Is your Amazon or other dropshipping business affected by the coronavirus?

Are there delays or limitations on deliveries because of the situation?

As we all know, Amazon has been prioritizing only essential goods. Many manufacturers, suppliers, and logistics companies are experiencing a disturbance in their operations which means that if you are a drop shipper, your products might have delays reaching the customers or better yet ask your supplier, but assume that your item will not be shipped without delays. Inform your customers upfront to expect delays for the arrival of their items. In any of these circumstances, being prepared is the best way to take control during this uncertain time.

In a situation like a pandemic, how do you make sure that your products are well packed to avoid being contaminated with the virus? There is limited evidence that coronavirus can be transmitted through imported goods and packages. The virus can be transmitted from one person to another person through respiratory droplets from coughs or sneezes; they don’t survive for long on surfaces and it can potentially survive for up to 24 hours on cardboard. It means there is a very low risk of spreading COVID-19 from products or packaging that have been shipped over days or weeks in an ambient environment. But in spite of this, you should not be complacent that your product will be safe from COVID-19.

If you are doing your own FBA prep, you have to make sure that you do the prep properly and safely. At MyFBAPrep, we provide safety measures to follow to see to it that your inventory or products cannot be contaminated by a virus

Tips to Make Sure Your Amazon FBA and Dropshipping Inventory Will Not Be Contaminated By Covid19

1. Sanitize or disinfect your warehouse or workspace. As the virus is spreading quickly, sanitizing your warehouse or workplace will help you maintain the cleanliness of the place where your inventory will be stored and prepped.

2. Sanitize yourself and co-workers. After sanitizing or disinfecting your warehouse, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly. After doing this, make sure to wear your personal protective equipment like gloves, mask, and gown if needed before you start to prep your inventory.

3. Start to prep your inventory in a natural process but with proper personal protective equipment. Advise your employees to use gloves when they receive packages and disinfect the box if they can before opening.

4. Continue to practice good hand hygiene. Cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, then dispose of the tissue properly right after you use it. Wash your hand with soap after sneezing or coughing.

5. Practice social distancing even just inside the warehouse. If you think you are not feeling well, just stay at home.

6. Keep yourself and your team healthy and hydrated, eat nutritious foods, take vitamins, and get enough sleep.

These tips are not just for your inventory or products to avoid COVID-19 but most importantly these are good to follow for your own safety.

Keeping yourself busy is important during this situation. Here are a few things that you can do while the virus is still at large. Make use of your extra time by doing some tasks that you were not able to prioritize previously.

Here are some ideas for tasks that could also help you in growing your business:

1. Set up a home office. Do you usually use your bed as your working station? Yes, it’s comfortable but that is not a productive way to work in the long term. Use this time to configure an inspiring work station.
2. Level up and upskill. Whether you are new to E-commerce or have been at it for a while, upskilling is always a good idea. You can take online courses or just read ebooks where you can gather some learnings that would help you with your business for when you need it most.
3. Create social channels. Organically start building your followers by creating social media channels. It’s a great way to establish your brand and social proof. You can take inspiration from other businesses and look into ways of how you can improve what you already started.
4. Building up an email list. This is the right time to start building your email list and do some full email sequences, not just an abandoned cart email. You can watch some email strategy from YouTube and after that do some research then start creating your own funnels.

The impact of coronavirus is changing daily. Keep yourself updated from reliable and credible information. Use the restrictions to safeguard your business, but don’t forget to spend some time with your family.