock or paperwork.
Keep supplies within reach
- Boxes and mailers on a shelf beside or under the table, smallest at the front.
- Tape gun, scissors and a pen in the same spot, ideally hung or in a tray.
- Void fill and tissue in a bin you can reach without turning around.
- Printer and labels on the table or right next to it.
- Inserts like thank-you cards or returns slips, stacked and ready.
Stock the box sizes you actually use
Look at the last month of orders and group them by size. Most shops find that three or four box and mailer sizes cover nearly every order. Fewer sizes mean less choosing, less shelf space and less void fill.
| Order type | Packaging |
|---|---|
| One small, unbreakable item | Padded or poly mailer |
| One to three items | Small box |
| Larger or mixed orders | Medium box |
| Fragile items | Box one size up, with void fill |
Give everything a fixed place
Decide where each thing lives and put it back there every time. Work in one direction: picked items arrive on one side, you pack in the middle, sealed boxes leave on the other side. When the layout never changes, your hands learn it and anyone who helps can pack without asking where things are.
Pack in batches after batch picking
If you collect several orders in one walk (batch picking), pack them as a batch too. Doing the same step for every order in a row is faster than switching between tasks.
- Lay out one packing slip per order across the table, or use one tray per order.
- Split the picked items onto their slips, line by line.
- Pick a box for each order and pack them one after another.
- Check and seal each box, then print and attach the labels.
Keep each order’s items on its own slip or tray until the box is sealed. Mixing two orders up at this step is the main risk of batch picking.
Check the order against the packing slip before sealing
Before you tape the box, compare it with the packing slip: count the items first, then check each line for the right product, size, color and quantity. It takes a few seconds and is far cheaper than a reshipment. If the same mistakes keep turning up, see how to reduce picking errors.
Labels and courier cut-offs
Print shipping labels in one go for the whole batch, not one at a time between boxes. Keep a spare roll of labels at the station so a run never stops halfway.
Know each courier’s collection or drop-off time and work back from it. If the van comes at 15:00, orders paid by midday should be picked by 13:00 and packed by 14:30. Anything that has to go today gets picked first. With several couriers, group orders by courier so each pile is ready when its pickup arrives. Releasing orders in groups like this is called wave picking; see order picking methods.
Common time sinks
| Time sink | Fix |
|---|---|
| Searching for tape, scissors or labels | One fixed place for each, and put them back |
| Trying several boxes | Fewer sizes, and a note of which size fits your best sellers |
| Packing one order, then picking the next | Pick a batch first, then pack the batch |
| Reopening sealed boxes | Check against the packing slip before sealing |
| Labels printed one by one | Print the whole batch at once |
| Running out of supplies mid-run | Restock the station at the end of each day |
| A cluttered table | Only the current order on the table |
Packing is only as fast as the picking before it. If items arrive late or wrong, start with organizing the stockroom.
How pickBlink helps
In the Orders list, select several orders and press Pick together to batch pick them in one walk, with the bins lit up on a photo of your shelf, numbered in walking order with the quantity on each. Print packing slips for the batch to split items at the packing table. Scan barcodes with the phone’s camera to check each item, and pickBlink warns you before completing an order with items not ticked off. Stock counts go down as orders are completed. Shipping labels still come from your store or courier. See how it works.