u/MesciVonPlushie

Hope everybody is having a great weekend so far.

I co-own a growing garage door company. Up until now it’s just been me and my business partner in the field every day, plus a couple of subcontractors we use for door installations when our schedule gets packed. Lately that seems to be most of the time, which is an awesome problem to have.

We just hired our first technician. He’s still training, but so far he seems like a perfect fit. He has a ton of experience, but also seems willing to learn and not stuck in his ways. His references within the industry all spoke highly of him. Another huge perk is that he’s located on the east side of the Cities while my business partner and I are in the southwest and northwest metro. That should help us cluster jobs more efficiently and start advertising in some areas that were previously outside our service range. So far he seems like a genuinely humble, down-to-earth guy who’s thankful for the opportunity.

I know the first few paragraphs have almost nothing to do with my actual question, but I’m excited and wanted to share.
My main question is: where does everybody stand on Milwaukee vs. Makita? Right now I run Makita and absolutely love them. They won me over with something as simple as a handheld blower. I’ve used a ton of different blowers like it and the Makita crushes every single one. They’re quite cordless easy, variable speed and more. I love it It’s one of the nicest power tools I’ve ever used, really want me over because everybody else just looks at those tools as a cheap gimmick whereas the Makita version was clearly engineered to be the best that it possibly could be.

My business partner wants to put our technician on Milwaukee, mostly because “that’s what the pros use.” If BP already has his heart set on Milwaukee, I don’t mind going that direction and may not even throw Makita into the hat. But if there are real advantages to one ecosystem over the other, now is the time to decide. Once we buy in, we’re not just buying tools for one technician. We’re building the platform that all of our future technicians will likely be using.

Where does everybody buy their tools these days? Home Depot? Lowe’s? Acme? A local power tool dealer that hooks you up with the good stuff? That real hardcore stuff

Also Father’s Day is next weekend. Has anybody seen any genuinely good deals, or is it mostly the same promotions we see every holiday?

Finally, I just want to say I really appreciate this subreddit. I’ve spent a lot of time here over the years and learned a ton. Random tricks people have posted here that I never otherwise would’ve heard about have made their way into my workflow. I’ve asked questions, gotten great answers, and occasionally gotten some terrible answers too, not gonna lie, but it’s all been worth it.

Our business is growing, getting bigger and better every day. Hiring our first technician is a huge milestone for us.
I’ve learned a ton from conversations with other technicians in this industry, whether it’s on Reddit, Facebook, quick chats at suppliers while strapping doors, or even the occasional horn honk and middle finger on the highway. All of them, have helped me grow both as a technician and as a business owner.

So seriously, thank you, everyone.

Much love,
Mesci

I run a small specialty e-commerce business serving a very niche hobby. As far as I can tell, I’m the only company in the world currently offering some of these products, which has been both exciting and challenging.

I’m based in the Midwest USA, but my customer base is surprisingly international. Right now, about 50% of my orders are domestic and 50% are international. The frustrating part is that I know there are many more international customers who would order if shipping costs were lower.

My store is built on Shopify, and at the moment I’m primarily using the shipping tools and carrier integrations available through Shopify’s ecosystem. Currently, I use DHL Express and UPS for international shipments. Labels bought through Shopify. They work well, but shipping often starts around $50 USD. Since my average order value is roughly $40 to $80 USD, many customers end up paying shipping costs equal to 50% to 100% of the value of their order.

I recently tried DHL eCommerce as a lower-cost option, but both shipments were held and returned. Neither DHL nor Shopify has been able to provide a clear explanation as to why.

The products I sell are non-hazardous restoration supplies used for soft vinyl products. These products are used to restore flexibility and extend the life of soft vinyl. The products are non-phthalate, non-hazardous, not restricted for transport, and compliant with applicable regulations. In practical terms, shipping them is about as risky as shipping a bottle of cooking oil, arguably less since nobody is supposed to eat them.

I’ve successfully shipped these products internationally before using other carriers and have never encountered issues. The only problems I’ve had so far have been with DHL eCommerce.

I’m going back and forth with Shopify and DHL ECom but ultimately I’m trying to find a more affordable international shipping solution that would allow customers to place smaller orders without getting hit with $50+ shipping charges.

A few things worth noting:

• Dropshipping is not an option. These are specialty products that I source directly from manufacturers. Many of the specialty blends and formulas I sell are also developed, blended, bottled, and packaged by hand in-house.

• Overseas distribution is possible, but I would need to supply and manage inventory. At this time it’s not feasible for me, a great long term goal but too much at this very moment.

• My orders are lightweight and generally ship in small packages, most being under 5 pounds.

For those of you running small e-commerce businesses with international customers do you have any tips or suggestions for me? I’d appreciate any advice. This business has been incredibly rewarding, and I’d love to find a way to get these products into more people’s hands without international shipping becoming such a major barrier.

I run a small specialty e-commerce business serving a very niche hobby. As far as I can tell, I’m the only company in the world currently offering some of these products, which has been both exciting and challenging.

I’m based in the Midwest USA, but my customer base is surprisingly international. Right now, about 50% of my orders are domestic and 50% are international. The frustrating part is that I know there are many more international customers who would order if shipping costs were lower.

My store is built on Shopify, and at the moment I’m primarily using the shipping tools and carrier integrations available through Shopify’s ecosystem. Currently, I use DHL Express and UPS for international shipments. Labels bought through Shopify. They work well, but shipping often starts around $50 USD. Since my average order value is roughly $40 to $80 USD, many customers end up paying shipping costs equal to 50% to 100% of the value of their order.

I recently tried DHL eCommerce as a lower-cost option, but both shipments were held and returned. Neither DHL nor Shopify has been able to provide a clear explanation as to why.

The products I sell are non-hazardous restoration supplies used for soft vinyl products. These products are used to restore flexibility and extend the life of soft vinyl. The products are non-phthalate, non-hazardous, not restricted for transport, and compliant with applicable regulations. In practical terms, shipping them is about as risky as shipping a bottle of cooking oil, arguably less since nobody is supposed to eat them.

I’ve successfully shipped these products internationally before using other carriers and have never encountered issues. The only problems I’ve had so far have been with DHL eCommerce.

I’m going back and forth with Shopify and DHL ECom but ultimately I’m trying to find a more affordable international shipping solution that would allow customers to place smaller orders without getting hit with $50+ shipping charges.

A few things worth noting:

• Dropshipping is not an option. These are specialty products that I source directly from manufacturers. Many of the specialty blends and formulas I sell are also developed, blended, bottled, and packaged by hand in-house.

• Overseas distribution is possible, but I would need to supply and manage inventory. At this time it’s not feasible for me, a great long term goal but too much at this very moment.

• My orders are lightweight and generally ship in small packages, most being under 5 pounds.

For those of you running small e-commerce businesses with international customers do you have any tips or suggestions for me? I’d appreciate any advice. This business has been incredibly rewarding, and I’d love to find a way to get these products into more people’s hands without international shipping becoming such a major barrier.

What’s your trick? When they are just spinning, flat head does nothing. I am so sick of fighting them bitches. Cutting them off is a pain too. Lay your great wisdom upon me garage door gods and goddesses, grant me salvation.