Reed Pannell

Ever tried selling a heavy item online and watched potential buyers back away at the shipping cost? I’ve been there—early days struggling with how to show transparent shipping fees without scaring folks off. Here’s the harsh reality: Heavy products (70+ lbs) aren’t just “bigger boxes,” they’re logistical puzzles. If you don’t break down the costs clearly, buyers feel like they’re stepping into a black hole. I once almost lost a deal because my shipping options were vague. The buyer hesitated when they saw a surprise fee after checkout. It stung—but it taught me this: Transparency = trust, and trust fuels sales. If you’re venturing into heavy item sales or just starting your e-commerce journey, keep this in mind: 1. **Show shipping costs upfront**—Use freight calculators or third-party tools to estimate and display fees before checkout. 2. **Communicate clearly**—Explain why heavy item shipping is pricier; most buyers are willing to pay if they understand. 3. **Learn from experts**—Selling on eBay, Amazon, or Etsy demands strategies that go beyond listings. Starting and scaling an e-commerce business isn’t a solo ride. Guidance from someone who’s navigated these pitfalls (like Huzaifa’s mentorship program) can save you countless headaches. It’s about building a business that works, even with the heavy stuff. What’s been your biggest shipping headache? How did you tackle it? Or what’s stopping you from selling bulky items online? Let’s talk!

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Sampling campaigns to 200 stores can cost $5K–$10K. The real question: how many cases do you need to sell to make that back? We’ve supported 2 recent BC campaigns and I was doing some analysis, so figured I’d share some of the interesting tidbits, plus have people vet my math in public. (Always scary 🫣 ) Quick Highlights: 400 Kits with about 200 retail staff responses 90%+ of respondents said they’d recommend what they sampled 80–90% expressed buying intent That’s a lot of positive feedback. But here’s the reality check: - Only about half of recipients complete surveys. - And in research, what people say doesn’t always match what they do. Here’s how I think about the ROI? Break-even at 25% GM% (cases of 12 units): - $5 wholesale per unit ($60 per case) → 333–667 cases (4,000–8,000 units) - $10 wholesale per unit ($120 per case) → 167–333 cases (2,000–4,000 units) - $15 wholesale per unit ($180 per case) → 111–222 cases (1,333–2,667 units) - $25 wholesale per unit ($300 per case) → 67–133 cases (800–1,600 units) When you consider that one engaged retailer can move dozens of cases over time, and that campaigns also generate insights to improve products, the math starts to look compelling to me. Curious to hear how others in the industry are looking at sampling ROI : do these numbers line up with your experience? Am I way off on GM%? Wholesale Price? 

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Will this be a complete game changer for the liquidation business? I just saw that Amazon is now selling liquidation pallets. While so far the prices are closer to wholesale, I wonder if it's just a matter of time before Amazon builds up this category and captures a major share of the liquidation market. In hindsight, it's interesting that Amazon waited this long to compete with online liquidation platforms like BStock Solutions and Liquidation.com. Amazon has already had wholesale lots listed on its site for years, so this does seem to a natural progression. If you are in the liquidation business, how do you plan on staying competitive if Amazon further expands its presence in the liquidation business?

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USPS rates just keep creeping up. This year started off mild with Ground Advantage up +3.9%, Priority Mail +3.2%. But then came July’s big news, Ground Advantage retail jumped +9.8%, Priority Mail retail +7.3%. One of the biggest mid-year hikes we’ve seen in a while. Peak season’s *only* +5.2% for Ground Advantage, down from last year’s +6.4%. Sounds like a win… until you remember it’s stacked on top of those higher mid-year rates. Net result? We’re all paying more. Why? It’s partly the USPS Postmaster General’s 10-year plan to make USPS self-sustaining. But politics are in the mix too - budget cuts, labor contracts, competitive pressure from new (OnTrac, SpeedX, etc.) and incumbent carriers (FedEx, UPS). Rate hikes are the fastest lever they can pull. For brands, the playbook stays the same: - Diversify your carrier mix - Benchmark costs regularly - Don’t assume USPS will stay the cheapest option Peak season is just around the corner. Rates are rising. The only question now is who can adapt the fastest. Here's a summary of the peak rate increases 👉 https://lnkd.in/dX_6DFFf

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Retailers don't lose margin on bold pricing bets.   They lose it one "good enough" decision at a time. Most retail pricing isn't decided in workshops or steering committees. It's decided on Tuesday afternoons.   Under time pressure.   With "good enough" logic. And that's exactly the problem. Today, pricing still assumes the risk sits in the big moves:   ▪️ new price architecture   ▪️ headline KVIs   ▪️ bold resets But that's not where margin leaks. The real leakage lives in the 80% of low-attention decisions:   🔻 unit of measure price ladders 🔻 promo depth calls out of routine instead of data 🔻 regional overrides driven by gut-feelings 🔻„ just match the market" adjustments Each one feels harmless.   Collectively, they define your margin. The miss isn't lack of intelligence.   It's lack of customer-centric confidence. When teams don't know where value actually matters, they default to safety:   - cost-plus   - competitor matching   - internal precedent That's not caution.   That's silent value give-away. Pricing from the customer backward isn't about perfection.   It's about making the everyday decision easier and more consistent. Because in retail pricing heroics don't scale, but consistency does. And the quietest decisions usually decide the P&L. Some of the most profitable pricing work never looks exciting on a slide.

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When you hand your inventory over to a 3PL, what are you really trusting them with? It's not just boxes on a shelf. It's a massive financial investment. It's your brand's reputation. It's the promise you've made to your customers. I've seen too many logistics operations treat inventory like a commodity, just units to be moved as quickly as possible. The problem with this "process-first" mindset is that it falls apart the moment something goes wrong. Accountability gets lost in a sea of process maps and anonymous employees. At M&M Quality Solutions, we believe ownership is the only antidote. We built our culture on a simple idea: treat every client's inventory as if it were our own. That means when one of our team members sees a damaged box, they don't just scan it and walk away. They own it. They inspect it, document it, and communicate it, because they understand that a small act of carelessness on our floor can create a big problem for your business. This isn't a revolutionary idea, but in today's automated world, it feels like one. It's about empowering people, not just implementing systems. Read our latest blog to see how this philosophy of ownership translates into real-world results for our partners. https://bit.ly/4bj61D0 #Leadership #InventoryCare #LogisticsWithHeart

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If you’re in 3PL, enterprise fulfillment, or eCommerce distribution, I strongly recommend connecting with Christopher Moore LinkedIn rewards proximity to real operators… not just titles. Christopher has built and scaled fulfillment divisions from zero to multi-million-dollar revenue engines and driven $100M+ in career billed revenue across global operations. This is the kind of connection that elevates your network. Surround yourself with people who build, scale, and execute. Connect with him. https://lnkd.in/gkR-mNz6

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